Blow Dry (2001)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Paddy Breathnach

Writer:

Simon Beaufoy (writer)

Release Date:

30 March 2001 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Love Is In The Hair

Plot:

The annual British Hairdressing Championship comes to Keighley, a town where Phil and son Brian run...

Plot Keywords:

Competition | Champion | Cancer | Mirror | Red Dress

Cast

Alan Rickman	...	Phil Allen
Natasha Richardson	...	Shelley Allen
Rachel Griffiths	...	Sandra
Rachael Leigh Cook	...	Christina Robertson
Josh Hartnett	...	Brian Allen
Bill Nighy	...	Ray (Raymond) Robertson
Warren Clarke	...	Tony
Rosemary Harris	...	Daisy
Hugh Bonneville	...	Louis
Heidi Klum	...	Jasmine
Peter McDonald	...	Vincent
Michael McElhatton	...	Robert
David Bradley	...	Noah
Ben Crompton	...	Saul
Ann Rye	...	Margaret, Farmer's Wife

Also Known As:

Über kurz oder lang (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for some language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA | UK | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:S | Malaysia:U | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Netherlands:6 | Australia:M | France:U | Germany:6 | Norway:A | Philippines:PG-13 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Batley, West Yorkshire, England, UK

Company:

IMF Internationale Medien und Film GmbH & Co. Produktions KG

Trivia:

At one point in the movie, Ray tells Christina that she isn't in Minneapolis anymore. Rachael Leigh Cook, who plays Christina, is a native of Minneapolis.

Goofs:

Continuity: Throughout the movie, we are told that Shelley and Sandra left Phil ten years ago, when Phil was in line for his third straight national championship. The current competition is Hair 2000 (and is sometimes called the championships of the year 2000, to confirm that isn't "just" a name). Yet when his honors are announced near the end of the movie, we are told he was national champion in 1981 and 1982. For this to be true, Shelley and Sandra must have walked out on him 17 years ago.

Quotes:

Phil Allen: Detroit, 1982. World Styling Finals. We're running around shouting, "Foul," while the Yanks, whose combs mysteriously do not wilt, do not melt, just carry on styling. No prizes for guessing who took the medals that year.

Movie Connections:

References Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Soundtrack:

Move Over Madonna

Make sure your hairdresser hasn't seen this film before you make your appointment!

A welcome break from the usual gratuitous violence of the average modern film, this is a colourful fantasy with some excellent performances from British stalwarts. The wonderful Alan Rickman plays Phil, the deserted and disappointed husband of Shelley, played poignantly by Natasha Richardson. Phil owns a small barber's shop in the Yorkshire town of Keighley, but in the past he has been a champion in UK hairdressing. However, life's traumas have reduced him to giving up any thought of ambitions on the public hairdressing stage. When former rival hairdresser Raymond, (Bill Nighy) arrives in Phil's home town for the national hairdressing championships the scene is set for a dramatic confrontation and by the end of the competition many people's lives have altered. Warren Clarke gives a bravura performance as the town's mayor, who gradually metamorphoses from a boring local official to an ever more ebullient show host. The requisite romance is provided with a touch of the Romeo-and-Juliets. This will probably be considered a `woman's film' but every hairdresser in Britain of either sex will want to see it. Overall, although the progression of the plot is fairly predictable, if you can leave your critical faculties at home for the evening it could be an enjoyable fairy story.