As soon as the opening credits end, we skip to the present where Gaz, his son, and one of his friends are trying to steal an iron girder from a derelict warehouse. Tragic scenes like this work but only to the detriment of the film's comedic effect, and they would have been better placed in a more serious film. Although it is an ensemble cast, Carlyle's role is so central that without his strong but vulnerable portrayal, the picture could easily have sunk. Once Gaz concocts his idea for a momentary ticket out of poverty, he needs two things, a guide and a cast. These auditions are among the show's funniest sequences.
Some guys are overweight and others are painfully skinny.
He is hired on the spot along with a fiftyish black guy, who can actually dance, albeit only routines from the 60s. In another beautiful scene, the guys have just about given up and are back in the unemployment line to collect their checks when one of their dance numbers comes on the loudspeakers overhead. Slowly they start dancing to the rhythm until each of them realizes they must follow through on their big plan. Until the very end, it is still not clear if some, all, or none of them will actually bare it all. You may even find the ending a bit of a surprise.