The Beautician and the Beast (1997)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Ken Kwapis

Writer (WGA):

Todd Graff (written by)

Release Date:

7 February 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Once upon a time...

Plot:

A New York cosmetologist mistakenly thought to be a science teacher is offered a job to teach the children of an Eastern European dictator.

Plot Keywords:

Dictator | Beautician

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Fran Drescher	...	Joy Miller
Timothy Dalton	...	Boris Pochenko
Ian McNeice	...	Ira Grushinsky
Patrick Malahide	...	Leonid Kleist
Lisa Jakub	...	Katrina Pochenko
Michael Lerner	...	Jerry Miller
Phyllis Newman	...	Judy Miller
Heather DeLoach	...	Masha Pochenko
Adam LaVorgna	...	Karl Pochenko
Kyle Wilkerson	...	Yuri Pochenko
Tyler Wilkerson	...	Yuri Pochenko
Timothy Dowling	...	Alek
Michael Immel	...	Stage Manager
Tonya Watts	...	Model
Tamara Mello	...	Consuela

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild language and sensuality.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | UK:PG (video premiere) | USA:PG (certificate #34952) | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

High School Sweethearts

Trivia:

The newspaper Timothy Dalton is reading on the breakfast table is a Turkish newspaper named "Hurriyet". The word means "Freedom" in the Turkish language.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Joy is talking to her mom about settling, the amount of ice cream in her bowl changes between shots. Sometimes its about half full, other times it is almost empty.

Quotes:

Kleist: In Slovetzia, hard work today, happiness tomorrow.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

Soundtrack:

Hungarian Sundance

Fran Drescher Shines Like Daylight in an Otherwise Clichéd Rom-Com

'The Beautician and the Beast' follows the line of the immensely 'The Sound of Music' and Drescher's own popular sitcom 'The Nanny'. It has the usual mushiness and fluffiness that other American rom-coms have (although this one is set in Eastern Europe) and it's accompanied by a nice soundtrack. However, what really sets this one apart is the delightfully funny Fran Drescher. Her character is no different from her unique persona as Nanny's Fran Fine but even so, her wit, charisma and comic timing are perfect. Those who find her annoying in 'The Nanny' would most likely hate this movie but for me, this actress makes it somewhat likable. Timothy Dalton as the beautician (just kidding) is quite adequate (his fake accent is hilarious) and both actors share a good chemistry. The rest are just okay, mostly gap fillers. There is nothing path-breaking about this movie but if one is a fan of Ms. Drescher then why not give this a try if you've got nothing else to lose?