Hairspray
HAIRSPRAY: BIG HAIR FUN
Hairspray is wholesome, bighearted, and gives you a wink and a nod at the same time. It continues the tradition of great musicals in recent Hollywood history such as Chicago and Moulin Rouge. It has a talented ensemble cast and great tunes to sing along with.
Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) is a pudgy Baltimore teenager who loves to dance. She races home every afternoon with her best friend Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes) to watch the Corny Collins (James Marsden) show. Tracy has a crush on one of its dancers, Link Larkin (Zac Efron). When Tracy has the fortune to land as one of the show’s dancers, she sets out to fight the racism that is prevalent in the 1962.
The story comes from the John Waters’ 1988 movie by the same name. Its charm lies in its simplicity. It has zingers of one liners. “They're just kids, that's why we have to steer them in the white direction.” And the cast looks like they are having a ball. This is most apparent when they are on the Corny Collins set. Its big and cheesy all rolled into one. Newcomer Nikki Blonsky is a delight. Her energy is infectious. John Travolta is sweet as Tracy’s big mama. And Michelle Pfeiffer is great as the villainous Velma Von Tussle. 1962 Baltimore is bright and bold, with Canada standing in for Baltimore. The costumes are a standout, prim and proper for some and loud and tight for others.
The DVD extras are barebones except for a feature that is meant for your computer. It was disappointing that there was so little.
The movie will make you want to get up and dance. It teaches a lesson but never becomes preachy. It shows that music and dance brings us all together, no matter what our skin color.
Report Card:
Story-B
Acting-A
Visuals-B+
Originality/Innovation-B+
Enjoyability Grade–A
DVD Extras-C-
Overall Grade-A-
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