This review may contain spoilers
Comedy Fell Flat for Me
My Rating: 6.5 / 10
Miss Shampoo starts with a fun premise: an average young hairdresser suddenly catches the attention of a gangster who becomes completely smitten with her. The beginning is actually pretty entertaining. Watching a nervous salon apprentice suddenly gain a flood of intimidating gangster customers because of one loyal admirer is a funny setup, and it makes for a strong opening.
Unfortunately, the movie never quite reaches the potential that premise promises. While it remains mildly entertaining throughout, the tone jumps awkwardly between romance, gangster violence, and goofy comedy. The film feels like it wants to be heartfelt and funny at the same time but never fully succeeds at either.
It’s not a terrible movie, but it’s also not particularly memorable. I personally would not watch it again. I would only recommend it to viewers who especially enjoy romantic comedies mixed with gangster themes, because that unusual combination is the main appeal.
Overall, it’s a movie with an interesting idea and a decent start, but the execution keeps it from being truly great.
Spoilers
The film establishes early on that Tai, a triad gangster, becomes fascinated with Fen after she helps hide him from assassins in her family’s salon. Instead of simply thanking her, he becomes almost fixated on her and begins forcing his gang members—and even random people—to get their hair cut by her to help her business succeed.
This idea could have been charming, but the romance never really made sense to me. Fen has just broken up with her previous boyfriend, who was a clean-cut college guy. Her suddenly falling for a scruffy gangster doesn’t feel like a natural progression for her character.
Another strange aspect is how quickly Fen’s family accepts Tai’s presence. It’s already odd that a family would allow a gangster to regularly hang around their salon, but the film also plays scenes involving intimacy between Tai and Fen in a way that feels awkward considering the parents are nearby. I personally did not like all the F bombs. Saying you are going to F somebody is not romantic. Talking about your genitals also not romantic. So, the raunchy language was unnecessary and really took me out of the romance.
I had to look it up because I did not expect sex to be treated so casually by the family. Culturally, Taiwan is generally modern in its attitudes toward dating and relationships, so couples being intimate before marriage isn’t unheard of. However, the movie exaggerates the situation for comedy, which may be why it feels awkward or unrealistic rather than believable.
The film also leans heavily into slapstick humor and gangster violence. I knew going in that there would be some blood and fights because it involves organized crime, and that part wasn’t the issue. The bigger problem is that the love story—the emotional core of the film—never becomes convincing or heartwarming.
The ending is also questionable. Tai is stabbed badly, yet instead of going to the hospital he shows up to make a dramatic romantic gesture toward Fen. It’s meant to be emotional, but it comes across as unrealistic.
The movie then shows a sort of epilogue/outtake scene where Fen is pregnant and still working as a hairdresser, while Tai is no longer a gangster. However, he seems to be mostly talking about plans and dreams rather than actually doing anything meaningful with his life. It’s technically a happy ending because they’re together, but it doesn’t feel particularly satisfying.
Miss Shampoo starts with a fun premise: an average young hairdresser suddenly catches the attention of a gangster who becomes completely smitten with her. The beginning is actually pretty entertaining. Watching a nervous salon apprentice suddenly gain a flood of intimidating gangster customers because of one loyal admirer is a funny setup, and it makes for a strong opening.
Unfortunately, the movie never quite reaches the potential that premise promises. While it remains mildly entertaining throughout, the tone jumps awkwardly between romance, gangster violence, and goofy comedy. The film feels like it wants to be heartfelt and funny at the same time but never fully succeeds at either.
It’s not a terrible movie, but it’s also not particularly memorable. I personally would not watch it again. I would only recommend it to viewers who especially enjoy romantic comedies mixed with gangster themes, because that unusual combination is the main appeal.
Overall, it’s a movie with an interesting idea and a decent start, but the execution keeps it from being truly great.
Spoilers
The film establishes early on that Tai, a triad gangster, becomes fascinated with Fen after she helps hide him from assassins in her family’s salon. Instead of simply thanking her, he becomes almost fixated on her and begins forcing his gang members—and even random people—to get their hair cut by her to help her business succeed.
This idea could have been charming, but the romance never really made sense to me. Fen has just broken up with her previous boyfriend, who was a clean-cut college guy. Her suddenly falling for a scruffy gangster doesn’t feel like a natural progression for her character.
Another strange aspect is how quickly Fen’s family accepts Tai’s presence. It’s already odd that a family would allow a gangster to regularly hang around their salon, but the film also plays scenes involving intimacy between Tai and Fen in a way that feels awkward considering the parents are nearby. I personally did not like all the F bombs. Saying you are going to F somebody is not romantic. Talking about your genitals also not romantic. So, the raunchy language was unnecessary and really took me out of the romance.
I had to look it up because I did not expect sex to be treated so casually by the family. Culturally, Taiwan is generally modern in its attitudes toward dating and relationships, so couples being intimate before marriage isn’t unheard of. However, the movie exaggerates the situation for comedy, which may be why it feels awkward or unrealistic rather than believable.
The film also leans heavily into slapstick humor and gangster violence. I knew going in that there would be some blood and fights because it involves organized crime, and that part wasn’t the issue. The bigger problem is that the love story—the emotional core of the film—never becomes convincing or heartwarming.
The ending is also questionable. Tai is stabbed badly, yet instead of going to the hospital he shows up to make a dramatic romantic gesture toward Fen. It’s meant to be emotional, but it comes across as unrealistic.
The movie then shows a sort of epilogue/outtake scene where Fen is pregnant and still working as a hairdresser, while Tai is no longer a gangster. However, he seems to be mostly talking about plans and dreams rather than actually doing anything meaningful with his life. It’s technically a happy ending because they’re together, but it doesn’t feel particularly satisfying.
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