Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

In 1988, John Waters wrote the screenplay Hairspray. It was a hit back then and like many adaptations, the new and updated screenplay written by Leslie Dixon was a success. New Line Cinema in association with Ingenious Film Partners worked together to release the new production of Hair Spray.

Set in Baltimore in 1962 when John F. Kennedy was president, a young high school girl by the name of Tracey Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) awakens into a world where she feels like there has to be much more to life than falling asleep in class. She wakes up with a dance of the soul and prances through the streets feeding mice and putting a smile on everybody's face because of her free spirited ways. Her dancing style is trendy and she has an attitude that draws people to her.

Penny Pingelton (Amanda Bynes) is her very supportive best friend. Penny also shares the love of dancing and they both run home everyday to catch their favorite show The Corny Collins Show featuring some of the day's best dances like the stricken chicken. I always liked Amanda Bynes in movies because she always plays her role with such grace that it leaves a lasting impression on me when I watch things with her in it.

Thelma Montusso (Michelle Pfeiffer) is the stage manager of the Corny Collins Show. Her network WYZT airs The Corny Collins show every afternoon at 4 PM. The program also has a Negro day every once a month hosted by Motor Mouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah).

Tracey has a thing for Link Larkin (Zac Efron) who also dances on The Corny Collins Show. Because of her infectious spirit and her funky groove, he falls for her too. Nikki portrays a girl that has a good mind and a good outlook on life. She bears confidence. Her only longing in life is to dance. She welcomes all people into her heart. She speaks in movement and responds to music with a good balance of emotions.

Well it just so happened that Tracy's dream had an open door that was calling her to walk through it. She decided to follow the guidance of her heart by trying out to be a featured dancer on the show. The luminous manifestations of her soul gets her cast as the new council woman when she auditions with one of her detention friend Seaweed's (Elijah Kelly) dances and it becomes the dance of the day.

Tracey becomes such a hit that stores are calling on her to be a spokesperson for their business. "Welcome to the '60s" is the song that Tracey sings to her mom, Edna (John Travolta) to reinvigorate her and to push her into being her new agent. My first thought was, "John Travolta is dressed like a woman!" But he played the part of Edna really well.

Together, Tracey and her mom worked their way to the Ms. Teenage 1962 Hair Spray Pageant. I thought it was pretty interesting to see the boldness of Tracey when she hit the cop in the head with one of the protest signs in what was supposed to be a peaceful demonstration for integration of the television program in front of WYZT. Nikki also played her part with confidence and showed her first acting gig to be something that really fit her.

Throughout the 117 minutes of the movie, the music rocked out in all fun and excitement. There were some toe-tapping beats, pumping bass lines and dynamite rhythms. Listening to the music was like a drummer inside my soul. The music was written by Marc Shaiman and the lyrics to the songs were written by Scott Whitman and Marc Shaiman. I loved the song, "Run & Tell That" sung by Elijah Kelly. He really breathed life into the lyrics and made them ride the beat like a kite soaring high above the clouds.

The music sparks an eruption of dancing. There's dancing in the classrooms and dancing in the streets and dancing on the buses and the moves are groovy. Some dances featured include the cha-cha, rumba, mash potato, mambo, fever rage, jazzy thrusting, disco shimmies and the twist. But it was the scene where the whole parade was soul dancing with freedom under fireworks that hit the spot. The Southern Bells also added a nice touch.

The costume designer, Rita Ryack, was really on point. The outfits that the cast wore was spectacular. The southern Bells were always dressed in the most sassy dresses. I was really impressed with the dress with bell arms that had fur on it worn by Queen Latifah. The outfits really stood out and sparkled in the light.

Hair Spray keeps the temperature rising. I liked seeing Queen Latifah and Michelle Pfeiffer letting their voices ring with flight. Hairspray is a rainbow bath of energy. If you are looking for a feel good movie that will leave you with a smile, do not hesitate to pick up Hairspray which is a great movie for the whole entire family to enjoy.

This epinion is a part of the Kathy's Epi-Write Off and Dave's Good Movie Write-Off.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up to Age 4