Blow Dry (2001)

Director:

Paddy Breathnach

Writer:

Simon Beaufoy

Release Date:

1 February 2001 (Poland)

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 | Championship | Pain Killer

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
Ray Emmet Brown	...	TJ
Oliver Ford Davies	...	Doctor Hamilton (as Oliver Ford Davis)
Elizabeth Woodcock	...	Sharon
Mark Benton	...	George, Journalist 1
Gordon Langford Rowe	...	Stanley, Journalist 2
Johnny Leeze	...	Journalist
Stephen Graham	...	Photographer
Willie Ross	...	Louis's Volunteer
Jukka Hiltunen	...	Biker Volunteer
Paul Copley	...	Ken
Lorraine Balinska	...	Ebony
Peter Kay	...	Cyril the Barman
Janet Henfrey	...	Aerobics Teacher
Tony Barton	...	Workman 1
Philip Wright	...	Workman 2
Margaret Blakemore	...	Receptionist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Christopher Biggins	...	President of the British Hair Federation (uncredited)
Martin L. Evans	...	Marcus Green (uncredited)
Jane Staiano	...	Hairdressers friend (uncredited)

Directed by
Paddy Breathnach

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Simon Beaufoy

Produced by
Moritz Borman	....	executive producer
David Brown	....	associate producer
Mark Cooper	....	co-producer
Guy East	....	executive producer
Julie Goldstein	....	executive producer
William Horberg	....	producer
Ruth Jackson	....	producer
Sydney Pollack	....	executive producer
Meryl Poster	....	executive producer
David Rubin	....	producer
Chris Sievernich	....	executive producer
Nigel Sinclair	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Patrick Doyle

Cinematography by
Cian de Buitléar

Film Editing by
Tony Lawson

Casting by
Gail Stevens

Production Design by
Sophie Becher

Art Direction by
Sarah Hauldren

Set Decoration by
Niamh Coulter

Costume Design by
Rosie Hackett

Makeup Department
Kevin Alexander	....	hair stylist
Kevin Alexander	....	makeup artist
Jon Henry Gordon	....	hair stylist
Jon Henry Gordon	....	makeup artist
Caroline Hamilton	....	hair stylist
Caroline Hamilton	....	makeup artist
Susan Howard	....	hair stylist
Susan Howard	....	makeup artist
Terry Jarvis	....	wig maker
Sarah Love	....	hair stylist
Sarah Love	....	makeup artist
Charley McEwen	....	hair stylist
Charley McEwen	....	makeup artist
Sharon O'Brien	....	hair stylist
Lisa Pickering	....	hair stylist
Lisa Pickering	....	makeup artist
Loulia Sheppard	....	hair stylist
Jenny Shircore	....	hair designer
Jenny Shircore	....	makeup designer
Rupert Simon	....	additional hair stylist
Rupert Simon	....	additional makeup artist
Lesa Warrener	....	hair stylist
Lesa Warrener	....	makeup artist
Karl Derrick	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Miranda Jones	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ben Burt	....	additional assistant director
Sallie Anne Hard	....	second assistant director
Simon Moseley	....	first assistant director
Alex Oakley	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Rob Anderson	....	construction manager
David Balfour	....	property master
Nicola Barnes	....	production buyer
Julia Castle	....	assistant art director
Julie Castle	....	assistant art director
Justin Chappell	....	carpenter
David Cheesman	....	dressing props
Amanda Craggs	....	art department runner
Tom Hannam	....	stand-by art director
Guy Hunt	....	stand-by carpenter
Robina Kelly	....	art department assistant
Steve Mitchell	....	scenic artist
Cyrille Nomberg	....	storyboard artist
Mickey Pugh	....	stand-by props supervisor
Greg Shaw	....	art department graphics
Gregor Telfer	....	dressing props
John Wells	....	dressing props supervisor
Mickey Woolfson	....	stand-by props

Sound Department
Mark Auguste	....	supervising sound editor
Sam Auguste	....	assistant sound editor
John Bateman	....	adr mixer
Ricky Butt	....	foley artist (as Rikki Butt)
Tim Cavagin	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michael Crouch	....	foley artist (as Mike Crouch)
Pauline Griffiths	....	foley artist
Howard Halsall	....	adr editor
James Harris	....	third man sound
Christian Joyce	....	additional boom operator
Daniel Laurie	....	adr editor
Daniel Laurie	....	dialogue editor
Peter Lindsay	....	production sound mixer
Noel Quinn	....	boom operator
James Seddon	....	dolby consultant
Steve Single	....	sound re-recording mixer
Garry Fiferman	....	sound re-recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Joel Blesham	....	special effects technician
Paul Mann	....	special effects supervisor
Norman McGeoch	....	special effects technician
Glen Moore	....	special effects technician
David Plewis	....	special effects senior technician

Stunts
Graeme Crowther	....	stunts (as Graham Crowther)

Camera and Electrical Department
David Appleby	....	grip
Kenneth Atherfold	....	key grip (as Kenny Atherford)
Marc Atherfold	....	clapper loader: second unit
Mark Clayton	....	electrician
Seamus Corcoran	....	camera operator: second unit
Terry Eden	....	best boy
Peter Field	....	additional camera operator
John Gamble	....	focus puller: "c" camera
Steven Gardner	....	camera trainee
Kenny Groom	....	focus puller
Alan Hall	....	clapper loader
Philip Kenyon	....	grip (as Phil Kenyon)
Davie Mayes	....	electric supervising rigger
James McGuire	....	gaffer
Pat Miller	....	rigging gaffer
Phil Murray	....	grip
Robert Palmer	....	focus puller: "b" camera
John Pardue	....	additional director of photography
Gary Parnham	....	practical electrician
Laurie Sparham	....	still photographer
David Wall	....	electrician

Casting Department
Carol Crane	....	extras casting
William Davies	....	casting assistant
Maureen Duff	....	casting associate
Cherry Parker	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Annabel Campbell	....	wardrobe assistant
Dave Croucher	....	wardrobe assistant
Bruno de Santa	....	wardrobe supervisor
Margie Fortune	....	assistant costume designer
Mei Lai Hippisley Coxe	....	costume assistant
Brian Lawler	....	wardrobe assistant
Jane Lewis	....	wardrobe supervisor
Sharon Long	....	wardrobe assistant
Sam Mealing	....	wardrobe assistant
Neil Murphy	....	costume assistant
Jody Overhill	....	wardrobe assistant
Sally Puttick	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Jens Baylis	....	first assistant editor
Valentina Giambanco	....	assistant editor
Matthew Tucker	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Michael Connell	....	music editor
Bob Last	....	music supervisor
James Shearman	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Ben Blanco	....	assistant to producer
Lee Chambers	....	assistant location manager
Catherine Charlton	....	dialect coach: Rachel Griffiths
Linda Gregory	....	production accountant
Mark Herbert	....	location manager: Yorkshire
Christian Holden	....	accounting assistant
David Kennaway	....	location manager: London
Shannon Kors	....	executive assistant: Mr. Horberg
Emma Leslie	....	assistant production coordinator
Caroline Lloyd-Price	....	assistant location manager
Laura Luchetti	....	artists production assistant
Andy Mayson	....	executive: Intermedia Films
Rebecca Murphy	....	assistant: Ruth Jackson
Rachel O'Flanagan	....	assistant: Paddy Breathnach
Tom Pakenham	....	production assistant
Patricia Poole	....	assistant accountant
Volker Schauz	....	production executive
Chris Sievernich	....	executive
Miura Smith	....	executive assistant: Mr. Rubin
Chris Stoaling	....	set production assistant
Dathi Sveinbjarnarson	....	set runner
Ben Sweet	....	floor runner
Isobel Thomas	....	production coordinator
Fiona Weir	....	script production assistant
Angela Wharton	....	script supervisor (as Angela Noakes)
Gareth Daley	....	creative director (uncredited)
Dan Huber	....	assistant: Julie Goldstein (uncredited)

Production Companies

• IMF Internationale Medien und Film GmbH & Co. Produktions KG
• Intermedia Films
• Mirage Enterprises
• West Eleven Films

Distributors

• Helkon Filmverleih GmbH (2001) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2001) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Aquarius TV (2008) (Greece) (TV)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2001) (Switzerland) (all media)
• Best Hollywood (2002) (Hungary) (all media)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2002) (UK) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2002) (Germany) (video)
• Indies Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Indies Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Intermedia
• Miramax Films (2001) (USA)
• Movie Star (2008) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Pacifica Film Distribution
• UGC-Fox Distribution (UFD) (France)

Special Effects

• General Screen Enterprises (optical effects)
• The Machine Shop (special effects)

Other Companies

• ARRI Lighting Rental  lighting
• Anglia Catering Services  catering
• General Screen Enterprises  titles
• Panavision UK  camera equipment provided by
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services
• Sylvia Wheeler Film Services  negative cutting

Also Known As:

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 | Czech Republic:12 | South Korea:15 | 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:

Revealing mistakes: While the male audience members are lined up taking discs for the Men's Freestyle, it is first shown that the real model for Raymond's Hair Studio is number two in line right behind Hair Montage's volunteer. The camera cuts away from the line and we hear seven more models being called (including Raymond's "plant" who goes to the Style Warriors) before this man is called and directed to Raymond's Hair Studio.

Quotes:

Phil Allen:One of the nastiest double crowns I've ever had the misfortune to tackle.

Movie Connections:

References Amadeus (1984)

Soundtrack:

Couldn't Get It Right

Surprisingly Good Fun

I tuned into this movie not really expecting very much. I mean, how interesting could a movie about the British Hair Dressing Championships be, anyway? In fact, what I found was a quite funny movie with enough human interest thrown in to make it a worthwhile movie.

The story revolves around a hair dressing family who have been broken apart when Shelly (Natasha Richardson) leaves Phil (Alan Rickman) for Sandra (Rachel Griffiths). Son Brian (Josh Hartnett) stays with dad Phil and works in a barber shop with his dad - quite a step down for Phil, who used to be one of the best British hair dressers. The family is brought back together when the Hair Dressing Championships come to their home town, and Phil, Shelley, Sandra and Brian pool their resources to beat their rivals.

It's all quite well done, and the hair styles are - well - unbelievable in some cases. But there's also the backdrop of Sandra's illness that she's hiding from her lover Shelley.

All in all, although I'm not at all interested in hair dressing, I throughly enjoyed the time I spent watching this. Give it a try. You'll like it.

6/10