Four years after his sleeper hit The Full Monty, writer Simon Beaufoy’s comedy-drama Blow Dry was released. Though not the award grabbing screenplay that Monty and Beaufoy’s latest Oscar darling (Slumdog Millionaire) were, Blow Dry is a film that offers a sensitive look at life and death while maintaining a sense of humor about both.
With a star-studded cast that includes Alan Rickman (Harry Potter’s Professor Snape, Snow Cake, Die Hard), the late great Natasha Richardson (Nell, Widow’s Peak), Rachel Griffiths (The Rookie, TV’s Six Feet Under and Brothers & Sisters), Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, The Black Dahlia) and Rachael Leigh Cook (She’s All That, Nancy Drew), this film is at least entertaining, at most excellent.
Hairdressing 101
The tiny town of Keighley, England, has been chosen to host the annual British Hairdressing Championships. The mayor wants local barber Phil (Rickman), a former champion, to enter the competition and represent the town. But it’s a team-oriented competition, and since Phil’s ex-wife Shelley (Richardson) left him for their hair model Sandra (Griffiths), the two haven’t spoken in ten years, and the idea that they might team up again seems unlikely.
Their son Brian (Hartnett), however, has other ideas. Shelley, who has just learned her cancer is terminal but doesn’t tell anyone, coaxes Brian into joining her team, even though he works in his dad’s barber shop. When the final round of the competition – the “Total Look” – comes up, Shelley and Brian beg Phil and Sandra to put aside their differences and work together once more.
Fierce Competition
As all good stories must have conflict, this one obliges by including two-time champion Ray Robertson (Bill Nighy) storming into town. With his sights set on a three-peat, he drags his American daughter Christina (Cook) along to be his model. Christina and Brian remember each other from childhood, though neither misses the fact that they are no longer children.
Christina tries her best to both assist and please her demanding dad, but her abilities fall a bit short of his high standards. One of the film’s funniest moments comes when Brian sneaks Christina into the local funeral home to practice her dyeing skills. But when Christina discovers that her dad will stop at nothing to win, she is forced to take a step back and re-evaluate her priorities.
A Hair-Raising Ending
Every member of the cast has a question to be answered. Will Shelley tell her loved ones she is dying? Will Phil and Sandra agree to work together again? And if so, will they deprive Ray of his coveted but undeserved third win? The answers to these questions are found in a not altogether unpredictable ending, but the pervading theme of Blow Dry is forgiveness, and Beaufoy’s screenplay teaches its lesson with style – in more ways than one.
- Starring Alan Rickman, Natasha Richardson, Rachel Griffiths, Josh Hartnett, Rachael Leigh Cook
- Miramax Films, 2001
- Directed by Paddy Breathnach
- Rated: R (adult content, adult language, brief nudity)
- Running time: 91 minutes
- Available on DVD (Other features: Interactive menus; scene access; making-of featurette)
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