The Beautician and the Beast

A New York cosmetologist mistakenly thought to be a science teacher is offered a job to teach the children of an Eastern European dictator.

• Director:Ken Kwapis
• Genre:Comedy / Romance
• Runtime:103 minutes

Cast

Fran Drescher : Joy Miller
Timothy Dalton : Boris Pochenko
Ian McNeice : Ira Grushinsky
Patrick Malahide: Leonid Kleist
Lisa Jakub : Katrina Pochenko

An American beautician named Joy Miller (Fran Drescher) teaches students to groom hair, but is put out of business when one of her students accidentally ignites hair spray with his cigarette, eventually leading to the school burning down. Joy ends up being highlighted in a newspaper article after she helps her students and the caged animals escape the building successfully.

The article is seen by Ira Grushinsky (Ian McNeice), a diplomatic representative of a small Eastern European country called Slovetzia (bordered by Slovakia, Romania, and Ukraine), a country she never heard of. Ira has been sent to the United States to find a tutor for Slovetzia’s Stalinesque dictator’s three children, and, mistakenly thinking that Joy is an academic teacher, offers the job to her. Joy accepts, and it is only after they arrive in Slovetzia that Ira realizes his error. By then it is too late, and Joy agrees to keep up the ruse of being a “real” teacher for the time being.

The initial meeting of Joy with President Boris Pochenko (Timothy Dalton) gets off on the wrong foot, but Joy gets along well with his three elder children Katrina (Lisa Jakub), Karl (Adam LaVorgna), and Masha (Heather DeLoach). Joy teaches them of life outside Slovetzia and helps them gain confidence in themselves. Joy frequently clashes with Pochenko, who is disturbed by her strong-minded ways and the fact that he cannot frighten her.

Joy’s presence in Slovetzia is due to Pochenko’s desire to change his “beast” reputation among other Western nations. His second-in-command, Leonid Kleist (Patrick Malahide) is against Pochenko’s “softening” strategy, and wants to crush the growing rebellion among Slovetzia’s youth. Joy eventually learns that Katrina is in love with Alek (Timothy Dowling), one of the leaders of the youth rebellion. Alek is captured by Pochenko, but Joy secretly helps Katrina sneak to his cell to see him. Read more

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