Many years ago, movie musicals were very popular with several being released. During the 1980's, they became less popular when the few that were made were flops. That didn’t start changing until the last several years with the success of Moulin Rouge and Chicago, which won the Oscar for best movie in 2003. Since then, more musicals have been released. I’ve been wanting to see Hairspray, the newest movie musical to be released.

In Baltimore in 1962, teenager Tracy Turnblad dreamed of being able to dance on The Corny Collins Show and have Link Larkin as her boyfriend. The Corny Collins Show was a popular local dance show that featured a cast of teenagers, including Link, singing and dancing every afternoon after school. Once a month the show had a Negro Day that was hosted by Motormouth Maybelle. Tracy and her best friend Penny watched the show every day even though Penny’s mother didn’t want her watching it. Velma Von Tussle, the manager of the station that aired the show was also basically in charge of the show. The former beauty queen did everything she could to make sure her daughter Amber was prominently featured.

Tracy decided to skip school to try out for the show. She was turned away by Velma because of her size and her support of integration. Corky saw Tracy at a dance the show was sponsoring and made her a member of the cast. Tracy quickly became very popular and Link started noticing her, which greatly upset Amber and Velma. Tracy’s mother Edna hadn’t wanted Tracy to try out for the show, but she was happy for her daughter once it happened. Tracy used an opportunity connected to the show to get Edna to leave the house for the first time in years.
Hairspray was first a movie, written and directed by John Waters, in 1988 and turned into a Broadway musical in 2002. The musical won several Tony awards. I’ve never seen the stage version or heard the soundtrack before seeing this movie. I don’t know if any songs were added specifically for the movie version or not. I have seen the 1988 movie before, but it has been so long that I really can’t remember anything too specific about it. I know Tracy was the main character and wanting to get on a television show and that basically the same characters were in the movie. I can’t remember if any of the characters sang any songs in it or not.

I have always enjoyed musicals and have seen many of them over the years. Musicals don’t appeal to everyone, so there will be people who just won’t like this movie. Some people don’t like it when characters break into song and dance even though the songs do move the plots forward. Some musicals, like The Phantom of the Opera (2004), contain very few if any spoken words while others mix in more spoken dialogue with the songs. Hairspray contained several songs and a decent amount of spoken dialogue. A few of the lines were a little silly, but overall it was good. I thought all of the songs in the movie worked to move the story forward. A couple of things did seem to get resolved rather quickly because of the songs.

I thought that Hairspray was very fun and entertaining overall. Several things, often connected to Edna in some way, made me laugh throughout the movie. Other characters also did things, sometimes reactions to what other characters did, made me laugh as well. Velma had some very interesting reactions a few times and got very funny expressions on her face. It was shown more than once how the cast of The Corny Collins Show - even the men - used a ton of hairspray in humorous ways. Even though I thought the movie was more funny than serious, it did with the very serious subject of racial integration. That was a big issue in the 1960's so it made sense for it to be included in the movie. I thought it was handled well in a way that didn’t get preachy.

The movie was set in 1962, so the costumes and hairstyles had a very different look from what has been popular in the last several years. The clothing and hairstyles looked like they fit from what I know about that time. All of the sets and locations used throughout the movie also looked like they fit in 1962. I believe that The Corny Collins Show was supposed to be a take on similar shows that became popular in the 1960's. I think I remember reading that the show was based on a real show that aired in Baltimore in that time.

Amber and Link were dating when the movie started. Not to much of their relationship was shown other than how they were together on the set of the show. Link became more annoyed with Amber’s attitude as the movie progressed. Tracy had a huge crush on Link and even sang about them being together at one point. Link did end up caught up between Amber and Tracy for a while. Even though that was important, it didn’t take over the entire plot. There were a few minor sexual situations that popped up. A few characters were shown kissing and that was really it as far as any sort of sex scenes went. Velma was used to using her sexuality to get whatever she wanted, something she referred to in a song and then later demonstrated. There were some rather frank things included in one of her songs. It wasn’t anything too graphic, but it was clear what she was meaning. The movie was rated PG, and is family friendly overall even though children just may not be interested in the plot. The few suggestive lines will probably be over looked by children.

Tracy was a somewhat overweight, very kind girl. She believed in following her dreams and it was important to her to do what she felt was right. Nikki Blonsky was wonderful in the part and had a beautiful singing voice. Penny Pingleton, who almost always had a sucker, was Tracy’s best friend. Penny got more rebellious as the movie progressed. Amanda Bynes was really good in the part. Penny’s mother Prudy was very strict and forbid her daughter to do just about everything. Allison Janney was one of the few that didn’t actually sing at some point.

Edna had her own laundry business that she ran out of her home that she hadn’t left in years. She stayed inside because she didn’t want the neighbors, or anyone for that matter, to see her after she started gaining weight. Edna was protective of Tracy, but also proud of what her daughter was able to do. John Travolta was wonderful in the part and I thought he was believable as Edna even though it was different to see him as a woman. It was a very different part from the one he played in Wild Hogs. He sang and danced very well in a fat suit, dress, and heels. I read that Travolta spent four hours getting into the fat suit and make-up. Some people might think it is odd for a female part to be played by a man. Edna has been played by a man in the musical and even in the 1988 movie.

Wilbur owned a joke shop that was attached to their home. He only had eyes for Edna, though he wasn’t always good at expressing that to her. He really cared for his wife and daughter even though he seemed to be clueless about some things. Christopher Walken was very good in the part, even singing at one point. He and Travolta made a believable couple who had been married for many years but still loved each other. They had one scene together that involved them singing and dancing among lines of laundry that was very sweet. Even though Walken has been in several comedies in the last several years, including Click and Man of the Year, I still identify him more with his creepier parts like in Sleepy Hollow. That did make it odd to see him in a musical, but I think he pulled it off very well.

Michelle Pfeiffer was delightfully evil as Velma, the woman willing to do anything to get what she wanted. She could be cruel to anyone she thought was getting in her way. Velma was very proud of being a former beauty queen, even though she won the title through somewhat questionable methods. She had managed to become the station manager and she had a lot of authority over The Corny Collins Show that she gleefully used to make sure her daughter Amber was featured as much as possible. Amber was just as snooty, vain, and rude as her mother. Brittany Snow was very good in the part. Link was probably the most popular boy in school and on the show. He had dreams of a career in show business, something that Velma tried to exploit whenever it suited her. Zac Efron was fine in the part.

Motormouth Maybelle owned a record store in addition to appearing on The Corny Collins Show once a month. She hoped that was a chance at something better for herself and her children, Inez and Seaweed. Maybelle was happy about certain things and did her best to try to find a peaceful way to change them. She was very accepting of others. I really liked Queen Latifah in the part. Her son Seaweed was around in several scenes, becoming more important as the movie progressed. Corny Collins wasn’t shown that much other than when he was hosting the show or disagreeing with Velma about certain things related to the show. None of the other characters were really featured as much, including the other teenagers on the show. John Waters made a small appearance early in the movie. Ricki Lake, Tracy in the 1988 movie, had a small cameo near the end of the movie.

Main Cast

Nikki Blonsky - Tracy Turnblad
Amanda Bynes - Penny Pingleton
Zac Efron - Link Larkin
Allison Janney - Prudy Pingleton
Elijah Kelley - Seaweed
Queen Latifah - Motormouth Maybelle
James Marsden - Corny Collins
Taylor Parks - Inez
Michelle Pfeiffer - Velma Von Tussle
Brittany Snow - Amber Von Tussle
John Travolta - Edna Turnblad
Christopher Walken - Wilbur Turnblad

Adam Shankman - Director

Hairspray was a very fun and entertaining movie that is worth watching, especially for people who enjoy musicals. Fans of the cast may also enjoy the movie.

This review is part of elvisdo’s 2007 Canadiania Write-off. Even though the movie was set in Baltimore, much of the filming was done in Toronto.

Queen Latifah Movie Reviews
Bringing Down the House ~ Ice Age: The Meltdown ~ Last Holiday ~ Taxi ~

Michelle Pfeiffer Movie Reviews
Batman Returns ~ Married to the Mob ~ Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas ~ Tequila Sunrise ~ What Lies Beneath ~


Recommended: Yes