Can we take yet another comedy about the world of hairstyling?  Well, actually there was only "The Big Tease", not particularly great or particularly bad, but "BLOW DRY" is surprisingly funny and moving, and one of the better surprises this year.

"BLOW DRY" marks the directorial debut of Simon Beaufoy, writer of "THE FULL MONTY".  Beaufoy has a knack for bringing out the everyday tenderness and humor existing within close-knit communities, and there are plenty of great examples of such moments throughout the film. 

The British Hairdressing Competition is the background setting of this film in which the mayor of the small town in which the contest is set to take place, can't get any of the local talent involved.  Natasha Richardson and Alan Rickman are terrific as husband and wife hairdressers who were big award winners before an incident of infidelity ruined their winning streak.  Josh Hartnett gives a fine performance as their son, who has sided with the father and helped to build a father/son barber shop.  It's not long before everyone realizes this contest may have the ability to begin mending broken fences between everyone involved.  While the film is often funny, the dramatic tension works surprisingly well, making this much more than the light comedy it at first appears to be.

BUENA VISTA has presented the film with its proper 1.85:1 aspect ratio and 16:9 enhancement.  The image is extremely sharp.  The color values are solid and vibrant, especially in some of the best-lit contest sequences.  There is no grain and contrast is great, with deep blacks and grays.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundmix is restrained but effective.  While there aren't many surround or LFE effects, there's some creative separation at key moments, and being a dialogue-driven film, it's not a real disappointment. 

BUENA VISTA has included a pretty entertaining featurette here.  Unfortunately, there's no trailer for "BLOW DRY".