Hairspray (2007)

New Line Cinema, 2007
Starring Nikki Blonsky, John Travolta, Zac Efron, and Michelle Pffeifer
Directed by Adam Shankman
Music and Lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman

This one had a convoluted trip to the big screen. It started out as a 1988 comedy by gross-out director John Waters. The stage adaptation hit Broadway in 2002 and proved to be such a huge hit, it returned to the big screen five years later. How does the story of a plus-sized teenager who dreams of dancing on a music show in 1962 Baltimore come off amid today's racial and musical climate? Let's head to Tracy Turnblad's room in Baltimore and follow her to school to find out...

The Story: Tracy (Blonsky) is a sweet girl with a personalty as big as she is. She and her best friend Penny (Amanda Byrne) are addicted to The Corny Collins Show, a local dance program, and its peppy dancers The Nicest Kids In Town. When the show gets an opening, Tracy auditions. Unfortunately, the show is managed by Velma Von Tussle (Pffeifer), a former beauty queen who relegates black dancers to a once-a-month "Negro Day" and neglects the other dancers to push her daughter Amber (Brittany Snow) into the spotlight.

After she ends up in detention, Tracy learns new dance moves from the "Negro Day" performers, including Seaweed (Elijah Kelley). She shows off these moves at a school dance, which gets her on the show and the attention of its main male dancer Link (Efron). Tracy's unique dances make her the hit of Baltimore TV and the talk of the town, to Amber and Velma's frustration. Tracy's mother Edna (Travolta) even emerges from her laundry business to become her manager. Tracy, however, is still determined that her new friends should dance more than once a month, even if she has to join a protest started by the Negro Day host Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifa) to do it and sacrifice her own popularity.

The Song and Dance: Big, bright, bold, and a lot of fun. I love the performances here. Newcomer Blonsky is a ball of sunshine as Tracy, who's determined that everyone, black or white, should have a chance to dance. Byrne's a riot as her sweet and supportive best friend, and Efron gets to show off his teen-dream charm as the object of Tracy's affections. John Travolta does better than you might think as Tracy's worried mother in a fat suit and drag and makes a surprisingly cute couple with Christopher Walken. Candy-colored costumes mingle with down-to-Earth sets, ably showing the changes in the early 60's from Amber's frilly yellow prom gown to Tracy's abstract black-and-white minidress and straight hair. I also kind of like the changed ending that truly integrates the show and throws the spotlight on both the black and white performers.

Favorite Number: We open in high style with "Good Morning Baltimore," as Tracy describes her gritty downtown neighborhood in the perkiest possible tones. The tracking shot of her on the garbage truck's adorable. "I Can Hear the Bells" shows just how crazy about Link Tracy is as she goes through her school day dreaming about him and ignoring everything else, including rubber balls in her direction and her classwork.

"New Girl In Town" starts off cutesy, with the pastel Nicest Kids In Town doing their movies and describing Tracy's arrival...but the heat goes way up and the colors go primary as the "Negro Day" dancers take over. Seaweed and his sister Little Inez (Taylor Parks) tear up the park as they explain about being a black teen in the changing early 60's in "Run and Tell That." Travolta and Walken have a great time romping through the dance genre satire in "You're Timeless to Me."

The big one here is the classic finale, "You Can't Stop the Beat." It gives all the principals a chance to shine while relating the show's theme - it doesn't matter how big you are or what the color of your skin is, we all deserve a chance to dance. The kids throw themselves into the gyrating moves, Travolta's solo is awesome, and it ends the entire film on a burst of energy. I also have a soft spot for the additional credits song "Come So Far (Got So Far To Go)."

Trivia: The Broadway version opened in 2002 and proved to be a huge hit, running for seven years. It also ran in the West End for three years with British stage star Michael Ball as Edna Turnblad. There was a TV version, Hairspray Live!, that ran on NBC in 2016 and featured Harvey Fiernstein in his original role as Edna, Jennifer Hudson as Motormouth Maybelle, and Martin Short as Wilbur.

What I Don't Like: \Queen Latifa beautifully puts over the anthem "I Know Where I've Been," but the whole protest scene is a bit of mood whiplash from the rest of the effervescent plot. I do kind of wish it had retained some of the songs from the Broadway show (thought "Cooties" and "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now" sneak in during the credits).

The Big Finale: This is one of the best musical films made in the 21st century. If you want a big, bright extravaganza with great dances and something to say, you'll want to grab your can of hairspray and twist on over to this one.

Home Media: As one of the newer movies I've covered, this is easily available in all formats.

DVD - Deluxe Edition
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime