The Beautician and the Beast

I saw this movie in the theater on a hunch and it was a really cute film. The premise is very similar to Fran's "Nanny" role (although in this case, she's the "tutor"). It's clean, the laughs are consistent, and it's a great family film. I'm not saying the film certified for Oscar, but kids would love it.

This is such an adorable movie. Fran Drescher absolutely blew me away, I had no idea she was so talented -- in this movie she absolutely shines!! Her character "Joy Miller" is the Nanny all over again...but this time she has been hired (mistakenly) to teach the four children of a eastern-European dictator. She has amazing comic timing and plays well of off co-star Timothy Dalton, who is a wonderful President of Slovetzia, the tiny (made-up) country that most of the movie takes place in. He is at once a pompous and loveable character...his transformation from Beast to Man is a delight to watch. The plot is a mixture of "The Sound of Music," "The King and I," "Beauty and the Beast," and a kind of twisted Cinderella...but it all meshes together for an endearing (though very predictable) movie. A change from Tim Dalton's usual dramatic/spy movie genre...who knew he could be so funny? But he is, and the movie is adorable and I would highly recommend this if your a fan of Fran Drescher, Tim Dalton or romantic comedies in general!!

While I won't say that this is an excellent movie, I still like it for its irreverent sense of humor. The acting's pretty average, there seem to be so many plots going on at the same time, but it still makes for an entertaining and interesting watch, if only to see the Nanny in her first major big-screen role. She brings the trademark we know so well to the movie - her nasal voice and pre-occupation with the trivial stuff, but she also brings a kind of sensitivity we've never seen before in the Nanny series.

I quite like some of the scenes - how she teaches the kids what she knows (airline miles), the massage scene, the home-coming, and a lot of others that just seem to be made just for her.

I have never enjoyed The Nanny, but I'm a fan of Timothy Dalton. It seems inconceivable that any casting director thought to put these two actors together, but, by some warped cosmic thing, it kind of worked in this movie. Granted, the script is predictable and borrows angles from classics from The King and I, Sound of Music and even I Love Lucy. Yet, when I want to watch something brainless and lighthearted (admit it--we all have those moments) I'll opt for this movie.

Hey, like many people, I happen to like "The Nanny". I also like Fran Dresscher in "The Nanny". (I don't think I need to explain this any further. A lot of people like this show.) Once in a while I like to watch light, fun, mindless movies. I suppose this all pretty well explains why I enjoyed "The Beautician and the Beast".

Fran plays almost the same familiar role, except instead of Mr Sheffield we have President-for-Life Pochenko of Slovetzia (Tim Dalton). He's an old school dictator and a disciplinarian as a father; however, she eventually captures his heart and gets him to change his ways. His oppressed children love her, of course. Think of Maria and Capt von Trapp. None of it is realistic, but that's part of the movie's charm. It has the same kind of humour as the television show, plus a good deal of gentle ribbing of Slavic countries and dictatorships. I watched the film on TV in Croatia, so I don't think they mind.

I see this movie is rated rather poorly here on IMDb.com. It also didn't do well at the box office. Don't let this influence your decision to watch it. If you like "The Nanny", you'll enjoy this movie too.