Movie Review
Cutthroat hairstylists have a sentimental edge
Wednesday, March 07, 2001

by John Zebroski
Seattle Times reporter

Next time you go into your favorite hair salon, try not to think about yourself. Avoid wondering if the direction of your hairline makes you look old or whether those split ends will ever be cured. Think, instead, of the artist standing behind you, who with the flick of a wrist, the right touch of flammable spray, can create beauty. For all you know, that hairdresser may be a champion.

Every year, hairdressers from around the world gather to compete against one another for coifed bragging rights. With dog shows, cheerleading competitions and ballet tryouts all the subjects of motion pictures the last year, "Blow Dry," a film about a hair-cutting championship, was inevitable. And with a script by Simon Beaufoy, who charmed the former colonies with "The Full Monty," viewers were guaranteed a lot of teary smiles and a rousing crescendo.

Blow Dry" tells the story of a Yorkshire, England, family that in the old days was among the most feared group of hair cutters in the United Kingdom. Phil (Alan Rickman) is brilliant, as is his wife, Shelley (Natasha Richardson), and their model, Sandra (Rachel Griffiths). But the night before the big English championship 10 years earlier, Shelley and Sandra ran off together, leaving Phil to raise their son while nursing a broken heart.

The movie opens with the British championship coming to Yorkshire. Shelley, who is dying from cancer, wants the family to reunite for one last try. But Phil is reluctant, although he comes around when he finds a former rival cheating to win.

Something, ain't it? There are so many reasons why this movie should fail, not the least being that it plays the whole thing straight. Anyone who saw "Best in Show" last year knows the possibilities of satire. By going for a more sentimental tone, "Blow Dry" sets itself up for disaster.

And then it veers away. If there is an Academy Award for best save, this one would be a top contender. Mostly through its capable cast (which includes teen beauty queen Rachel Leigh Cook), the film manages to load on the charm without making it nauseating. How else can lines such as this not send people into convulsions: "She was the dippiest girl I ever met, but with hair like satin."

The movie is also helped tremendously by its bit players. It is here where "Blow Dry" director Paddy Breathnach ("I Went Down") finds the film's satirical edge. Throughout the movie we're greeted by preening, treacherous cutters, spoiled, prima donna models and a mayor who by the end of the film has become a reincarnation of Elvis. It's these touches that will pull the viewer through some of the more offensively sentimental scenes.

Now, you all know how this will end. There's no point in pretending it's a secret. This is a feel-good movie, with a bit of cheeky Englishness to boot. Some might find it horrifying. But if you can handle weepy smiles and lots of hairspray, then go. You'll thank England for it.

Article Copyright The Seattle Times Company