Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

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

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.

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.

I have never been able to watch Fran Drescher for any length of time. That being said, this movie surprised me. I actually watched it and enjoyed it. Once I figured out what it was, I didn't have any great expectations. This movie is not meant to be earth shattering but merely a pleasant diversion. That it was. Fran actually did some acting at times. Of course, I understand that this is mostly an extension of "The Nanny" but I never watched the show all the way through so I wasn't making comparisons. It had some funny moments and the Yuri character was very enjoyable. All in all, I enjoyed the movie and would recommend it for anyone who would like a pleasant diversion and not be forced to think a lot.