Movie Notes: Hairspray (2007)

December 31st, 2007

Hairspray (2007)

= 4 stars

Starring Nicole Blonsky, John Travolta, Michelle Pfieffer
Directed by Adam Shankman

Synopsis

Set in 1962, Tracy Turnblad (Nicole Blonsky), a horizontally-challenged, eternal-optimist teenager, loves the Corny Collins (James Marsden) dance show. After learning some smooth moves in detention, Tracy is chosen to dance on the Corny Collins show. The community learns about tolerance as Tracy fights for racial integration on the program.

The Good

This is an all-around “solid” musical with copious amounts of energy, talent, camp, and fun, mostly due to newcomer Blonsky.
At its core is an important message regarding tolerance and acceptance of unique individuals.
It’s a compact pop culture history lesson, documenting the transition of the fifties to the sixties, and how white pop music continually co-opts black culture, watering it down to make it “safe” for mainstream consumption.
Much of the musical numbers numbers are entertainingly compact amalgams of past entertainment artists: Corny Collins (James Mardsen) as Dick Clark and Sinatra, Link (Zac Efron) as an Elvis / Bobby Darin / Everly Brothers / Cheesy White Teen Idol, and Seaweed (Elijah Kelley) combines Smokey Robinson with James Brown.
Some wry jokes about past behavior that is now considered too dangerous: A teacher’s lounge thick with smokers, pregnant women boozing in a bar, Tracy Turnblatt whacked by a dodge ball, and the clouds of aerosol hairspray blasted everywhere as the ozone layer cringes in fear.
John Travolta as Tracy’s mother, Edna Turnblad. It’s been too long since Grease and Saturday Night Fever.
Michelle Pfieffer (thinner than a Q-Tip) plays the villainess Velma von Tussle with relish. All memory of Grease II nearly obliterated.
Christopher Walken’s retarded magic shop salesman starts out as lame as Click, but he gets to sing and dance, too.
Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes) looks like a Dr. Seuss character with batting eyelashes and a lollipop orally lodged for much of the time. I wish that sucker had been worked into a joke – perhaps a quick dip in chocolate.

The Bad

Velma von Tussle’s white-as-snow daughter Amber (Brittany Snow) was a bit too bland.
This is a very different movie from the campy John Waters original and owes more to the Broadway musical.
The energy is non-stop as musical numbers come fast and furious. Several times I thought, “another song?!?” but my initial hesitation was regularly rewarded. It really does wear you down to the point where all you can do is smile.

Conclusion

If you enjoy musical comedies, you’ll enjoy Hairspray. I’ll likely watch it again, in addition to the John Waters original. I’d put it on the same level as Chicago or Dreamgirls.

IMDB: Hairspray
Wikipedia: Hairspray
Rotten Tomatoes: Hairspray 92%