Another small-town British comedy with a screenplay from the writer who brought us The Full Monty. Blow Dry is about what happens to a small Yorkshire town when it’s invaded by the National British Hairdressing Championships, as England’s flashiest hairdressers vie for the coveted Silver Scissors. Although the championship affords plenty of opportunities for comedy simply by showing the outrageous coiffures and rivalries that characterize the competition, the film also has a very real subplot. It seems Phil (Alan Rickman), the town’s former star barber, lost his mojo with the clippers when his wife Shelly (Natasha Richardson) left him for her female lover. When a former rival of Phil’s comes to town for the event, Phil teams up with his son, Brian (Josh Hartnett), and a pair of rather pitiful local stylists to have a shot at the prize and get his life back on track. See “Opening Friday” for theaters and times.
