Mrs. Henderson Presents

Esteemed director Stephen Frears eloquently transports the story of ‘30s era English widow Mrs. Henderson (Judi Dench) who purchases a London theater and hires veteran stage manager Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins) to run it. Mrs. Henderson’s sultry motives come to the fore as she imposes her political clout to bare the naked bodies of her theater’s dancers to the delight of the young soldiers who fill the seats every night. Hoskins and Dench share a unique chemistry that pierces the story’s heavy-handed construction.

Rated R. 102 mins. (C+) (Two Stars)