Wash it Out

Relationships are hard, and none is harder than the one a woman has with her hairdresser. Or is it with her hair? Whichever, whatever, a woman’s fringe is her crown jewel. No wonder Delilah knew to chop Samson’s hair. She knew where the power was at.
This week I found myself watching the film Shampoo. I was looking for enterspation (entertainment that’s inspiration) and was drawn in by the premise that it takes place on election day 1968, when Richard Nixon took office. Could a film with a political background be lightheartedly entertaining, I wondered? Well, yes, if it has very little to do with politics. Shampoo as far as I can tell, is about Warren Beatty and his appreciation of beautiful women and sleeping with them. George Roundy played by Beatty is not my type, a little too put together, but I can definitely see how his rockstar, L.A.-faire, Triumph riding guy would set a lot of women’s heart a flutter. Throughout the whole film I kept thinking about the Carly Simon song and how terribly right she was. I think Beatty played to that when he wrote the script, but in true cad fashion, threw a little feminism into the fold just to make the ladies happy. Roundy like a good bartender, is a hairdresser that listens. That he's straight and good looking is sure catnip for women with man troubles. ‘Why don’t they [Bob, Joe or Bill] listen to me the way you do, George?’ They complain, as he curls and flounces their hair into perfection. And the next they know, they’re all tangled up in bed, with a man who listened but isn’t really interested in them. The question needs to be asked, are we women really that naïve or was Warren Beatty that big a poonhound he needed to write a movie to justify his wayward ways? I particularly enjoyed the parts where he tries to apologize to the two main women in his life—Jackie and Jill (really?) played by Julie Christie and Goldie Hawn respectively—by admitting that he’s immature and just out for a good time. Yes, he’ done wrong and been with lots of women, but it’s because they’re all so beautiful, and their hair, my god their hair! Were conservative religions in mind when Beatty thought of this particular speech?
Anyways, the film ends as it should, yet I was left a little out to dry. There were moments of socio-political critique---the election night dinner was particularly amusing (bravo Jack Warden)—but not as much as Wikipedia claims there is. It left me a tad wanting but watching a man-child try to grow in a women’s milieu kept me happy. Shampoo is Warren Beatty’s ‘beef’ movie to ‘You’re So Vain.’ It’s fun, the acting is good, and the hair styles pretty good, but he’s trying very eruditely to justify his bad behaviour, by flattering the one part of ourselves we women are narcotic about. I find it interesting that Beatty cast female actors who in real life are (supposedly) monogamous with strong personalities. Could that be a hint to what he was really after? He did marry Annette Bening after all. Well, I’m going to go do my hair now in the hopes that I attract a tall, handsome doctor.

Graffiti Image by Twane (Montreal)