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Mrs. Henderson Presents
The Weinstein Company LLC


7.2

based on 36 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 29 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

FILM:

MPAA RATING: R for nudity and brief language

Starring Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Will Young, Kelly Reilly, Thelma Barlow, and Christopher Guest

Mrs. Laura Henderson (Dench) may be a widow but she is by no means going to spend the rest of her days playing bridge. The Windmill Theater becomes ger game and the infamous showman Vivian Van Dam (Hoskins) becomes her partner and fiercest opponent. The Germans are bombing London but the roar of the Windmill is all that can be heard as Laura convinces Lord Cromer (Guest) to allow her actresses to be the one thing no one could ever imagine: Nude. Brought to its knees by war, what Mrs. Henderson Presents brings a nation to its feet in applause. (The Weinstein Company)

GENRE(S):	Comedy \| Drama \| Foreign
WRITTEN BY:	Martin Sherman
DIRECTED BY:	Stephen Frears
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: April 18, 2006 Theatrical: December 9, 2005
RUNNING TIME:	103 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	UK

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

Marvelously enjoyable.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

It offers a feel-good experience, but without the heavy dose of schmaltz that often accompanies such a production.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Constantly battling, Hoskins and Dench have terrific chemistry together.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

A dear film, sentimental and fond, full of beautifully acted British resolve.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

It's funny, touching and crammed to the rafters with clever dialogue, splashy production numbers and stiff-upper-lip charm.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

A humorous bounty of flesh and fantasy.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

This is a shimmery beaded curtain of a movie, a slight, charming picture that's almost all facade. But what a facade!

The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

An absolute delight from start to finish.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

One of the wittiest comedies to come our way in a very long time.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Just as there will always be an England, there will always be a certain kind of English film: the highly polished entertainment, well-acted, genteelly amusing and impeccably turned out. Mrs. Henderson Presents is the latest example of the trend and an especially satisfying one.

Newsweek David Ansen

A shameless crowd-pleaser.

Time Richard Schickel

The result is an admittedly minor, but authentic, holiday treat.

Dallas Observer Bill Gallo

Mrs. Henderson hits all its marks, well-worn though they be, and Dench fans will once more find themselves glorying in her reckless spirit.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Say what you will about feel-good films anchored by feisty old broads, the English have a knack with them and Stephen Frears' fact-based tale of a formidable, aristocratic widow who makes it her mission to put naked girls on the London stage is delightful.

Premiere Ethan Alter

It's a slight story to be sure, but the pleasures of Mrs. Henderson Presents lie less with the narrative and more with the film's tone and the dynamic duo of Dench and Hoskins.

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

Has an old-fashioned feel, as if it had been made in the period of its setting. I mean this as a compliment.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Mrs. Henderson Presents is not great cinema, and neither was the Windmill great theater, but they both put on a good show.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

Unlike its subject, "Henderson" breaks no new ground. But like its reliable star, it's a welcome exponent of a valued tradition.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

Mrs. Henderson Presents is a very old hat, and Judi Dench wears it beautifully.

Miami Herald Connie Ogle

Never has the sight of naked women been so innocent.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

Humor and warmth abound in Mrs. Henderson Presents.

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

Posh meets prole in this period drama elegantly directed by Stephen Frears (Dangerous Liaisons, Prick Up Your Ears).

Film Threat K.J. Doughton

In Mrs. Henderson Presents, Bob Hoskins lets it all hang out.

Village Voice Jorge Morales

This is Dame Judi's show. However extraordinary an actor she may be, she cannot conceal the obvious fact that she's having the time of her life here. Isn't that delicious?

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Poking fun at uptight British civility has long been a monocle-shattering comedic staple, and Mrs. Henderson Presents gets by for a while on its genial naughtiness.

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

Dench deserves better, and unfortunately it will probably be a long time before she gets another starring role in a movie custom-made for an actress her age.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

In its juxtaposition of voluptuous nudity with the horrors of war, in its evocation of idealized beauty draped like gods and goddesses of Grecian art, the film invokes classical ideas about how the life force asserts itself most aggressively in the face of death.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

The subplot involving a tragic romance between a soldier and one of the living statues (the lovely Kelly Reilly) is hell on the humor and on a movie that stays content to do the trite thing.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

The picture is as tastefully pretty as its girls, and just as motionless.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

This genteel confection skews toward older audiences - those who go for "Calendar Girls," "Ladies in Lavender" and "Mrs. Brown."

Variety David Rooney

A bigscreen feature executed with a cookie-cutter small-screen sensibility, this often charming but untextured fact-based period piece is buoyed along by the redoubtable Judi Dench.

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

Watching this reasonably funny, professionally assembled calculation is a little like snuggling up in front of the television with a mug of hot cocoa and a warm blanket. Those who prefer their drinks and recreation spiked would do well to look elsewhere.

Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan

A rather schizophrenic comedy that gives respected performers Dame Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins a chance to show they don't take themselves too seriously.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

This makes for a friendly romp, and also a dull one.

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

Stephen Frears has had more downs than ups of late, but I would never have thought the man responsible for "My Beautiful Laundrette" and "The Grifters" capable of stooping to pap as pappy as this unbearably chipper take on the real-life story of Laura Henderson.

USA Today Mike Clark

It says something that during a scene in which nude chorines are turned into a fleshy backdrop, you spend as much time looking at your watch as what's on screen.

The average user rating for this movie is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 29 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Carol R. gave it a9:
A most enjoyable, easy to watch British film production ... a combination of emotions and wonderfully acted by Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins and Thelma Barlow.

Lady M. gave it a9:
Splendid and very classy film! Great actors and actresses like Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins, but the greatest is absolutely Mrs. Thelma Barlow. I love her accent!

BJ J. gave it a0:
After 20 minutes I gave it up. Difficult to understand the Brit accents, even tho I've been to England many times. Story line was going nowhere. In reading the other reviews, perhaps I'm too plebian to enjoy this.

Sheila O. gave it a10:
Dame Judy Dench was wonderful in this film and Bob Hoskins played well with her. I laughed so much and loved the songs and the nudity was tastefully done.This was nostalgic for me because my father often visited the Windmill theatre,we should have more films like this.I would like the CD of the songs, Loved Will Young he was cool.

Sheila E. gave it a10:
I was captivated from beginning to end mostly by Judi Dench's performance, it is true, but by all the rest of the cast, story and especially the dialogue as well.

Jane R. gave it a9:
Wonderful characters and chemistry between the characters. Moving, lovely photography, well scripted. We loved it.

Gregg D. gave it an8:
A pleasant movie that appealed to both my wife and me. R rated but done in such an elegant way, I would allow my 13 year old daughter to view it.

Mrs. Henderson Presents The Weinstein Company LLC

Mrs. Henderson Presents
The Weinstein Company LLC