Um Conto Quase de Fadas

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.

Yes, it *is* just "The King and I" meets "The Sound of Music" meets "The Nanny", but what's wrong with that? Those formulas (formulae?) were all successful and so it this one if you sit back and enjoy it for what it is - just a fluffy romantic comedy.

(To some of the other reviewers:) Don't take it so seriously! It's just a fairytale! Fran and Timothy play their parts well and look like they're having a ball.

I was apprehensive when this film came on TV, but as there was nothing else on and I was bored I decided to give it a go. It began badly as I found Fran Drescher incredibly annoying, mainly due to her piercing New York accent. Timothy Dalton was fantastic in his role, and made me laugh a number of times. Ian McNeice was also quite good in what was essentially just a rehash of his role in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. The script wasn't excellent but did the job. The film did begin to lose momentum as Timothy Dalton became less beast-ly and the film is about half an hour too long, but those are really the only bad points. This film isn't a work of art, but it provides nice escapism for two hours. 6/10.

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.

'The Beautician and the Beast' follows the line of the immensely 'The Sound of Music' and Drescher's own popular sitcom 'The Nanny'. It has the usual mushiness and fluffiness that other American rom-coms have (although this one is set in Eastern Europe) and it's accompanied by a nice soundtrack. However, what really sets this one apart is the delightfully funny Fran Drescher. Her character is no different from her unique persona as Nanny's Fran Fine but even so, her wit, charisma and comic timing are perfect. Those who find her annoying in 'The Nanny' would most likely hate this movie but for me, this actress makes it somewhat likable. Timothy Dalton as the beautician (just kidding) is quite adequate (his fake accent is hilarious) and both actors share a good chemistry. The rest are just okay, mostly gap fillers. There is nothing path-breaking about this movie but if one is a fan of Ms. Drescher then why not give this a try if you've got nothing else to lose?