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Blow Dry
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // R // August 14, 2001
List Price: $32.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
I wasn't sure at first if adding Blow Dry to my bloated DVD collection was a particularly brilliant idea. After all, a film centered around a hairdressing competition in a sleepy British hamlet doesn't leap out as the most entertaining way to kill ninety minutes. Apparently Miramax, who distributed Blow Dry stateside, felt they couldn't shake that perception either. Originally slated for a release last September, Blow Dry was delayed for four and a half months, eventually being dumped on a handful of theaters on a Wednesday with embarassingly little promotion. Weighing the presence of my beloved Rachael Leigh Cook made snagging this disc a no-brainer, even though I went in with extremely low expectations that further plummeted after glancing at its dismal 14% "Cream of the Crop" composite rating at Rotten Tomatoes. To my great surprise, Blow Dry is one of very few movies I've seen that successfully blends drama and comedy. Although I generally embrace bad puns in my reviews, I'm fighting the urge to say that Blow Dry blew me away.
The Full Monty screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, fresh off his directorial debut in The Darkest Light, contributes yet another tale of a spectacle that brings a tiny British burg to prominence. Rather than have pasty, scantily-clad Brits cavorting around for an hour and a half, this time Beaufoy sets his sights on the aptly-named British Hairdressing Competition, which is being hosted by the tiny Yorkshire town of Keighley. Tony, played by Warren Clarke (Dalziel, of Dalziel and Pascoe fame), is a mayor desperately searching for some level of respect for the town he governs, and despite what he views as a coup by bringing the competition home, none of the local hairdressers seem to have any interest in participating. That's not to say there's a lack of talent in Keighley; husband-and-wife hairdressers Phil and Shelly (Alan Rickman and Natasha Richardson, respectively) regularly brought home armfuls of awards in such competitions up until ten years ago, when Shelly and the team's model Sandra (Rachel Griffiths) trotted off shortly the night before one key event. The bitter Phil and his son Brian (Josh Hartnett, with a fairly convincing accent) assemble a very modest barber shop, leaving the glamour of golden scissors, stiff competition, and any contact with Shelly behind them. Shelly and Sandra both move on with their lives as well, opening a salon of their own, but after a dire report from her doctor, Shelly sees the competition as the perfect opportunity to bring her fractured family together one last time. Shelly's plans seem shortlived, and the presence of Phil's old rival Ray (Bill Nighy) and his adorable model daughter Christine (Rachael Leigh Cook) doesn't seem to help matters much either.
As I mentioned earlier, I really wasn't expecting much at all from Blow Dry, based primarily on a wholly uninteresting plot summary I'd read. The final result is far better than I possibly could've anticipated. Unlike the vast majority of comedies I've watched over the past few years, I found myself laughing regularly throughout Blow Dry. Even though so many elements of the plot are unmistakably clichéd -- a woman with a terminal illness, inevitable romance and reconciliation, a competition where our heroes start off dead-last and quickly rise through the ranks, an evil arch-nemesis who seems poised to win -- the film is so well-executed that it didn't seem nearly as generic and hackneyed as I was expecting. The balance between humor and drama is struck brilliantly, neither seeming unnatural nor forced, though I suppose that is to be expected from actors as talented as Rickman and Richardson. The typically droll Hartnett puts in a pretty good, believable performance, and as for Rachael Leigh Cook...well, I'm far too biased, but yes, she's fantastic as well. Blow Dry would make an excellent rental or a solid purchase for anyone who enjoyed The Full Monty in the slightest or for fans of off-beat British comedies in general.
Video: For some reason, I was expecting Blow Dry to have the sort of grainy, faux-documentary appearance as Waiting For Guffman or Best In Show. To my surprise, Blow Dry, which is presented at 1.85:1 and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions, looks quite nice. The image is reasonably crisp, though not sharp to a razor's edge, with this presumably in keeping with the intended look of the film. Colors play a pretty significant role throughout, and they're reproduced flawlessly. In the competition, colors are vivid and often garish, while other portions reflect the bleakness in the lives of the central characters. There are no print flaws of any sort, and dust and assorted specks are kept to a bare minimum. If any edge enhancement was present, it was reined in to scarcely-noticeable levels. An all-around excellent presentation.
Audio: Though Blow Dry sports a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, it's not going to give your system much of a work-out, as is often the case with these sorts of low-key drama/comedies. The dialogue is clear and, despite the somewha' 'evy accents, never for a moment difficult to discern. Anyone hoping for numerous split surround effects and heavy subwoofer activity may be disappointed, but this just isn't that kind of movie. Blow Dry sounds every bit as great as it should.
Supplements: Two years of fervent DVD watching has conditioned me to cringe upon the sight of the word 'featurette'. Fortunately, the seven minute featurette here breaks from the usual extended trailer format, with clips from the film used sparsely and interviews extending beyond the traditional 'working with [insert name] was great!' tripe. A series of related trailers, including other Buena Vista DVDs with Josh Hartnett and Rachael Leigh Cook, are included as well. All I Wanna Do is among them, which is interesting, considering the trailer wasn't included on its DVD release last summer. Similarly, there's no trailer for Blow Dry on its own disc. Since Miramax just gobbled up the rights to Cook's Tangled, maybe it'll turn up on that DVD when it's inevitably released.
Conclusion: Blow Dry effortlessly balances humor and drama, and although this film might not offer enough in either direction to satisfy mainstream audiences, I was amazed by how much I enjoyed it. Though the $32.99 list price may be off-putting, a number of reputable online stores carry this disc at a much easier to stomach $20-$22. Highly recommended.
The Full Monty screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, fresh off his directorial debut in The Darkest Light, contributes yet another tale of a spectacle that brings a tiny British burg to prominence. Rather than have pasty, scantily-clad Brits cavorting around for an hour and a half, this time Beaufoy sets his sights on the aptly-named British Hairdressing Competition, which is being hosted by the tiny Yorkshire town of Keighley. Tony, played by Warren Clarke (Dalziel, of Dalziel and Pascoe fame), is a mayor desperately searching for some level of respect for the town he governs, and despite what he views as a coup by bringing the competition home, none of the local hairdressers seem to have any interest in participating. That's not to say there's a lack of talent in Keighley; husband-and-wife hairdressers Phil and Shelly (Alan Rickman and Natasha Richardson, respectively) regularly brought home armfuls of awards in such competitions up until ten years ago, when Shelly and the team's model Sandra (Rachel Griffiths) trotted off shortly the night before one key event. The bitter Phil and his son Brian (Josh Hartnett, with a fairly convincing accent) assemble a very modest barber shop, leaving the glamour of golden scissors, stiff competition, and any contact with Shelly behind them. Shelly and Sandra both move on with their lives as well, opening a salon of their own, but after a dire report from her doctor, Shelly sees the competition as the perfect opportunity to bring her fractured family together one last time. Shelly's plans seem shortlived, and the presence of Phil's old rival Ray (Bill Nighy) and his adorable model daughter Christine (Rachael Leigh Cook) doesn't seem to help matters much either.
As I mentioned earlier, I really wasn't expecting much at all from Blow Dry, based primarily on a wholly uninteresting plot summary I'd read. The final result is far better than I possibly could've anticipated. Unlike the vast majority of comedies I've watched over the past few years, I found myself laughing regularly throughout Blow Dry. Even though so many elements of the plot are unmistakably clichéd -- a woman with a terminal illness, inevitable romance and reconciliation, a competition where our heroes start off dead-last and quickly rise through the ranks, an evil arch-nemesis who seems poised to win -- the film is so well-executed that it didn't seem nearly as generic and hackneyed as I was expecting. The balance between humor and drama is struck brilliantly, neither seeming unnatural nor forced, though I suppose that is to be expected from actors as talented as Rickman and Richardson. The typically droll Hartnett puts in a pretty good, believable performance, and as for Rachael Leigh Cook...well, I'm far too biased, but yes, she's fantastic as well. Blow Dry would make an excellent rental or a solid purchase for anyone who enjoyed The Full Monty in the slightest or for fans of off-beat British comedies in general.
Video: For some reason, I was expecting Blow Dry to have the sort of grainy, faux-documentary appearance as Waiting For Guffman or Best In Show. To my surprise, Blow Dry, which is presented at 1.85:1 and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions, looks quite nice. The image is reasonably crisp, though not sharp to a razor's edge, with this presumably in keeping with the intended look of the film. Colors play a pretty significant role throughout, and they're reproduced flawlessly. In the competition, colors are vivid and often garish, while other portions reflect the bleakness in the lives of the central characters. There are no print flaws of any sort, and dust and assorted specks are kept to a bare minimum. If any edge enhancement was present, it was reined in to scarcely-noticeable levels. An all-around excellent presentation.
Audio: Though Blow Dry sports a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, it's not going to give your system much of a work-out, as is often the case with these sorts of low-key drama/comedies. The dialogue is clear and, despite the somewha' 'evy accents, never for a moment difficult to discern. Anyone hoping for numerous split surround effects and heavy subwoofer activity may be disappointed, but this just isn't that kind of movie. Blow Dry sounds every bit as great as it should.
Supplements: Two years of fervent DVD watching has conditioned me to cringe upon the sight of the word 'featurette'. Fortunately, the seven minute featurette here breaks from the usual extended trailer format, with clips from the film used sparsely and interviews extending beyond the traditional 'working with [insert name] was great!' tripe. A series of related trailers, including other Buena Vista DVDs with Josh Hartnett and Rachael Leigh Cook, are included as well. All I Wanna Do is among them, which is interesting, considering the trailer wasn't included on its DVD release last summer. Similarly, there's no trailer for Blow Dry on its own disc. Since Miramax just gobbled up the rights to Cook's Tangled, maybe it'll turn up on that DVD when it's inevitably released.
Conclusion: Blow Dry effortlessly balances humor and drama, and although this film might not offer enough in either direction to satisfy mainstream audiences, I was amazed by how much I enjoyed it. Though the $32.99 list price may be off-putting, a number of reputable online stores carry this disc at a much easier to stomach $20-$22. Highly recommended.
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