Most of us know there is no quicker self-esteem boost than a great haircut. And though I’ve never spent as much as John Edwards on one, I’ve doled out plenty for the services of a curly girl “specialist” in New York City… on more than one occasion.

Sure, a great hairdresser is worth his or her weight in gold. But comparing uber hairstylist Vidal Sassoon to Albert Einstein and the Messiah – a little over-the-top, don’t ya think?

Then again, “Vidal Sassoon: The Movie,” from first-time director Craig Teper and producer Michael Gordon, starts off as a hyperbole fest of the grandest order. But like an over-sprayed hairdo, eventually the fanaticism calms (somewhat) and gives way to an interesting, albeit overly promotional story about a self-made man and innovator.

Much of what we learn about Sassoon, an octogenarian who is as elegant as he is talented, is through his telling as well as archival footage and interviews. Unfortunately, the juiciest bits – why an earlier marriage dissolved, the clients he dated, an interview with his son, the death of his daughter – are glossed over in seconds.

The film does manage to fascinate as it recounts Sassoon’s childhood in a Jewish orphanage in London, to service in Israel when it became a nation, to apprenticeships to his rise as rock-star hairdresser and icon. As creator of the geometric five-point cut – think Mia Farrow’s hair in “Rosemary’s Baby” – Sassoon revolutionized the industry by architecturally shaping hair. He then went on to build a mega-brand with a line of hair products, celebrity endorsements and worldwide salons.

While the Sassoon depicted here may be a little too mythical for anyone’s own good, that doesn’t change the fact that he liberated generations of women (and men) with astute vision and a pair of scissors.

‘Vidal Sassoon: The Movie”

More info: A member of the audience will win a Makeover-Cut and Style, the Sassoon Way from the salon at Saks Fifth Avenue, with make-up courtesy of Dior. All registered audience members will receive a $10 off voucher from the salon and spa at Saks.