Cast: Craig Ferguson, Frances Fisher, Chris Langham, Mary McCormack, Donal Logue, Larry Miller, David Rasche
Director: Kevin Allen
Producer: Philip Rose
Screenplay: Sacha Gervasi & Craig Ferguson
Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey
Music: Mark Thomas
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers
The Big Tease, which is designed as a showcase for Glasgow-born comedian Craig Ferguson, is intermittently amusing and completely inconsequential - not a terrible mix for viewing during a time of the year when good movies have gone into hibernation. The film takes the basic sports movie motif and re-arranges it for the hair styling world. It's a case of the underdog overcoming both the odds and the big, bad defending champion to win his way into the hearts of an adoring public. Along the way, Ferguson generates some laughs, although not as many as one might reasonably expect from a 90-minute feature.
Crawford Mackenzie (Ferguson) is the best-known hair stylist in Scotland, the so-called "Red Adair of hair" who has dominated the Glasgow Regionals for years. Now, wearing his best tartan suit, he is on his way to America in the company of documentary filmmaker Martin Samuels (Chris Langham), where he has been invited to represent Scotland in the World Hairdressing International Federation's "Platinum Scissors" competition. Martin is along to record Crawford's ups-and-downs for an upcoming British TV program - and there turn out to be more downs than expected for the irrepressible Scotsman. No sooner has he reached L.A. than he discovers that there has been a mix-up. Monique (Mary McCormack), the attractive head of the competition, informs him that he was only invited to sit in the audience, not actually participate in doing do's. Disappointed, but not dejected, Crawford heads out to make his mark on the Los Angeles hair scene and force the Federation to take notice of him. His biggest ally in this quest is Sean Connery's publicist, Candy Harper (Frances Fisher), and his biggest enemy is super-stylist Stig Ludwigssen (David Rache).
The Big Tease is about as breezy, predictable, and uncomplicated as comedies go, and that's the essence of its limited charm. Ferguson, who may be familiar to viewers of TV's "The Drew Carrey Show" (where he plays Nigel Wick), is a genuinely funny guy whose energy fits the personae of an unflappable gay hairdresser who describes his wardrobe as "Braveheart meets Liberace." When putting together a list of the film's pluses, Ferguson has to be at the top. Unfortunately, while the production places its star squarely in the cross-hairs for the entire running length, the material he is given to work from is lean when it comes to humor. In particular, the "fish out of water" scenario is sadly underutilized. The only time it really comes into play is when Crawford first enters his Hollywood hotel room.
Although The Big Tease is not designed as a pseudo-documentary, the constant presence of a filmmaking crew allows director Kevin Allen (Twin Town) to occasionally slip into mockumentary mode. The transitions from "real life" to "documentary" are reasonably smooth, but there seems to be a fair amount of untapped comic potential here, as well. In fact, the film as a whole can probably best be described as "amusing, but it should have been funnier."
The supporting cast members do exactly what they're supposed to do in a movie like this: support the lead. As filmmaker Martin Samuels, Chris Langham hangs around the edges of the frame acting the part of the twit. Frances Fisher (probably most recognizable for playing Rose's mother in Titanic) captures a fair amount of screen time as Crawford's gal pal. Donal Logue plays a limo driver with screenwriting aspirations. And David Rasche (Sledge "Trust me - I know what I'm doing" Hammer himself) uses an intentionally variable accent as the preening Stig, who displays all the necessary traits of a comedy villain. There are a number of cameos (including Drew Carrey, Cathy Lee Crosby, Sara Gilbert, and David Hasselhoff), but the biggest name belongs to the one who doesn't show up. Despite being mentioned more than a dozen times and having his voice mimicked twice, Sean Connery is missing in action.
To its credit, The Big Tease avoids the common pitfalls of today's most popular comedies: flatulence and gross-out jokes. For a movie saddled with an "R" rating, this movie comes across as cleaner than most "PG-13" features. On the other hand, while the film boasts a few clever moments (such as the Western motif in the final confrontation), it's not a representation of intellectual comedy, either. Although it has its moments, The Big Tease doesn't fulfill its potential. It's like a gay Scottish hairdressing version of Crocodile Dundee with all the best parts missing.
© 2000 James Berardinelli