The Beautician and the Beast

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Beautician and the Beast
Theatrical release poster which shows Fran Drescher wearing a bright pink outfit and standing in front of Timothy Dalton who is wearing a military outfit.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKen Kwapis
Written byTodd Graff
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPeter Lyons Collister
Edited byJon Poll
Music byCliff Eidelman
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • February 7, 1997 (1997-02-07)
Running time
107 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$16 million
Box office$11.5 million

The Beautician and the Beast is a 1997 American

Eastern European nation, played by Timothy Dalton. The film deals with the theme of cultural differences, and takes inspiration from other stories like Beauty and the Beast, The King and I, Evita, and The Sound of Music. Produced by Drescher's company High School Sweethearts in partnership with Paramount Pictures
, The Beautician and the Beast was her first starring role in a film.

Drescher chose Graff to write the screenplay because of his familiarity with her style of humor. She pitched and sold the project as a vehicle to transition her career in television to film. Filming took place during the fall of 1996 in

London Metropolitan Orchestra
.

The Beautician and the Beast was released on February 7, 1997 to generally negative reviews. Critics panned the story as more appropriate for a sitcom rather than a feature film, and called it a poor example of the romantic comedy genre. Drescher and Dalton received mixed reviews for their performances; Drescher was nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress. The Beautician and the Beast was a box-office bomb, grossing roughly $11.5 million against a production budget of $16 million.

Plot

The film opens with an

Eastern European
country Slovetzia, mistakes Joy for a science teacher after seeing a newspaper photo. He hires her as a tutor for the four children of Boris Pochenko, Slovetzia's dictator. However, she misinterprets his job offer as teaching hairstyling. Although she has never heard of the country, she accepts the job despite her initial hesitation. After arriving at Slovetzia, Ira is surprised to discover Joy's true identity, but she convinces him to keep it a secret.

Despite making a bad first impression with Boris, Joy gets along with his children Katrina, Karl, Masha, and Yuri. While teaching them about life outside Slovetzia, she also helps them to gain confidence in themselves. She learns about Katrina's relationship with Alek, the leader of the youth rebellion, and encourages Karl to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. Joy frequently clashes with Pochenko, who is disturbed by her independence and his inability to frighten her. Joy and Katrina go to a

Prime Minister
Leonid Kleis follows the pair and arrests Alek.

Growing closer to Joy, Boris confesses to her that he wants to change his reputation as a "beast" among Western nations; she encourages him to form closer relationships with his citizens and shaves his mustache. During a trip to a factory, Joy realizes that Slovetzia lacks trade unions and encourages the workers to hold a strike. She also arranges a secret meeting between Katrina and Alek in his cell. Despite Leonid's advice to fire Joy, she convinces Boris to hold a party for visiting emissaries during a summit meeting to debut his new image; he places her in charge of the preparations. As part of the summit, Boris considers releasing Alek despite Leonid's disapproval. On the day of the event, Joy reveals her identity to Boris, but he does not care about her credentials. He thanks her for bringing happiness to him and his family.

During the party, Leonid confronts Joy about her role in Katrina's secret meetings with Alek and threatens to have her arrested for treason. Following Boris' decision to keep Alek in jail, Joy informs him that she had set up meetings between Alek and Katrina; he argues with Joy over her meddling in Slovetzia's political affairs. She quits and returns to New York City. Over the course of several weeks, Leonid quietly takes over administrative duties and signs death sentences in Boris' name. When Ira informs Boris that Leonid is usurping his power, he strips Leonid of his duties and arrests him on charges of treason. Boris reunites with Joy in New York City and informs her that he has freed Alek and agreed to hold free elections in Slovetzia. Boris kisses Joy after admitting his feelings for her.

Cast

Cast list adapted from Rotten Tomatoes:[1]

Production

Fran Drescher applying make-up while looking in a compact mirror
Fran Drescher (pictured in 1996) developed and starred in The Beautician and the Beast.

Fran Drescher developed and

Howard W. Koch, Jr. was a producer alongside Graff.[5]

Drescher pursued her own film project because of the success of her sitcom The Nanny (1993–1999).[2] Previously, she had only acted in supporting roles, first appearing in the 1977 drama Saturday Night Fever; Joy was her first starring role in a feature film.[8] Worried about the audience's response to her move to film, Drescher modeled Joy after her previous performances; she explained: "It was a specific and strategic choice to not have the audience have to work too hard to accept me as another character. I wanted it to be an easy transition so they wouldn't have to bite off more than they can chew."[2] Regarding audience expectations, director Ken Kwapis said Drescher "has had to overcome a lot of skepticism about her voice, her abilities, [and] the specificity of her comedy".[9] He described the film as "more romantic than comic" and wanted it to introduce Drescher's vulnerability and "romantic side" alongside her "loud and brassy" comedy.[10]

Timothy Dalton was announced as part of the cast in July 1996.[11] Although Drescher had initially imagined Kevin Kline as Boris, he was unavailable.[2] Kwapis said that Dalton had "a lot of charm and a very gentle tone".[10] Comedian Laura House considered his casting to be "a testament to the time", writing "that's how popular Fran Drescher was".[12] The A.V. Club's Will Harris classified The Beautician and the Beast as one of Dalton's lighter and more comedic projects. During a 2014 interview, Dalton shared that he had a positive experience during the filming and praised Drescher for her comic timing.[13] Describing herself as "very protective" of Dalton during the filming, Drescher helped him with the comedy and ensured that he had enough funny lines.[2]

The Beautician and the Beast was filmed in

final cut is 107 minutes long.[1]

Themes

Fran Drescher attributed the film's humor to the "juxtaposition of her colorful American character onto a dark, oppressive-looking castle".[2] According to film critic Emanuel Levy, the film personifies a "culture clash of Western democracy vs. rigid and inefficient communism" through Joy and Boris.[5] Levy wrote that Joy pushes Slovetzia into "the liberal, technologically advanced 21st century",[5] and The Baltimore Sun's Stephen Hunter characterized her as the "very spirit of liberalism" and the "distilled essence of yenta".[18] Critics have compared Boris to Joseph Stalin.[6][18][19] Hunter believed the comparison was intentional given his "tunic, brush cut, inscrutable expression and pious delta of mustache", but added that these markers are quickly dropped to emphasize his transformation into a more democratic leader and "a wild and crazy guy".[18]

Some critics have cited The Beautician and the Beast as an adaptation of the fairy tale

Disney films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Sleeping Beauty (1959).[6][30]

Music

The Beautician and the Beast
Feature film soundtrack
Length30:54
LabelMilan Records
ProducerCliff Eidelman

The soundtrack for The Beautician and the Beast was composed by

London Metropolitan Orchestra.[31] The score incorporates elements of Russian classical music and waltz.[27][31] Eidelman composed 17 of the tracks, while the remaining two—"L'Internationale" and "The J Waltz"—are traditional works by composers Pierre De Geyter and Jerry Graff, respectively.[31] A choir is featured on "L'Internationale".[27] John Beal composed the film's trailer music;[32] although it was not included on the soundtrack, the track was later released on a compilation album of Beal's trailer music.[31][32]

music streaming service Spotify.[34] The soundtrack received mixed critical reviews. Hirsch praised it as a "charmingly old-fashioned romantic score".[27] AllMusic's Jason Ankeny commended Eidelman for not relying on the "sweetness and sentimentality that capsize so many comedic scores", but he criticized the melodies as "leaden and unfocused, with none of the effervescence the genre demands".[31]

Track list[31]
No.TitleComposerLength
1."Prelude"Cliff Eidelman1:12
2."Joy Falls on a Cloud"Cliff Eidelman1:19
3."The Castle"Cliff Eidelman1:38
4."Party Preparations"Cliff Eidelman1:41
5."Walking on the Edge"Cliff Eidelman1:29
6."Falling for the President"Cliff Eidelman2:35
7."Pochenko Meets the Peasants"Cliff Eidelman2:07
8."L'Internationale"Pierre De Geyter1:45
9."Kleist Blackmails Joy"Cliff Eidelman2:02
10."His Excellency"Cliff Eidelman0:34
11."Cinderella's Confession"Cliff Eidelman1:51
12."The Chicken"Cliff Eidelman1:10
13."Ballroom Waltz"Cliff Eidelman1:31
14."The J Waltz"Jerry Graff2:44
15."Boris' Proud Speech"Cliff Eidelman1:10
16."You Are a Beast"Cliff Eidelman2:11
17."Going Away"Cliff Eidelman2:20
18."The Prince and the Princess"Cliff Eidelman1:35
Total length:30:54

Release and box office

The premiere of The Beautician and the Beast was held in

Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) following a review at a Paramount screening room in Los Angeles.[5] It received a wide release on February 7, 1997, through Paramount Pictures as a Koch Company production,[1][5] and was shown in 1,801 theaters.[36] Emanuel Levy believed the film was intended for "the Valentine's Day dating crowd".[5]

The Beautician and the Beast opened at number three in the United States box office,[17] and grossed $4.1 million on its opening weekend.[37][38] It earned $11,486,880 during its theatrical run;[17][39] in 2015, Box Office Mojo estimated the film made $22,548,300 when adjusted for ticket price inflation.[36] The Beautician and the Beast failed to meet its budget and was considered a box-office bomb.[17][31] Drescher attributed the poor box office returns to the film debuting at the same time as the Star Wars "Special Edition" remaster.[40]

The

HBO Max upon its launch in 2020.[46] In a 2020 interview, Drescher said the film continues to provide revenue for Paramount Pictures and has developed a following.[40] According to Drescher, Paramount Pictures president Sherry Lansing described the film's longevity as evident through its high video and cable sales.[47]

Critical reception

The Beautician and the Beast received primarily negative responses, holding a score of 22% on

Film.com's Eric Snider criticized the plot for lacking humor and character development.[28] In a negative review of the script, the Chicago Tribune's Gene Siskel wished that the film was smarter with its parody of The Sound of Music.[49] On the other hand, TV Guide's Maitland McDonagh and IGN's Arnold T. Blumberg considered The Beautician and the Beast to be inoffensive and fluffy enough to be enjoyable.[19][22] In a review for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Carrie Rickey described the film as the "tastykake of snack movies" and "shameless and intermittently funny".[50]

Reviewers criticized the film as too similar to a sitcom,

chemistry between Drescher and Dalton as an "awkward friction".[56]

Drescher's performance received mixed reviews. Emanuel Levy praised Drescher as "a warm, funny and likable performer", although he believed she was too old to play an ingénue. Levy likened her voice and Jewish mannerisms to Fanny Brice and Barbra Streisand.[5] Praising the film for having the "postwar naivete" of the 1950s film, the Chicago Tribune's John Petrakis wrote that Drescher's style, specifically her "big hair, thick makeup, loud clothes, and bizarre voice", was reminiscent of Judy Holliday.[57] In more negative comparisons, Jeff Vice called Drescher and Dalton inferior actors to Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner, respectively,[6] and Eric Snider panned her role as "a hell-spawned, snort-laughing Mary Poppins".[28] Drescher's voice was the frequent subject of criticism;[18][29][58] Maitland McDonagh said she had a "nasal honk [that] could shatter crystal", but believed her fans would enjoy her performance.[19] Drescher received a nomination for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for the 18th Golden Raspberry Awards.[59]

Critics also had mixed reviews for Dalton's performance.

campy style,[60] and the Deseret News' Jeff Vice wrote that he had "well-chosen facial expressions and some subtle nuances".[6] Despite finding Dalton to be "eventually amiable", Stephen Hunter said The Beautician and the Beast was not a star-making vehicle for him.[18] In a review for the Los Angeles Times, John Anderson enjoyed Dalton's comedic acting, but wrote that "everyone ... comes off as stiff next to Drescher".[58] Maitland McDonagh considered Dalton too serious, however, believing he cast "a damper on the strenuously lighthearted goings-on".[19] In the Lincoln Journal Star, a writer said Dalton had a "constipated scowl", which they felt was an "appropriate mood for sitting through The Beautician and the Beast".[53]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e "The Beautician and the Beast". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Davis, Sandi (February 7, 1997). "Actress Fits "High Maintenance" Profile". The Oklahoman. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018.
  3. ^ Drescher (1996): p. 264
  4. ^ a b Longsdorf, Amy (August 3, 1996). "Fran Drescher has just a sip of whine". The Morning Call. p. A37–A38. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Levy, Emanuel (February 3, 1997). "The Beautician and the Beast". Variety. Archived from the original on May 20, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e Vice, Jeff (February 7, 1997). "Film review: Beautician and the Beast, The". Deseret News. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018.
  7. ^ Portman, Jamie (November 6, 1996). "Beautician and the Beast". Calgary Herald. p. C5. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  8. ^ Hillard, Gloria (February 7, 1997). "'The Beautician and the Beast' close to Dresher's roots". CNN. Archived from the original on June 30, 2008.
  9. ^ Strauss, Bob (February 4, 1997). "Drescher hopes to show she's more than a 'Nanny'". Los Angeles Daily News. p. D5. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.(subscription required)
  10. ^ a b Beck, Marilyn; Smith, Stacy Jenel (October 10, 1996). "Hollywood: The King and Oy". New York Daily News. p. 55. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  11. ^ Rodd, Catherine (August 16, 1996). "Information, please". TVtimes. Edmonton Journal. p. 9. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  12. ^ House (2012): p. 149
  13. ^ Harris, Will (May 9, 2014). "Timothy Dalton on Penny Dreadful, serenading Mae West, and being James Bond". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018.
  14. ^ White & White (2011): p. 273
  15. ^ a b Rogers (2011)
  16. ^
    Complex. Archived
    from the original on June 30, 2018.
  17. ^ a b c d "The Beautician and the Beast (Summary)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 3, 2017.
  18. ^ a b c d e f Hunter, Stephen (February 7, 1997). "Fran, keep your day job Review: It's a stretch, but 'Beautician and the Beast' does offer a measure of mirth. And, remember who's talking – you may want earplugs". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018.
  19. ^ a b c d e McDonagh, Maitland. "The Beautician and the Beast: Reviewed by Maitland McDonagh". TV Guide. Archived from the original on August 18, 2019.
  20. ^ Semlyen, Nick De (March 16, 2017). "Beauty And The Beast Review". Empire. Archived from the original on November 28, 2017.
  21. ^ Washington, Ariene (March 10, 2017). "13 'Beauty and the Beast' Adaptations". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017.
  22. ^ a b Blumberg, Arnold T. (March 16, 2017). "Beauties and the Beast: 9 Other Filmed Versions of the Tale as Old as Time". IGN. Archived from the original on July 26, 2017.
  23. ^ a b Schwarzbaum, Lisa (February 14, 1997). "Fools Rush In; The Beautician and the Beast". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017.
  24. ^ a b Monush (2015)
  25. Golden Movie Retriever. January 1, 2008. Archived from the original
    on June 30, 2018. (subscription required)
  26. ^ a b Shepherd, Duncan. "The Beautician and the Beast". San Diego Reader. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018.
  27. ^ a b c d e f Hirsch (2000): p. 46
  28. ^
    Film.com. Archived from the original
    on March 2, 2010. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  29. ^ a b c Ebert, Roger (February 7, 1997). "The Beautician and the Beast". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017.
  30. ^ Westhoff, Jeffrey (August 3, 1996). "Drescher, Dalton work on-screen magic in The Beautician and the Beast". Northwest Herald. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g Ankeny, Jason. "AllMusic Review by Jason Ankeny". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017.
  32. ^ a b "Coming Soon: The John Beal Trailer Project, Vol. 1". Apple Music. October 6, 2014. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018.
  33. ^ "Releases". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018.
  34. ^ "The Beautician and the Beast". Spotify. 1997. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. (subscription required)
  35. ^ "Premiere of "The Beautician and the Beast"". Getty Images. February 4, 1997. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018.
  36. ^ a b "Ken Kwapis". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015.
  37. ^ "'Dante's Peak' unable to slow down 'Star Wars' charge". Chicago Tribune. February 12, 1997. p. 5. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  38. ^ "Top Ten Films". The Washington Post. February 11, 1997. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. (subscription required)
  39. ^ "The Beautician and the Beast (Weekly)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018.
  40. ^ a b "Fran Drescher Reflects on the Effect of 'The Beautician and the Beast' Opening the Same Weekend as 'Star Wars'". WFSB. February 21, 2020. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020.
  41. ^ "Top Video Sales". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 12. March 21, 1998. p. 94. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  42. ^ "The Beautician and the Beast". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018.
  43. ^ Drescher, Fran (September 8, 2003). "The Beautician and the Beast Audio Commentary" (Interview). Paramount Pictures.
  44. ^ O'Neil, Lorena (April 21, 2015). "Netflix New Releases Coming in April 2015: 'Noah,' 'National Treasure,' 'Hot Fuzz'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016.
  45. ^ "Movies and TV Shows Leaving Netflix in October 2015". The Hollywood Reporter. September 29, 2015. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019.
  46. ^ Patches, Matt (May 27, 2020). "Nearly every movie and show now on HBO Max". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020.
  47. NewNowNext.com. Archived
    from the original on April 20, 2020.
  48. ^ "Critic Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018.
  49. ^ Siskel, Gene (February 7, 1997). "It Takes An Hour For 'Dante's Peak' To Start Cooking". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 30, 2017.
  50. ^ Rickey, Carrie (February 16, 1997). "New and Noteworthy: Box-office hits". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. F2. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  51. ^ Arnold, William (February 8, 1997). "'Beautician' resembles TV sitcom". The Town Talk. p. C7. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.(subscription required)
  52. ^ Holden, Stephen (February 7, 1997). "A Dictator Who Has Potential". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 16, 2018.
  53. ^ a b "Screenings: New Releases". Lincoln Journal Star. February 7, 1997. p. 2B. Archived from the original on August 16, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  54. ^ a b Montgomery, Grace (April 15, 2015). "The Beautician and the Beast". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on November 28, 2017.
  55. ^ Donnelly, Erin (August 24, 2015). "30 Random Rom-Com Couples That Didn't Quite Work". Refinery29. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017.
  56. ^ Le Vine, Lauren (April 2, 2015). "Here's Everything Coming To Netflix In April". Refinery29. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016.
  57. ^ Petrakis, John (February 7, 1997). "Beauty Of Fran Drescher's 'Beautician' In The Comedic Writing". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015.
  58. ^ a b Anderson, John (February 7, 1997). "'Beautician and the Beast': 'King and I' Meets 'Nanny'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018.
  59. ^ Wilson, John (March 22, 1998). "1997 Archive". Golden Raspberry Awards. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014.
  60. ^ Kempley, Rita (February 7, 1997). "The Beautician and the Beast'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020.

Books and print sources

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Beautician_and_the_Beast&oldid=1217925138"