.... But I have to warn you that since I find Craig Ferguson a simply awful comedian I wasn`t expecting anything less than an awful movie . THE BIG TEASE is far from an awful movie but is unfortunately far from being a great one too .

The premise isn`t bad and involves a Scottish hairdresser going to LA to take part in a hairdressing contest - or so he thinks . The problem with THE BIG TEASE is that the jokes are fairly weak and mainly revolve the old - And we`re talking so old they died of old age some time ago and the stench is overpowering - pratfall gags of people walking into sliding doors etc

There`s also directorial blunders too . Remember that THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT was a spoof documentary shot on a single video camera ? Then you`ll remember that every single scene was shot on a single video camera . With THE BIG TEASE it`s obvious the documentary crew only have one camera but in nearly every single scene there`s cross cuts long shots etc which prove there`s several different cameras used to shoot the movie . Yeah I`m nit-picking for sure but I`ve never been a fan of mockumentaries , hell I didn`t even like THIS IS SPINAL TAP that much

For neutrals who have never heard of Craig Ferguson you might find THE BIG TEASE amusing if you see it on TV ( It was ten times more entertaining than the alleged comedy film the BBC showed last night entitled THE WEDDING TACKLE ) but I doubt you`d want to spend money hiring it at the video shop

When I sat down to see this film, I expected a mix of Drop Dead Gorgeous and The Drew Carey Show(because of it being a mockumentary and it starring Craig Ferguson whom I know mainly from that show). I don't know exactly to describe what I got instead. The humor seems fairly thin, and based on clichés and stereotypes I never even knew existed. The gags and jokes don't seem as silly-funny or stupid-funny as... not funny at all. I understand Ferguson wrote the script, at least in part. I don't know if he's to blame for the shoddy writing and poor humor, but I would guess so. The film has a few celebrity cameos, but they're really there to bring even more bad jokes and make fun of themselves. The plot is fairly good, and somewhat original, but quickly descends into yet another fish-out-of-water run-of-the-mill happy-ending fairy tale about some guy triumphing over adversity. The pacing is awful... the film barely seems to move at all during the less than 90 minute running time. The acting is fair. The characters are all paper-thin, with everyone whose side we're supposed to be on being goody-goody and their enemies being caricatures of bad people. Weirdest thing about this film is... for the first half or so, it seemed pretty funny. Larry Miller was great fun to watch, as was Donal Logue. From there on end, it just went downhill. I don't know, other people might enjoy it. Maybe I'm just not into Ferguson's humor. I recommend this to fans of Craig Ferguson and possibly one or more of the other comedians/comic actors in it. If you happen to catch it and you enjoy Miller's typical act in films, you should at least watch until the end of his scenes. He is one of the few redeeming features of the film. 5/10

I loved "The Big Tease." I have watched it several times, and find it more entertaining each time. I recently read a quote of Craig Ferguson's in a Reel.com interview, saying that the movie somewhat parallels his experience in Hollywood. He said, "it is an exact mirror image of the show business that I know. I believe that the story in the movie is my story in America," and when asked how Crawford's experience in America paralleled with his own, Craig replied, "It's exactly the same...it is very similar to my own experience. That is where the story comes from." I watched the movie today for the first time since reading these comments, which Craig made about 7 years ago, and find that there are more similarities than he could have foreseen at the time. Part of the sharp satire on insider Hollywood revolves around getting a break because of whom you know. In the movie, Crawford comes to L.A. as a well-established hairstylist in Scotland (the "Red Adair of hair"),and manages to connect with the right people, beginning with Eamon the limo driver and Candy the publicist, which in turn leads to a series of connections with other key people and opportunities: an amusement park animal costume fur-dressing gig, the continuing antagonistic yet crucial interactions with Monique and Stig, a lunch date with Drew Carey that takes Crawford's credibility to the next level, and a meeting with the Senator who finally allows him to compete in the W.H.I.F Hair-Off. Throughout these events and introductions, Crawford must pay his dues, often feeling humiliated in the process, yet always managing to make the best of the situation. I don't pretend to know all the details of Craig's rise to fame, but he was already an established comedian well-known in the U.K., then came to the U.S. and obscurity. After paying his dues here and there, he got a break as Mr. Wick on "The Drew Carey Show." Drew Carey is the equivalent of Candy in this movie, giving stability to Craig's career, and enough required time on the set but not in front of the camera to begin writing, thus marking his breakthrough into the roles of writer, producer, and finally director with the critically acclaimed "I'll Be There." Craig Ferguson's big break as host of CBS's "The Late Late Show" is similar to Crawford's walk-on success in the competition for the Platinum Scissors award. Craig has not yet been crowned the king of late-night, but I have a feeling that some of the other late-night hosts are feeling very much the same as the other three Hair-Off competitors, wondering, "Who is this Scottish guy, and who could have guessed he had so much talent?" One interesting scene in particular shows the obvious pride Crawford feels when he finally obtains his H.A.G. card, a pride which Craig will soon share when he obtains a U.S. passport upon becoming a citizen of his adopted country. The parallels to Craig's current situation are easy to see, and I think that "The Big Tease" may portend the huge success that Craig has yet to attain in Hollywood and with the ranks of late-night fans. Like Crawford, Craig is determined to reach the pinnacle of his profession, and he has forced industry insiders to sit up and take notice of him. Just like Crawford, Craig was born to this.