The Beautician and the Beast (1997) User Reviews

Funny and entertaining

[Mike-DD · 6/10 · 25 August 2000]

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.

"Entertaining Romance Comedy!"

[gwnightscream · 5/10 · 6 July 2012]

Fran Drescher and Timothy Dalton star in this 1997 romance comedy. A beautician finds romance with a Dictator while she helps him and his children. Joy Miller (Drescher) is a beautician from New York who is soon hired to help an Eastern European Dictator, Boris Pochenko (Dalton) with his children. She teaches them history and such, but also helps Boris become a nicer leader. Joy and Boris start getting close with each other and he learns that she's a beautician. When Joy starts meddling into his business affairs, they drift apart, but eventually find their way back to each other. I've always liked this film and Fran and Timothy have good chemistry. I recommend this entertaining film.

Better than it sounds...

[J-1984 · 6/10 · 9 January 2004]

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.

Enjoyable despite its many flaws

[Curly-27 · 14 March 2000]

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.

The Nanny meets The King And I?

[clairus99 · 5/10 · 1 August 2005]

"She was there to sell make-up, but the Eastern European dictator saw more."

"She had style, she had flair, she was there - that's when she became - the teacher!"

Exactly the same sort of "Miss Fine!!" situations.

I haven't seen the whole thing, but I'm assuming that he'll tell her he loves her, and then will take it back. She'll re-mould him from being a stere0typical stuffed shirt and everyone will love her. The kids will fall in love with her and she'll be their rock. Eventually the dictator will stop living in denial and finally marry her, go through a few formal embarrassing situations and in the end they'll have boy and girl twins.

I just miss the desperate dictator's assistant, her banter with the cheeky butler and the mother who drops in every five minutes to eat something.

Witty and Refreshing

[Uriah43 · 7/10 · 18 October 2012]

After looking at some of the scores people gave this movie I honestly didn't think it would amount to much. However, after actually watching it I found it to be surprisingly good. Fran Drescher plays "Joy Miller" who is a beautician in New York City. Timothy Dalton is "Boris Pochenko", a brutal tyrant of a small Eastern European country (Slovetzia) who has mistakenly hired Joy to teach his four children. His Prime Minister, "Leonid Kleist" (played by Patrick Malahide), insures that Boris rules with an iron fist. Joy arrives and becomes instrumental in introducing much needed change. More importantly though, she changes Boris for the better as well. Now, while this plot is extremely predictable, the comedy is anything but that as there are many surprises written into the script that are simply hilarious and I think the writer (Todd Graff) deserves a lot of credit for this. Likewise, even though Fran Drescher was nominated for a "Razzie Award" for her performance, I can honestly say that it was totally undeserved. I found her performance to be both witty and refreshing. I also liked the way she and Timothy Dalton worked so well together. The "massage scene" in particular was especially amusing. In closing, I thought this was a thoroughly enjoyable movie and well worth the time spent.

American intervention in Slovetzia

[farne · 5/10 · 16 December 2004]

I think someone found the right word to describe this film earlier: inoffensive. Even Eastern European dictators might find it hard to find much to complain about. Indeed, so lame is this film I was amazed to learn it was intended for a cinema release, although in my part of Slovetzia it seems to have gone straight to video.

Actually, this is a pretty harmless way of spending an hour and a bit if you can accept that this is basically a vehicle for Fran Dreschler, and that, presumably, she has some fans in America who both like her and know who she is.

Dreschler plays a beautician who gets mistaken for the new tutor of an eastern European dictator and ends up importing consumerism and the American way of life by stealth to the previously contented communist kingdom of Slovetzia. I say "communist kingdom" because on the strength of this film some Americans don't seem to know the difference between the two. For those of you unfamiliar with Slovetzia, when Errol Flynn was alive it used to be called Ruritania, but later changed its name under communism. These days it is populated entirely by British actors, some of whom attempt mildly Russian accents.

You may be as surprised as I was to learn that the tyrannical ruler of Slovetzia is none other than Timothy Dalton. You may remember him from the 1980s when he used to be James Bond. At one point he was even well regarded as a serious Shakespearian actor. What happened to him after leaving the secret service, you might ask? Well, I don't really know, but it can't have been pretty. Somehow he ended up playing second fiddle to Fran Dreschler. I know, a sad end for a man who saved the world at least twice.

The Nanny goes to Slovetzia

[Laakbaar · 7/10 · 25 July 2012]

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.

No matter how you slice it, she's still "The Nanny".

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 26 June 2018]

A half hour sitcom stretched out to over 90 minutes repeats many of its stories even though the characters and most of the cast are different. For six years, Fran Drescher made some people cringe but many laugh with her deliciously nasal accent as Fran Fine, the hairdresser who turned to selling beauty products and ended up becoming the nanny to the three children of a successful and dashing widowed Broadway producer. Charles Shaugnessy was always charming and commanding as the somewhat stuffy Maxwell Sheffield, but in his place here, we have Timothy Dalton as the widowed dictator like president of a tiny Russian like country who has four children who are in desperate need of help since their father tends to neglect them. There is a Niles like assistant who becomes Fran's confidante, a male version of the C.C. Babcock character, and a variety of Jewish character actors playing Fran's family and neighbors.

There's also the gay sensibility, a show queen like atmosphere that has Fran bringing up "West Side Story" to her four charges, posing like Eva Peron out on the president's palace balcony (to major cheers) and obvious connections to "The King and I" and "The Sound of Music". In her beauty school class, a stereotypical gay man makes flip comments and a pass at the black fireman who rescues Fran when his mistake in class causes her school to burn down. For some reason, there are lab rats, raccoons and snakes, a visual gag that makes no sense. Veteran actors Michael Lerner and Phyllis Newman play Fran's parents, with Newman obviously playing a variation of Sylvia Fine, even more clinging to her daughter with the presence of her umbilical cord in Newman's purse!

Certainly, there are some amusing moments, but I'm sure reviews of this pointing out the gay sensibilities turned some viewers off, especially some gay men who found the stereotypes too over the top. A massage scene with Drescher and Dalton is very similar to a gag on "The Nanny" when Fran, posing as a nurse, had to "shave" Mr. Sheffield. Here, Dalton confuses her with the male masseuse and demands a buttocks massage that shows Fran both horrified and turned on. This shows little trust by the writers in giving Fran a different identity and set-up, with the oldest daughter in the film far too close to "The Nanny's" Maggie, and an insecure younger daughter dealing with weight issues just like Gracie dealt with other psychological issues on "The Nanny". Dalton's character lacks the subtle charms of Shaugnessy, coming off brutal in scenes that are straight out of Mrs. Anna's declaration to Yul Brynnur's king that he was indeed a barbarian. The only thing this is missing is an abbey full of nuns who help Drescher and Dalton escape from obvious traitors who want to oust Dalton and take over the country.

Decidedly a Fran Drescher vehicle.

[jmbovan-47-160173 · 6/10 · 9 June 2020]

If you liked The Nanny, then you'll love this movie version of that show set in Eastern Europe. This doesn't do anything different from her television show other than incorporate The Sound of Music elements to the mix. (And, somehow the Jewish aspect isn't mentioned.) It's cute, it's fanciful, it's comforting like home. Sit back, get a nosh, and enjoy.

What the ****?

[qguru · 1/10 · 29 November 2002]

I'm sorry that I had to give this such a high rating but there were no negative integers available. How do I describe it? Roget doesn't have enough synonyms for execrable. Hell had to build an addition for anyone associated with this film and I fear my and my friend's fate for having contributed to the profits of this dross. And those are the high points. Do not, I repeat, do not see this movie, write to your state representative, governor, or grand poobah, and implore them to have this removed from video stores and late, late movie showings. You have been warned, I can't be held accountable for anyone renting and viewing it in its entirety!

I love it !

[lboden · 10/10 · 15 August 2006]

I don't care if Timothy Dalton has a shitty accent in this movie. I don't care if Fran Drescher has a nasal voice. So what that Slovetzia doesn't exist, and the bad people are dark, gloomy western stereotypes of former eastern regimes. I don't care, as long as I enjoy watching it. I totally adore this movie. It leaves me with a giggle and a big smile on my face, and movies that do that make just as much sense to me as Schindler's List, if I'm in the mood to watch that kind of movie. I love a movie, where I can put my brain on stand by and just enjoy it. I've just received the movie today, and I know, that tonight will be chips and dip night in front of the TV. Just can't wait to watch it again. A big 10 from me for the entertainment value.

Adorable! It will please romantic comedy fans everywhere and fans of Drescher, too

[inkblot11 · 7/10 · 4 December 2007]

Joy Miller (Fran Drescher) is a night school hair instructor in the New York City area. One evening, the classroom catches on fire and Joy saves the day, hustling everyone out of the building. Her beautiful picture ends up in the local papers. It just so happens that a minister from the eastern European country of Slovetzia is looking for a teacher for the ruler's children and he hires Joy, not realizing that she teaches cosmetology alone. Only after the two of them land in Slovetzia does the truth come out. Never mind, Joy tells the public servant, she will do her best to teach those kids. The country's leader, Boris (Timothy Dalton), however, is a no-nonsense guy who rules his family and his country with an iron fist. Indeed, Slovetzia is depressingly similar to the Soviet Union at its worst. Boris is struck by Joy's charm and beauty but insists there will be no goofing off in the classroom. The children are sweet but one daughter, especially, longs for a bit more freedom. Can Joy bring a touch of democracy and levity to the dismal country? This darling little film will please both fans of romantic comedy and those who love Drescher. If "The Nanny" was your cat's meow, you will adore this film that came out years before, for it is strikingly similar. Indeed, Drescher and Dalton make a dynamite combination and are very pleasing. The rest of the cast is adequately pleasant. The costumes, especially Drescher's, are quite nice and the scenery and ruling palace are lovely. As for the script, it is funny and touching and the direction has energy. Therefore, if you love those comic tales of affection, skip the beauty parlor and head to the video store instead. You can get your hair done another day but you need this little jolt of sunshine, on film, immediately.

One of the Worst Comedies I've Ever Seen

[dromasca · 4/10 · 28 August 2002]

How do you know when a comedy is bad? First obvious answer is - when you do not laugh. Improved answer - when your only laughs are about the way the movie is made.

'Beautician and the Beast' comes very close to this. The film starts actually from a good idea, kind of a remake of 'The King and I' in a post-Communist European dictature. However what could have been the subject of a good comedy with romantic and political nuances is completely spoiled by the series of not funny gags, previsible plot line, and stereotype characters lacking any comical value. However, the bigger harm is done by the incredibly bad acting. Fran D. is competing for the worst acting that I have ever seen on a big screen. Her acting is beyond the lower level one would expect in TV sitcoms. The rest of the cast are just bad, and look kind of uneasy to have been involved in this film.

I felt robbed of my two hours at the end of the film, and sorry not to have gone to sleep earlier (or chosen a different channel).

adorable!

[shawnw007 · 22 February 2003]

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.

One of the worst movies I've ever seen !!! SPOILERS

[erwan_ticheler · 1/10 · 29 May 2004]

SPOILERS:

I had to have been warned by the title of this piece of work,yet I was bored that night and there was nothing else on TV so I thought: Why Not? it can't be that bad? WRONG!

BRR,it still gives me the chills thinking back of it.Everything about this movie sucks:the acting,the story,everything!

First of all the acting:Fran Drescher is probably one of the most annoying people ever and not only because of that nagging voice.She just can't act! And they probably chose her for the role since she did nothing more in that terrible sitcom "The Nanny" and maybe cause she should be beautiful.(NOT!) Timothy Dalton then.Not a bad actor,yet in this movie he puts on an accent that makes no sense at all.It always freaks me out that those Hollywood movies use those over the top accents for Russians or Germans or whatever.It is quite insulting to the natives of those countries,if you ask me.

The story is even worse,cause there actually ain't any! Woo,an American chick goes to Slovetzia (!?!?!?) to brainwash a so called dictator and the entire country in the Western ways.Just like Bush does nowadays in Iraq (only Saddam was a real dictator). The tale offers no surprises at all and ends with the two lovebirds kissing on the street,how sweet (uch,uch).

Yet,the way that Ken Kwapis (a really legendary director) shows "us" the way that Eastern Europe lives is extremely narrow minded and very insulting,almost barbaric. Everybody in Slovetzia is an idiot yet the holy American girl saves the entire country with her capitalistic ways.No wonder that a lot of non-western people hate America,just look at this movie.By the way I don't hate America,I just hate the Bush-government!

The cliches in this movie were too much for me.The dictator(a bad Stalin look-a-like),the American girl who changes it all,the children who want to become like her. Every cliche of the McCarthy era are shown without any shame.The witch hunter would be proud!

For a close look at the egocentric and narrow minded look on the world by some Americans,watch this movie.

1/10 (Currently number 4 in my bottom top 10 list)

Though I've seen better, I liked it!!!

[Avg. Joe · 7/10 · 3 April 2000]

I have to admit that, for a while anyway, I had a serious crush on Fran Drescher. Those outfits (in Joe's chauvinistic voice): "OH, YEAH!!!" That big '80's hair. And that voice (except when she got whiny)??? Uh-huh-huh! Uh-huh-huh!

"The Nanny" was a good show, though not great. It was raunchy and funny, though, to me (and maybe this is me being more old-fashioned than I'll admit), raunchy sex jokes do not go together with family entertainment. Thus, I was always convinced that it was in a bad time slot. NBC doesn't show "Law & Order" at 8:00 (or 7:00 if you're in Mississippi like me).

Nitpickiness aside, when I heard that she was doing a movie titled "The Beautician and the Beast," I was quite skeptical. I didn't think that it would be any good. But I sucked up any doubts I had and saw it anyway.

I have to admit that, while it's not the best, it's not the worst, either. I actually liked this movie. Granted, the movie is VERY dated (for the most part, Communism is dead), quite predictable (can you say "The Nanny?") and can get downright stupid (what's with the chicken?).

But it can also be funny, like when Joy, Fran's character, gets the workers to strike, in the tradition of Norma Rae, thus angering Boris Pochenko, played adequately by Timothy Dalton. And there were a lot of raunchy references to her relatives, i.e. one of her aunts having to have facial hair removed. And, without giving anything away, I thought the begining was really cute as well.

Not to mention that I was really impressed with a scene near the end of the film where she stands up to Boris. To me, it sounded as if she was really acting, speaking past her quirky voice and speaking the lines with gusto. That may explain how she got a part in a Woody Allen movie, even if it's a bit part.

This film isn't for everybody, especially if you're put off by Fran's voice. And, though there are no sex scenes, there are benign sexual references, not to mention mild language. Others might say "bring the whole family," but I wouldn't. While *I* think she's funny (like I said before), I believe her humor is too raunchy for family entertainment. And some of her humor deals with generalizations, which may explain why you don't see her being compared to Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez or Rene Russo, strong women who aren't afraid to be "one of the boys."

Whats Not to Like - Virtually the whole film.

[NoHollywoodPlease · 2/10 · 21 November 2005]

This film is the epitome of the moronic trash that Hollywood is bent on producing. Humor for those who cannot think. It is just another adventure of the illiterate nanny from Brooklyn, that is always more boring than the previous adventure, who should have been fired years ago. I won't spoil the work for you, watching it will spoil your day for you with much more class. I ranks right down there with the garbage from the Wayans brothers, John De Bello of Killer Tomatoes fame, Santa with Muscles, and like visual vomit. I give it a 2 and a half. I could actually go lower but it is hard to believe that there are actually efforts in cinematography that are much worse than Fran Drescher in her over played nanny role. Woody Allen, Monty Python, Marx Brothers, Peter Sellers, now there are the experts of comedy worth watching.

Cheesy But Fun

[langdorm · 7/10 · 12 December 2022]

It is a cheesy Fran Drescher vehicle that is essentially The Nanny set in Europe, but it doesn't matter because it's fun and cute and one of the few romantic comedies I can rewatch over and over. Some people like Hallmark movies. I like this. It probably helps that I first saw it as a kid. And it wouldn't work if someone tried this movie today. But it was the late 90s. It is funny and colorful and sweet. Drescher's comedy can be a bit cliche, but she still obviously has real comedic talent. I can't stand watching today's romantic comedies, but stuff like this is just classic and fun to watch. And scenes like the chicken being fed chicken are great.

The Nanny goes to Europe

[helpless_dancer · 5/10 · 31 March 1999]

Well, Hollywood lets Fran Drecher take her Jewish girl schtick to another country. She takes the job of teacher to a despot's children, and all the predictable jokes and predicaments follow neatly in their prescribed order. I've seen worse, but it wasn't a very watchable film. Just stay home and watch The Nanny reruns.

Fun Movie

[marsh876 · 7/10 · 4 January 2007]

I though this was a fun, lighthearted movie. I expected the worst, and was surprised how much I enjoyed it. It was put together well and wasn't boring or slow moving. There were funny moments and comments that I remember still. It started out with a similar premise to the Nanny TV show, but quickly moved beyond it. Fran showed more depth of character and independence in this movie than she did (or was allowed to do) in her TV series. Throughout, she is pretty and sexy and dressed to catch attention. It's pretty much a modern fairy tail, like Cinderella, but it doesn't require much suspension of belief. She moves smoothly to charm all around her, including the audience. Timothy Dalton was OK as the Beast, but it was Fran's movie, and he might have been graciously stepping out of her way.

Fran and the Beast.

[anaconda-40658 · 3/10 · 6 May 2015]

The Beautician and the Beast (1997): Dir: Ken Kwapis / Cast: Fran Drescher, Timothy Dalton, Ian McNiece, Lisa Jakob, Patrick Malahide: Formula satire settling for someone who brings beauty to another. It opens with an animated dream sequence with a young Princess under a spell until a Prince kisses her awake. All is well until the first words emerge from her mouth. It is that whiny voice that startles the Prince and then startles the film's heroine awake to reality. Fran Drescher stars as a beautician mistaken for a science teacher and she is spirited to London. Timothy Dalton plays an authority figure using strict measures to gain respect. His daughter is one of her pupils but he cannot communicate with her because he ordered the arrest of her patriotic boyfriend. Recycled material by director Ken Kwapis who is given a few, but very few funny moments. Drescher is reciting her sitcom role right down to her wardrobe in a role that has been played by countless actresses with regular voices. She looks fetching in her various flashy clothes but had the screenplay had as much attention then perhaps it might not have sucked. Dalton is as stiff as a board playing another role that never seems to be interesting. Also wasting time are Ian McNiece as Drescher's adviser who obviously didn't advise her against this film. Lisa Jakob as Dalton's daughter is another case of cardboard cut-outs. The title is the most creative aspect. Score: 3 / 10

What's Not To Like????!!!!?????

[Joey_Mac · 10/10 · 23 July 2001]

First of all, I'll let everyone know that I gave this movie (worthy of a 7) a 10 just because the overall rating deserves to be A LOT higher than it is! Secondly, everyone who gave this movie a bad rating needs to stop rating movies altogether. What's not to like about this movie that is charming, cute, innocent, and funny?? Fran Drescher may have been type-casted right off the Nanny, but who cares!!???!! What did you expect her to act like in the film!?! Were you expecting an oscar worthy performance!!!??? Did you think she was the next Gwyneth Paltrow, or Julianne Moore??? If you saw the previews and have half a brain, you would have known exactly what to expect. I had no expectations for this movie (nor should anyone have) besides a good laugh. And that's exactly what it delivers. Fran is absolutely perfect for the role of Joy Miller and she is even more charming and funny in this movie than Sandra Bullock is in Miss Congeniality (another great movie by all accounts, and I'm not downing the always fantastic Sandra). You people need to STOP ANALYZING MOVIES FOR WHAT THEY'RE NOT AND LEARN TO ENJOY THEM FOR WHAT THEY ARE!!!!!!!!

Beautician & the Beast-Nanny Goes to Eastern Europe **1/2

[edwagreen · 6/10 · 1 July 2010]

Fran Drescher, as nasal as ever, is mistaken for a science teacher and is whisked off to an East European country to instruct the 4 children of widower dictator Timothy Dalton.

This is definitely a ripoff of the television series The Nanny. Even Phyllis Newman, who briefly appears as her mother, tries to imitate the great Renee Taylor's Sylvia in the television show. I expected Grandma Yetta to come out but that does not occur.

The story is basically where our beautician (Fran) softens the heart of the ruthless dictator. He learns about life from Drescher and the two are finding love until a political situation threatens to end all that.

The film is routine in nature.

To paraphrase the song from the television show:

She was a beautician in the borough of Queens.

Until a fire broke out in one of those crushing scenes.

What was she to do, where was she to go, she was not working?

So to Eastern Europe she flew when she was thought to be a teacher. The dictator, the beast, was quite a creature.

She had style, she had class, that's why she became his lover.

An adorable romantic comedy

[Medley422 · 2 February 2001]

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!!