The Big Tease

Sweet film about a Scottish hair dresser (Craig Ferguson) who makes the big move to California in order to compete for the coveted "king" barber title (the film has an actual name for it but I don't remember). Ferguson is quite funny and Drew Carey turns up as himself in a rather likable cameo.

Overall this is nothing particularly special, stuff like this has been done before, but anyone who likes sweet-natured comedies should definitely see this. There isn't a cruel piece of celluloid around this movie!

I'd give it about 3.5/5 stars.

I loved "The Big Tease." I have watched it several times, and find it more entertaining each time. I recently read a quote of Craig Ferguson's in a Reel.com interview, saying that the movie somewhat parallels his experience in Hollywood. He said, "it is an exact mirror image of the show business that I know. I believe that the story in the movie is my story in America," and when asked how Crawford's experience in America paralleled with his own, Craig replied, "It's exactly the same...it is very similar to my own experience. That is where the story comes from." I watched the movie today for the first time since reading these comments, which Craig made about 7 years ago, and find that there are more similarities than he could have foreseen at the time. Part of the sharp satire on insider Hollywood revolves around getting a break because of whom you know. In the movie, Crawford comes to L.A. as a well-established hairstylist in Scotland (the "Red Adair of hair"), and manages to connect with the right people, beginning with Eamon the limo driver and Candy the publicist, which in turn leads to a series of connections with other key people and opportunities: an amusement park animal costume fur-dressing gig, the continuing antagonistic yet crucial interactions with Monique and Stig, a lunch date with Drew Carey that takes Crawford's credibility to the next level, and a meeting with the Senator who finally allows him to compete in the W.H.I.F Hair-Off. Throughout these events and introductions, Crawford must pay his dues, often feeling humiliated in the process, yet always managing to make the best of the situation. I don't pretend to know all the details of Craig's rise to fame, but he was already an established comedian well-known in the U.K., then came to the U.S. and obscurity. After paying his dues here and there, he got a break as Mr. Wick on "The Drew Carey Show." Drew Carey is the equivalent of Candy in this movie, giving stability to Craig's career, and enough required time on the set but not in front of the camera to begin writing, thus marking his breakthrough into the roles of writer, producer, and finally director with the critically acclaimed "I'll Be There." Craig Ferguson's big break as host of CBS's "The Late Late Show" is similar to Crawford's walk-on success in the competition for the Platinum Scissors award. Craig has not yet been crowned the king of late-night, but I have a feeling that some of the other late-night hosts are feeling very much the same as the other three Hair-Off competitors, wondering, "Who is this Scottish guy, and who could have guessed he had so much talent?" One interesting scene in particular shows the obvious pride Crawford feels when he finally obtains his H.A.G. card, a pride which Craig will soon share when he obtains a U.S. passport upon becoming a citizen of his adopted country. The parallels to Craig's current situation are easy to see, and I think that "The Big Tease" may portend the huge success that Craig has yet to attain in Hollywood and with the ranks of late-night fans. Like Crawford, Craig is determined to reach the pinnacle of his profession, and he has forced industry insiders to sit up and take notice of him. Just like Crawford, Craig was born to this.

I had not heard about THE BIG TEASE before I saw it. I was not familiar with its star, Craig Ferguson. My expectations, therefore, were fairly low. What a nice surprise this movie turned out to be. It feels like a small movie, but delivers big laughs. The cast features a perfect mixture of unknowns, believable character actors, and unexpected cameos. The story is well-paced for a running time no longer than it needs to be (now THAT's refreshing). The Scottish dialect can be hard to decipher for the untrained ear, so a few punch lines fall flat. And while the documentary style helps moves the story along (why waste time on character background when you can have a documentary filmmaker simply ask our hero a pointed question?), it also slows the story down at times. (We're watching documentary footage, remember? So every few scenes need to end with the film being cut, or the camera guy running into a wall.) But apart from those minor annoyances, THE BIG TEASE is one of the funnier movies in recent memory. Partly because I had no expectations, but mainly because it's original, well-acted, and well-written.

"The Big Tease" is an under-rated, genuinely funny, and intelligently made film about a dauntless Scottish hair stylist, Crawford Mackenzie, and his quest for the globally coveted Platinum Scissors Award. A tour de force by Furgeson, the film delivers plenty of wry British humor and less subtle American hilarity with warmth and coherence, develops it's unlikely centerpiece (Mackenzie), sticks faithfully to it's plot, and builds to satisfying and very funny climax.

I found this film to be rather unique. It wasn't too 'mockumentary' but it wasn't exactly a beautifully edited screen play either. It took a while to get used to the pace, but then its merits shined through. I love subtle humour, and the thought that went into those adhoc comments and little facial expressions made it extremely funny. (Check out Martin's face when Crawford refuses to talk about his childhood) The storyline and ending maybe predictable, but aren't they all? Definitely worth a giggle. Oh . . .and any movie with a kilt scene can't be wrong now, can it?