Hairspray (2007)
Written: Aug 15 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: good cast, music, fun
Cons: sorry, but John Travolta didn't need to be in this
The Bottom Line: ...
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| lemon_lime's Full Review: Hairspray |
The highest compliment I could possibly give to this summer's Hairspray is that, while it is not my kind of movie at all, I still found myself enjoying it. I wasn't one of those kids who watched Grease over and over, who had any desire to be a part of the drama club, or watched a lot of musicals in general (though I later came to appreciate, and then love, a great number of musicals throughout the years - I just never got sucked in by the more 'bubblegum' high school ones). Plus, the idea of John Travolta playing a large woman in drag has exactly no appeal, comedic or otherwise, to me - and it seemed to be prominently featured in all the film's advertising; again, not a good sign. Still, when all was said and done, when the film's 107 minutes had all played out and we were leaving the theater, I wasn't at all disappointed. The benefit of low expectations, or the mark of a truly, universally appealing film?
Hairspray circa 2007 is based on the Broadway musical of the same name that won several Tony Awards back in 2002, itself based on and inspired by the original John Waters' film Hairspray, a quirky film from 1988 that opened up the eccentric Baltimore auteur to a whole new (gasp) family audience. All in all, quite a strange journey for all involved, and as a bit of icing on the cake, they're all rather good (Mel Brooks' The Producers almost pulled off the same hat trick, with a great original movie and a good Broadway musical reproduction, but the 2006 film based on that musical was, to be polite, not good at all).
The story centers around Tracy Turnblatt (Nikki Blonsky), an overweight but vivacious teenager in 1960s Baltimore. Obsessed with "The Corny Collins Show", a local TV dance program for teens, she races home from school each and every day with her best friend Penny (Amanda Bynes) to tune in and dance along with the kids on the other side of the black and white screen. One fateful day, Tracy and Penny hear that one of the regular teenage dancers will be taking a "nine month" break (wink wink), which will free up an open spot on the show. Tracy is beside herself, and immediately sets about finding a way to convince her parents (John Travolta and a very winning Christopher Walken) to allow her to skip school and audition for the role of her dreams.
Nothing comes easy, though, and Tracy is passed over in the auditions, ridiculed for her weight by producer Velma Von Tussle (Michelle Pfeiffer). She's crushed, but quickly regains her vibrancy, finding an alternate, circuitous way of getting on the show: impressing host Corny Collins (James Marsden) at a local dance and convincing him to give her a shot. And it works - she's an immediate hit, the runaway star of the teen dance show. This only serves to infuriate Velma, whose own daughter Amber (Brittany Snow) was the show's greatest success, and Velma soon begins exerting her power over the show in unpleasant ways. When she finally decides to pull the plug on "Negro Tuesdays", an incensed and idealistic Tracy joins a pro-integration group and takes to the streets in a protest march, getting in over her head and winding up on the run from the law.
And that, in a nutshell, is the plot that Hairspray hangs its musical hat on. It's not Shakespeare, but you can dance to it. That the racial issues brought forth in the film are often handled with kid gloves is beside the point; this isn't a message film, nor does it particularly try to be (and in the rare instances when it does, it sags). No, the movie works because it's "fun", because all the actors seem to be having a genuinely good time, and because it just feels rather good to get caught up in its bright, retro, nostalgic world, a world where outsiders ultimately win and the popular kids must change their ways or fail miserably.
I still can't understand why John Travolta was in it though.
(***1/2 stars out of five)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
lemon_lime
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