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Academy Award winner Judi Dench (Shakespeare in Love) received her fifth Oscar nomination for her saucy, hilarious performance in Mrs. Henderson Presents. Laura Henderson (Dench) may be a widow in London but she is certainly not going to spend the rest of her days playing bridge. In a time when England is brought to its knees by war, she brings a nation to its feet in applause -- with a live show featuring nude girls! Dench and Academy Award nominee Bob Hoskins have won critics' hearts in this stylish gem that Joe Morgenstern from The Wall Street Journal calls "one of the wittiest comedies to come our way in a very long time!"

Laura Henderson (Judi Dench) was a member of England's upper-most socio-economic faction. She and her husband traveled in the most elite circles. They had business throughout the English Empire and were privileged in all corners. Unfortunately, when her husband dies, Laura is left without not just the love of her life, but also the man who kept her schedule. She is forced to occupy her time some other way. She is schooled in the art of widowhood by a friend (who was played very well by Thelma Barlow). Mrs. Henderson is instructed that being a widow is not that bad, for example she has no one around to stop her from buying things. The advice, though in reference to jewelry, was applied when Mrs. Henderson bought the Windmill Theatre.

She knows nothing of running a theatre and even less about producing a review. To help her with her project, Mrs. Henderson hired Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins). Together they revolutionize the theatre experience in England, offering things that have never been available before, up to and including nude girls.

The story is based on actual events. It was certainly an interesting piece of history to recount, and it was done well. I may have been a little too young to fully appreciate the humor and the charm, but I still liked the movie a good deal.

Judi Dench's body of work will be celebrated well into the future. Her career is an impressive one, and really speaks for itself. Her role as Laura Henderson is another notch in her belt of which she should be extremely proud. If my saying so is not enough, it did earn her an Academy Award nomination.

It is hard to overshadow a Judi Dench performance, but apparently if anyone is capable it is Bob Hoskins. I may be so bold as to actually think he did a better job than she. He has been nominated for many awards (link), but I have seen very few of those pictures. I figured he would always be Eddie Valiant to me, the character he played in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

The movie is not well suited for a younger audience as there is nudity, though it is tastefully done. But I guess that is just a word we just to justify seeing naked people. The writing was funny and the songs were very good. I will warn you, some are not so easy to get out of your head.

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