The Big Tease
The Big Tease
R | 24 December 1999 (USA)
The Big Tease Trailers

Thinking he's competing in Los Angeles' hot Platinum Scissors contest, Scottish hairstylist Crawford (Craig Ferguson) leaves Glasgow with a film crew to capture the event. When he learns he's a mere audience member, Crawford must find a way to become the mane event.

Reviews
Incannerax

What a waste of my time!!!

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Nonureva

Really Surprised!

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InformationRap

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

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Invaderbank

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

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Diane_from_CA

This movie was recommended by a friend and was a real surprise treat! It is fast-paced, hilarious, clever, and enjoyable to watch on so many levels. It has characters you can really care about, too, and you can't help but root for the hero and cheer him on. The acting and comedic timing and dialog are superb, and Ferguson's portrayal of innocent single-minded determination and heart is simply charming and extremely well done. It's so unique, how would one describe it -- "Zoolander" meets "Best in Show"? "Braveheart" meets "Spinal Tap"? No -- no comparisons can do it justice. Just rent it and be dazzled! You'll be glad you did.

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bob the moo

The documentary filmmaker Martin Samuels joins Scottish hairdresser Crawford Mackenzie as he sets out for LA to take part in the Platinum Scissors Hairdressing competition. On arrival he runs up a large hotel bill before discovering that his `invitation' is not to compete but to attend in the audience. Out of his hotel and out of money, Crawford tries to get into the competition and wins over the trend setters of Beverly Hills and, with a little bit of luck and deceit tries to work his way into the contestI had never heard of this film prior to it's TV premier in the UK, I imagine it's the same with a lot of people – it's a British comedy but it never managed to get the same high profile as more notable successes. However this is not to take from this film as it is pretty funny and gently amusing. The plot is nonsense but I think that is the point – it's is increasingly absurd – just like the actual competition and Hollywood lifestyle that Crawford finds himself thrust into. The comedy is rarely hilarious but it is consistently funny nonetheless – being more amusing than rip-roaring. The sheer wit and energy of the film manages to carry it over the odd dry spell.Ferguson is suitably flaming as Crawford and is sweetly naïve for the most part. Langham is very dry as Samuels and I wanted him to have more screen time than he did – many other mock-documentaries have successfully made much better use of the dry humour of the interviewer. The support cast are good on the whole and don't mind making fun of themselves. Rasche is good as the two-faced Stig. While comedy cameos from Drew Carey and David Hasselhoff work well. Miller is always value for money and is good in his brief scene.Overall this is a nice short little comedy that is lively and absurd. It is rarely hilarious but you'll watch it with a consistent smile on your face. Perfect if you're in a silly mood and looking for something with a bit of fizz.

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Poseidon-3

Unjustly obscure, this mock-umentary is certainly not revolutionary film making or Oscar material, but it does offer gentle laughs and some amusing performances and visuals. Ferguson stars (and appears in virtually every scene) as a Scottish hairdresser who gets a letter inviting him to an international hair styling competition in Los Angeles. This is cause for Langham to film a BBC documentary on him and much of the film is from that perspective (although Ferguson also narrates in blurbs filmed after the event.) Falling somewhere in between the lame "Drop Dead Gorgeous" and the sublime "Best in Show", the film is full of odd situations and the infectious charm of Ferguson as he sets out to win top honors. Needless to say, if Ferguson weren't entertaining the film would be sunk. Thankfully, he is delightful throughout. Fisher, though less endearing, also provides nice support for him. Several excellent comedic performers pop up along the way, notably the bizarre and side-splitting Miller as a harried hotel manager. Rasche sinks humorously into his role as Ferguson's chief competitor. McCormack, a very attractive young lady, perfectly captures the phony, insincere aspects of the contest organizer. And any film that even briefly utilizes the untapped charms of McGinley can't be all bad. Home video viewers may need to use subtitles to catch all of the remarks as the authentic Scottish accents are sometimes hard to completely understand. Some real life hair professionals appear, but star cameos are minimal. Carey inexplicably shows up as himself, but with a full head of hair. Hasselhoff comes off amusingly as himself. Crosby, an actress who always could have used a good stylist, appears briefly as a demonstration assistant. One quibble: If the film was going to be rated R anyway, why not show more of the lead's physical assets. What's shown is great, but all too brief. On it's own little terms, this is a charming and fun movie.

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d1494

I felt surprise as I lingered on this movie while channel-surfing, it seemed to be far from any interests of mine, but, as I watched I realized that far from it, this movie says as much about the human condition, the indomitability of the spirit, as many other pieces of cinema. Charmingly acted, humorous, and in the end as satisfying as The Natural, The Big Tease is a funny and smart little film, well worth watching, with a winning hero and hateful villains. Bravo!

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