Like the confectionery treat that is its namesake, "Caramel" is a sweet-tasting concoction that leaves you feeling less satiated than undernourished when it's over. Set in and around a beauty parlor in Beirut, Lebanon, the story chronicles the decidedly low-keyed romantic escapades of a group of women (some of them stylists and others customers at the shop), all of whom fall out into neatly differentiated categories like "the non-virginal fiancé," (apparently, that's still a concern in that part of the world), "the lonely spinster," "the other woman," "the lesbian," etc.
Within its comparatively restricted genre (let's just call it the "hair emporium movie," for lack of a better term), "Caramel" is less theatrical than "The Salon," but nowhere near as sharp and funny as "Barbershop" or "Steel Magnolias." The actresses are all competent and appealing, but the material is stretched so thin that the movie barely makes it across the finish line before calling it quits.
Within its comparatively restricted genre (let's just call it the "hair emporium movie," for lack of a better term), "Caramel" is less theatrical than "The Salon," but nowhere near as sharp and funny as "Barbershop" or "Steel Magnolias." The actresses are all competent and appealing, but the material is stretched so thin that the movie barely makes it across the finish line before calling it quits.