30
Nobody can reduce tawdry material to doddering quaintness like the British, but this staggeringly inane joint effort of U.K., Belgian, French, German, and Luxembourgian film financing represents a true coalition of the witless.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
60
The New York Times by A.O. Scott
Irina Palm is, for the most part, a phony trifle, but at its heart, somehow, is a real and fascinating person.
50
The dopey premise only takes to a gross extreme the "Full Monty" formula that the Brits have been milking for more than a decade.
50
Doesn't deliver on a lot of fronts. But then again it gives us full-on Faithfull, who manages to bare herself completely without ever actually getting undressed.
88
Faithfull is marvelous: Once notorious for her own escapades, this great-great-niece of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch is no shrinking violet, but she's perfect as a plump, frumpy widow with a huge heart and a hidden talent no one would ever suspect.
70
Los Angeles Times by Kenneth Turan
Genially preposterous and pleasantly diverting, it balances calculation against humanity and generally comes out on top.
50
The demand for her services is so great that she suffers from "penis elbow," but her popularity also brings self-esteem and a possible boyfriend in her boss (Miki Manojlovic) in this lethargically directed comedy.
75
San Francisco Chronicle by Ruthe Stein
Sam Garbarski's use of slow-motion shots is pretentious, and he paces the film too slowly. But he captures the seedy side of London, giving you a feel for Soho during the day when sunshine exposes a cheap gaudiness.