Blow Dry (2001)

In 2000, a small town hosts The British Hairdressing Championship, where a former 2-time winner, his son, his run-away wife and his runaway wife's lady lover reside (not all on speaking terms).

Director:

Paddy Breathnach

Writer:

Simon Beaufoy

Stars:

Alan Rickman, Natasha Richardson, Rachel Griffiths

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 (as Anne Rye)

Storyline

The annual British Hairdressing Championship comes to Keighley, a town where Phil and son Brian run a barbershop, and where Phil's ex-wife Shelly and her lover Sandra run a beauty salon, yet Phil and Shelly haven't talked in the ten years since she bolted. Shelley's just found out her cancer is terminal, and Ray Roberts, the reigning underhanded hairdressing champion, blows into town taunting Phil for retreating from competitive styling into barbering. Roberts also brings his daughter, Christina, who remembers Brian from when she was a little kid (as does he her). Everything's set: Brian decides to enter the competition with his mom and Sandra. Will Phil join in? Ray wants to win at any costs. Will Christina go along?

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Plot Keywords:

bride and groom figurine | hair clippers | hair salon | barber | championship | 

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Taglines:

Love Is In The Hair

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language and brief nudity

Details

Country:

USA UK Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 March 2001 (UK)

Also Known As:

Coup de peigne

Filming Locations:

Batley, West Yorkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$240,166, 11 March 2001, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$637,769, 8 April 2001

Company Credits

Production Co:

IMF Internationale Medien und Film GmbH & Co. Produktions KG, Intermedia Films, Mirage Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Josh Hartnett was attracted to the project because it was the chance to do something he'd never tackled before. He found the Yorkshire accent particularly challenging.

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Goofs

Brian says that hair keeps on growing after you die. This is an urban legend that is not true, of which a cadaver barber ought to be well aware.

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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.

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Connections

References Chacun pour toi (1993)

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Soundtracks

On My Mind
Written by Vinson Lui & Don Solo
Published by Revision West
Performed by Hoi Polloi
Courtesy of Marc Ferrari/Master Source

User Reviews

Great comedic film and Rickman at his best

Alan Rickman is wonderful in this movie. In many of his more well-known films, he is required to be obvious with his brooding nature. This film is much more subtle, and Rickman pulls off an incredibly believable character and demonstrates a range that we rarely see from him. Rachael Leigh Cook is highly underused. She needed to have been given more prodding from the director to bring her true acting talents out (her hair is also atrocious for a movie supposedly about "hair"). Cook often has great chemistry with actors, but her relationship with Hartnett falls a bit flat. The other actors (especially Natasha Richardson) do extremely well. The plot is wonderfully simple. The "competition" arch is played out very well without feeling as though we have seen this before. The romantic triangle is great, and the relationship between Sandra and Shelley (Grffiths and Richardson) is sweet. The homosexual element is understated and is never politicized. The comedy is subtle and occasionally hilarious, but the drama is the true reason to see this film.