Blow Dry (2001)

Blow Dry is about the power of a kitschy hairdressing competition to invigorate a drab English town whose inhabitants apparently haven't heard of the healing properties of chocolate or male stripping. One looks forward to endorsements by clergy moved not only by the queeny cheat (Bill Nighy) who attempts to rig the contest, but also by the fractured family of hair professionals -- stylist Phil (Alan Rickman), his ex wife Shelly (Natasha Richardson), her girlfriend Sandra (Rachel Griffiths), and Phil and Shelly's son Brian (Josh Hartnett) -- who work out their differences between comical spritzes of hairspray.

''Blow Dry'' is written by Mr. ''Full Monty'' himself, Simon Beaufoy, and, like ''Monty,'' sprinkles pixie dust over the heads of worn out local folk. (The lookalike hairdressing competition comedy, ''The Big Tease,'' sprays Scottish mist over the heads of Los Angeles pixies.) The director is Paddy Breathnach, whose cast was considerably less flossy and less smitten by their own fetching accents in the freewheeling Irish comedy ''I Went Down.''

You Might Also Like

• Movie Review Blow Dry (Mar 09, 2001) | Lisa Schwarzbaum
• Pop Culture News ALSO IN AUG.
• Movie Review Snow Cake (Apr 27, 2007) | Lisa Schwarzbaum
• All About Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
• Movie News Overlooked
• Cover Story Behind-the-scenes trouble during ''Robin Hood'' (1991) | Garth Pearce