Hairspray - my new No.1 Musical!!
Written: Sep 03 '07
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Funny, great songs, great music, great dancing, great cast, even deals with racism etc...
Cons: ... Walken not completely convincing... nothing else really!
The Bottom Line: If you have expectations based on the stage show or 1988 film, you may be disappointed - but I loved every minute of Hairspray, 2007 edition!
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| captaind's Full Review: Hairspray |
I haven't seen the 1988 version of Hairspray which starred Ricki Lake (who gets a small role in this movie), nor had I seen the stage version, so I had no real expectations regarding this film. The trailer made it look like it had some good moments and great songs, but we all know how misleading trailers can be... However without hesitation I can say that I loved every minute of this film. Hairspray is my new all-time favourite musical! (I'm starting to like musicals more... I must be getting old...)
It stars newcomer Niki Blonsky as Tracey Turnbald, a slightly plump girl with a passion for dance and an unwillingness to let other peoples misconceptions stop her. Her dream is to dance on TV and win the coveted "Miss Hairspray" award. Despite misgivings from her mother (played by John Travolta!) and backed up by her father (Christopher Walken), when the opportunity arises, she goes for it. However the evil Velma Von Trussle (Michelle Pfeiffer looking as gorgeous as ever and clearly enjoying playing a bad girl), who works as (I think) the Producer for the Corny Collins Show - which all the hottest dancers want to be on - has plans for her daughter to be this year's winner. Her daughter Amber (Brittany Snow) is a rather nasty child who is despised by all, but after all Mummy is the show's boss so she usually gets her own way...
Other characters in the movie include Link (Zac Effron), the star dancer on the show and Amber's intended (though he doesn't intend); Penny, Tracey's lolly-pop loving friend who is very sweet but rarely knows quite what's going on (played to perfection by Amanda Bynes); Seaweed (Elijah Kelly), who sure can dance but just happens to be the wrong colour; Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah), who lives up to her name, and of course Corny Collins himself - for the first time in any film I've seen him in, James Marsdon plays an interesting character! Really for me almost every performance was superb, with Bynes particularly giving a wonderful performance. In fact the only performance that didn't really convince me was Christopher Walken's - as much as I like him, he didn't seem quite right and he was obviously not chosen for his dancing ability! His duet with John Travolta (who clearly can still dance very well despite the heavy make-up and outfit that made him a fat Mrs Turnbald!) was about the only weak song of the whole film - though it was quite funny, which made up for it. Niki Blonsky gives an energetic and likeable performance in the lead role, and looks set for a rosy future in the movies.
The film deals with a number of serious issues, from racism to fatism to fanaticism, and all are dealt with quite powerfully within the confines of the musical setting, albeit most issues were understandably simplified in order for the film to stay just under 2 hours. The characters were great and the storyline bounced along very nicely from beginning to end. Of course in a musical the music, songs, dancing, and choreography have to be up to scratch and they certainly were in Hairspray. Most of the songs are great and there's some terrific music - I would actually consider buying the soundtrack, and in my whole life I've only ever bought the soundtrack CD to 2 movies! It's also often very funny, and sometimes quite hilarious.
It all starts with a song and dance routine and the pace never slackens right through to its terrific end sequence and (admittedly not very unexpected!) twist ending. Hairspray is a film that you'll not only enjoy, but it will give you a buzz that will last for several more hours. You'll still be dancing (at least on the inside) well after the film finishes. Which is why I've decided to shove everything else aside in my Top Ten Musicals list.
Other Details
Director: Adam Shankman
Runtime: 117 minutes
Rating: PG for language, some suggestive content and momentary teen smoking.
Recommended:
Yes
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