EMM# : 11068
Added: 2016-01-22

Hairspray (2007)
This Summer, when you follow your own beat, there is no limit to how far you can go.

Rating: 6.8

Movie Details:

Genre:  Comedy (Musical| Romance)

Length: 1 h 56 min - 116 min

Video:   1920x816 (23.976 Fps - 2 169 Kbps)

Studio: New Line Cinema| Ingenious Film Partners| Zadan / ...(cut)

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Tracy Turnblad, an overweight teenager with all the right moves, is obsessed with the Corny Collins Show. Every day after school, she and her best friend Penny run home to watch the show and drool over the hot Link Larkin, much to Tracy's mother Edna's dismay. After one of the stars of the show leaves, Corny Collins holds auditions to see who will be the next person on the Corny Collins show. With all of the help of her friend Seaweed, Tracy makes it on the show, angering the evil dance queen Amber Von Tussle and her mother Velma. Tracy then decides that it's not fair that the black kids can only dance on the Corny Collins Show once a month, and with the help of Seaweed, Link, Penny, Motormouth Maybelle, her father and Edna, she's going to integrate the show.....without denting her 'do! Written by

Plot Synopsis:
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In May of 1962, Baltimore teenager Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonksy) prepares for school while displaying optimistic appreciation of her drab neighborhood in which she sees so much beauty ("Good Morning Baltimore"). Tracy, who has a passion for dance and bouffant hairstyles, is something of a social outcast among her classmates because of her chubbiness, but her best friend Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes) shares Tracy's obsession with the after-school dance program The Corny Collins Show, which features a group of teenage dancers known as the Council Kids and is sponsored by Ultra-Clutch brand hairspray. The show is broadcast live on Baltimore's WYZT station and, despite the progressive opinions of Corny Collins (James Marsden) himself, remains a segregated program featuring only white dancers except for the last Tuesday of every month, which is designated "Negro Day." Tracy and Penny rush to Tracy's house after school to watch the show ("The Nicest Kids In Town"), much to the annoyance of Tracy's mother Edna (John Travolta), who works from home as a laundress and refuses to leave the house because she is ashamed of her voluptuous size. Edna shows concern for her daughter's interest in dance, fearing that people will mistreat her because of her weight. Penny's paralyzingly strict mother Prudy (Allison Janney) also disapproves of The Corny Collins Show, but mainly due to her own racism and the fact that pop music is becoming more and more influenced by R&B styles.

Sharing Prudy Pingleton's disdain for "race music" is Velma Von Tussle (Michelle Pfeiffer), the manager of WYZT and domineering mother of the snobby, aggressive Corny Collins dancer Amber (Brittany Snow). Though Corny Collins defends his music choices and believes the show should be integrated, Velma refuses to consider it and constantly pushes for her daughter to be featured above all the other dancers. Several of the teenagers on The Corny Collins Show attend Tracy and Penny's high school, and Tracy in particular is star-struck and swoony whenever she catches sight of Link Larkin (Zac Efron), the show's main heartthrob and Amber Von Tussle's boyfriend.

Tracy is ecstatic when Corny Collins announces that one of their female dancers is taking a leave of absence (for "just nine months") and invites any interested girls to come to the station for an audition. Though Edna attempts to talk Tracy out of the idea, Tracy's father Wilbur (Christopher Walken), a joke-shop proprietor, is more supportive and encourages his daughter to go after her dreams. Tracy and Penny cut school the next day, and following a brief dance test,Tracy is dismissed by Velma Von Tussle due to her weight and her support of integration. Velma is blissfully detached during the audition process as she reminisces about her glory days as a pageant queen ("The Legend of Miss Baltimore Crabs").

Dejected, Tracy arrives back at school and is promptly given detention for cutting class. Her spirits lift, however, when she discovers that the detention room is where many of the school's black students congregate and dance to R&B music. She befriends Seaweed J. Stubbs (Elijah Kelly), the group's best dancer, whom she recognizes as a performer on the monthly Negro Day, and learns some of his dance moves. Link Larkin happens by the classroom door and sees Tracy's dance skills. Impressed, he enters the room and informs her that Corny Collins is hosting a hop, and that she is easily talented enough for Corny to select as a new Council member. As the school bell rings and the kids disperse, Link is accidentally jostled into Tracy, causing Tracy to have a series of euphoric daydreams about her interaction with him ("I Can Hear the Bells").

Teenagers, both black and white, arrive at Corny Collins' public dance, though the dance floor is divided by a rope for segregation. Link is performing a high-energy song ("Ladies' Choice"), and Tracy spots Seaweed among the black dancers. He tells her to borrow some of the moves he taught her, and impress Corny Collins. Tracy quickly catches the attention of Corny (and Link) with her dancing, and, to the horror of Velma Von Tussle, is chosen as the new Council member for The Corny Collins Show. Tracy's parents, as well as Penny and Seaweed, are delighted.

Negro Day arrives, hosted by Seaweed's mother, televison DJ Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah). The biased station views, as well as the surprise of Tracy's admission to the Council, are echoed in a song written by the black dancers who are then chastised by Velma for performing it after the white dancers performed a cover version ("The New Girl in Town").

Tracy becomes a local celebrity and one of the most popular dancers on the show, despite Velma and Amber's disgust. Mr. Spritzer (Paul Dooley), the CEO of Ultra-Clutch hairspray, first dislikes Tracy and calls her a "chubby communist" after she announces on-air that, if she could, she would make every day Negro Day. Spritzer soon changes his mind when Tracy causes a huge boost in ratings and sales. Wilbur begins selling Tracy-themed merchandise in his joke shop, the Hardy-Har Hut, and Edna finally realizes that Tracy's weight did not prevent her from reaching her goal.Tracy soon receives an offer from Mr. Pinky (Jerry Stiller), the owner of a local plus-size dress shop, to be their official spokesgirl. Tracy is excited by all the sudden attention, but Edna suggests they should find an agent to take charge of Tracy's affairs. After much coercing, Tracy convinces Edna to be her agent, which at first terrified Edna because it would require her to be seen outside their house. Edna finally agrees to accompany her daughter to meet Mr. Pinky and go over a contract. Tracy assures her mother that times are changing, and that people who look different are finally beginning to be accepted ("Welcome to the Sixties").

After both Tracy and Edna receive makeovers at Mr. Pinky's shop, they stop at a diner to celebrate, with Edna feeling more confident than she had been in years. Amber and Velma enter the diner, and Tracy is forced to introduce them to her mother. Velma hurts Edna with a thinly-veiled insult about her new dress, reducing Edna to tears, but Tracy explains after the Von Tussles leave that Velma's motive for breaking them down is the threat that Tracy now presents to Amber winning the annual Miss Teenage Hairspray pageant the following month.

At school, Tracy is more popular than ever before, and students deliberately land themselves with detention slips just to see her after school. Link also becomes disenchanted with Amber's cruel pranks and gossip, and begins growing closer to Tracy. Tracy introduces Penny to Seaweed, and there is an instant attraction. Seaweed invites Tracy, Penny, and Link to a platter party at his mother's record store after school, and introduces them to his younger sister, Little Inez (Taylor Parks). Seaweed leads the black teenagers in expressing their individuality and spirit in the face of social prejudice ("Run and Tell That").

A lively party is underway at Motormouth Maybelle's record shop, with all of the Negro Day dancers in attendance ("Big, Blonde, and Beautiful"). Penny, Link, and Tracy are at first nervous, but soon enjoy themselves. Tracy and Link express similar views on the integration of The Corny Collins Show, and Link hints that he has chosen Tracy over Amber at last.

At the Von Tussle's opulent home, Amber sobs to her mother about losing Link to Tracy. Velma promises to make it all better, as she is in control of Link's singing career. In the meantime, Amber makes an anonymous call to Edna, ousting Tracy's current whereabouts, which causes Edna to rush over to Maybelle's shop and attempt to take Tracy home at once. Maybelle invites Edna to stay, enticing her with the enormous table of food, and Edna gives in. After asking Maybelle what the party is being held for, Maybelle sadly explains to Edna and all in attendance that Velma Von Tussle had officially cancelled Negro Day on The Corny Collins Show. Tracy, Penny, Link, Seaweed, and the dancers are outraged, and Tracy suggests that they stage a protest march on the WYZT studio. Maybelle wholeheartedly agrees, as do the dancers, but Link explains to Tracy that he is scheduled to sing in front of talent scouts at the upcoming Miss Teenage Hairspray pageant, and that participating in the march might damage his budding career. He apologizes with sincerity, but Tracy is terribly hurt.

With Edna and Tracy not yet home, Velma dons her sexiest dress and introduces herself to Wilbur Turnblad at the Hardy-Har Hut. Though her intention is to seduce Wilbur and be caught by Edna, likely leading to Tracy leaving the show, Wilbur only cares about peddling his precious joke items and remains impervious to Velma's advances. Edna and Tracy arrive home, and Tracy sadly goes to bed. Edna, invigorated by the food from Maybelle's party, spruces herself up and goes down to the joke shop in search of her husband ("Big, Blonde, and Beautiful Reprise"). Edna arrives to see Velma forcing Wilbur into a compromising position, and Edna storms out in fury. Back at their house. after changing the locks and sobbing for hours, Edna forbids Tracy from ever appearing on The Corny Collins Show again.

That night, Tracy visits her father, who is sleeping in the joke shop on a bed of whoopie cushions. He assures her that nothing happened between him and Velma, and that his only love is Edna. Tracy explains her fears about the future (though she makes no mention of the protest march), and Wilbur once again comforts her and encourages her to pursue what she knows is right.

Tracy returns to bed, and Wilbur reconciles with his wife ("You're Timeless to Me"). The following morning, Edna attempts to wake Tracy to tell her the argument is over, but find she has escaped to join the protest. Fearing for Tracy's safety, Edna sets out after her.

Tracy meets up with the protesters, who disperse picket signs among themselves and set off down the street, led by Motormouth Maybelle ("I Know Where I've Been"). Edna finally catches up and tries to talk Tracy into coming home, but Tracy refuses. They soon reach a police roadblock and are curtly instructed by a policeman to cease their protest. Tracy is angered by his rude treatment of Maybelle, and taps the officer with her picket sign when his back is turned. The officer immediately accuses Tracy of assault, and chaos ensues as he orders his men to arrest all the protesters. Tracy flees to Penny's house, and Penny secretly hides her in their basement fallout shelter until Prudy discovers them and calls the police on Tracy. Tracy is locked in the basement room while Penny is bound with a jump rope in her bedroom by her mother as punishment for harboring a fugitive. Soon afterwards, Seaweed climbs into Penny's room, frees her from her binds, and confesses his love. They break Tracy out of the basement window and escape by car. Link, feeling guilty for not supporting Tracy, visits the Turnblads, who are frantic with worry about Tracy's whereabouts. As he examines Tracy's bedroom, Link realizes his true feelings for her ("Without Love"). Once together again, the teenagers (along with Edna and Wilbur) concoct a plan to crash the Miss Teenage Hairspray pageant the next day.

Velma, knowing of Tracy's involvement with the protest, stations police around the studio the next day as the pageant begins. The security is shown pictures of Tracy and given explicit orders to prevent her from entering the building. The teenagers put their plan into action, infiltrating the studio and executing an elaborate trick to smuggle Tracy inside without the police realizing. Tracy arrives onstage just in time for the dance competition, and is joined by Link, who chooses Little Inez as his partner, no longer caring about the talent scouts in the audience, but rather about bringing The Corny Collins Show a step closer to integration ("You Can't Stop the Beat"). The phone-in votes increase dramatically after Inez's performance, and Inez is crowned Miss Teenage Hairspray, awarding her the position of lead dancer on the show, and officially integrating it at last.

Velma is furious, and is caught on camera admitting to her daughter that she rigged the pageant so Amber would be sure to win. She is immediately fired by Mr. Spritzer. As the celebratory finale dance reaches its pinnacle, Wilbur encourages Edna to take the stage herself, which she does with great enthusiasm. Penny and Seaweed kiss passionately, causing Penny's mother to have a fit of horror as she watches the pageant from home. Tracy and Link finally have their first kiss, as a better future begins to unfold around them.

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klme from United States
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I just saw Hairspray the movie at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle--the same theater where Hairspray the musical premiered five years ago. It could be that I am just dizzied by the dashing good looks of Zac Efron, but the magic that was produced on stage by the original Hairspray cast has transfered flawlessly to the big screen.

I couldn't have asked for more. Nikki Blonsky premiered beautifully as the spunky and voluptuous Tracy Turnblad. John Travolta delivered. Christopher Walken was charming and hilarious. Queen Latifah was "big, black, and beautiful." Michelle Pfeiffer--perfectly obnoxious...the list goes on.

The candy colored costumes and thrilling choreography were so enjoyable, and even the more serious parts of the film (though there are very few!) were touching and sincere.

The only thing I wished had been included was the song "Mama I'm a Big Girl Now." While it would have been a great addition, other big song and dance numbers carried the film along just fine.

I caught myself smiling like a buffoon more than once. A must see for musical lovers--or anyone who just likes to have a good time.

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A_Roode from Halifax, Nova Scotia
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Had it not been for a free pass to an advance screening, I must admit that my friends would have had trouble getting me to see 'Hairspray.' I don't mind musicals but 'Hairspray' didn't seem like something I'd enjoy. Not for the first time in my life was I wrong.

'Hairpsray' is about tolerance, integration and acceptance of others. The film uses the racial divide between blacks and whites but the subtext of the film is Heterosexuals and Homosexuals. 'Hairspray' viciously lampoons bigots and reserves specific devastation for Ultra-conservative religious zealots, figures of authority and WASPs. The satire is white hot (Alison Janney steals every scene she is in), the music catchy, the movie's spirit is irreverent.

I had no problems with the cast and their performances. John Travolta isn't bad and when he gets his chances to dance he's great fun. Christopher Walken and Travolta have a song and dance number duet that rates among the best moments of the film and isn't to be missed. Queen Latifah adds some dignity and balance while Michelle Pfeiffer plays a terrific screen villainess. Amanda Bynes has few lines to deliver but gives perfect comic deadpan when she does for excellent comic effect. Keep a sharp eye out for the hilarious John Waters cameo during the opening number.

Of recent major movie musicals, this is easily better than 'The Producers,' (better comedy and music) and last year's 'Dreamgirls' (weaker songs but better pacing and strong beyond the first half). Although it doesn't have the star power or scale, I also prefer it to 'Chicago' -- 'Hairspray' takes itself less seriously and not many movies have me laughing and smiling from start to finish. If you're looking for a little pure counter-culture escapist fun, 'Hairpsray' is your movie.

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(scmovieguy@yahoo.com) from CA, USA
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As a fan of the stage musical, I was worried that the film might not measure up - but they hit this one out of the ballpark! Bright, bouncy and joyously hilarious! A big smile hit my face as soon as it started and I didn't stop grinning until the end of the credits.

I haven't heard a press screening audience applaud after musical numbers since "Chicago" - and they cheered! The huge cast is uniformly terrific. Travolta, Pfeiffer and Walken are a hoot and Nikki Blonsky couldn't be more perfect.

The performances, script, lyrics, sight gags and costumes wage an all-out assault on your funny bone. Even the set dressing gets laughs!

This is the movie musical that Grease, Rent and Dreamgirls should have been.

Bravo!

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marcosaguado from Los Angeles, USA
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Not that I'm surprised that I liked it but yes that I liked it as much as I did. Keeping some of the lovely John Water garishness but mainstreaming it enough to make it mainstream. John Travolta in the Divine part is truly divine. He went for it and played it for real. I thought it was actually moving at times and the illusion works, beautifully. Michelle Pfeiffer opening a new chapter in her career, the thin as a rail, gorgeous, middle age bitch. Great fun to watch. Christopher Walken, adorable. I had hoped a bigger splash of a dance number between Travolta and Walken - after all they were playing husband and wife in a musical and when are we going to see that again. Their moments together are, how can I put it? Nice, very nice. Nikki Blonsky inherits Riki Lake's oversize heroine with gusto and lots of energy. Allison Jenney, as usual, steals every moment she's in. Alas, far too few, and John Waters plays a quick cameo as a Baltimore flasher. What else do you want out of life.

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wkup
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So far I've seen this movie twice and both times the audience was involved 100%. "Hairspray: The Musical" is the definition of a feel good movie.

The storyline has been tweeked a bit from the original film. Whereas the original film had Sonny Bono's Franklin Von Tussle as the main antagonist, this one has Velma Von Tussle (Michelle Phieffer) as the head adversary; now seen as the station manager for the TV station airing The Corny Collins Show. Velma's goal is to ensure that her daughter, Amber stays Miss Hairspray in the face of the rising success of Tracy Turnblad (played wonderfully by Nikki Blonsky).

The musical numbers are fantastic, and while there's less of an emphasis on the dancing which was a big part of the original film, it doesn't detract from the wonder of the musical sequences.

Other differences is the take on the individual characters. Whereas Ricki Lake's Tracy was brash and confident, Blonsky's Tracy is more subdued. John Travolta, as Edna gives the character the sensitivity that wasn't evident in Divine's portrayal.

Although still done in connection with John Waters, it does lack Waters edginess, making an already mainstream Waters film even more mainstream for family audiences. However, the cast and the direction more than makes up for this.

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newma_nbway from Minnesota
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Obviously a big-budget, flashy musical remake of a John Waters film is never going to be as subversive or as comically edgy as its predecessors, but one of the good things about HAIRSPRAY is that it never intends to be. It fully embraces the cheesy, over-the-top aspect of a movie musical from frame one, a trait that most other current films of its type try to avoid. In a welcome change from the summer drudgery of explosions and CGI, this film is a pure feel-good crowd pleaser where excitement and energy rise above all.

Everyone in the cast gives able performances; even Travolta who, in drag and a fat suit, seems at first off-putting, beginning a one-joke "hey I'm a man in a dress!" performance, quickly grows into his own as Edna does, becoming the most crowd-pleasing character by the film's end. It's a pleasure to see a former GREASE-r returning to what made him famous, but Travolta proves surprisingly agile in the comedy department, especially during his song and dance numbers.

The real enjoyment here, however, and the truly great performances are given by the younger members of the cast. Every single teenager in the film, from the leads to the chorus boy in the back of the room are injected with an unshakable, undeniable energy that reaches through the screen and captivates the viewer. This rings true especially for the film's two major finds: newcomers Nikki Blonsky and Elijah Kelly. Both of them have that instant star quality, a charisma and charm that make them instantly likable. Kelly displays simply astounding singing and dancing skills, while Blonsky easily carries the entire film of her shoulders, becoming the heart and soul of the movie with one hip thrust.

HAIRSPRAY has nothing much to offer besides two hours of entertainment and escapism, but it offers it in spades. It is a pure joy to watch from beginning to end and a welcome change of pace from the big-budget action film that surround its release. Yes, it's a musical and yes, it's over-the-top, but the audience is sold on that point from the first moment Tracy opens her mouth and the audience cannot help but be sucked in.

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swkidder from United States
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This is not CINEMA and it's not ART ... what is, however, is the most fun I've had seeing a film in I can't remember how long ... a totally incredible, wonderful, feel good, and so glad you went experience.

Oh, and the performances were overall excellent ... with some stand-outs - Travolta, Nikki Blonsky, Zac Efron, Queen Latifah, & Michelle Pfeiffer (perenially under-rated on account of "you can't be brilliant and that beautiful?") ... and there were no clunkers - the rest of the cast provided able support to the "stars." The music and the dancing got you bouncing up and down in your seat. And finally, the racial and weight discrimination issues .. the whole "you don't fit our skinny, white, young, & whatever is currently hip stereotypes ... were handled with humor and without being patronized or trivialized - not easy to do in a musical romp. The pride and self-confidence of those who were subject to this discrimination came through as unyielding, unwavering, and solid as a rock ... just like Tracy's hair.

DON"T MISS THIS MOVIE

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mradamgardner from United States
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So I just went to a sneak peak of Hairspray this morning and was I pleasantly surprised. As a huge fan of Hairspray the stage show and of music theatre in general, this could be my favorite movie musical (Chicago, Rent, Phantom, Dreamgirls). The cast was for the most part quite stellar. Nikki Blonsky was one terrific Tracy. Very surprised and impressed with Amanda Bynes as well as Zac Effron. Elijah Kelley was impressive as Seaweed as well. John Travolta was very funny and was a great dancer (even in heals). Love Christopher Walkin's performance as well. Michelle Pfeiffer was a great evil Velma (although her singing was the weakest of the movie). Queen Latifah was PERFECT in this role, got to love her! The story lines altered from the stage show some (don't worry I won't spoil anything). But the differences were not distracting; the movie still made wonderful sense and had a great flow. Although I was bummed that several songs were cut, the ones that were kept in were sensational. Of special note were "I Can Hear the Bells," "Welcome to the 60's," "I Know Where I've Been," and "Without Love." These movie musicals just keep getting better and better. I can't wait for Sweeny Todd this Christmas!!!

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Montreal Kid from Canada
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Just got back from the premiere and this was an amazing movie. I wasn't expecting it to be comparable to the Broadway but it was amazing. The casting was really well done, the sets were very well decorated. Costumes were impressive. Travolta was an excellent Edna. It is definitely worth seeing. Laugh your head off funny. Music and performances had everybody in the theater dancing or tapping their feet. If you want to have fun, go see this movie. You will dance all the way home. I think this will be one of the better movies of the summer and definitely deserves a few awards. I can't wait for it to be released so I can bring all my friends and family.

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Dorian Tenore-Bartilucci (dtb) from Whitehall, PA
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My family and I saw the movie version of the Broadway musical adaptation of John Waters' 1988 comedy HAIRSPRAY on its opening weekend. It's unanimous: this HAIRSPRAY is a big, bright, joyful 1960s song-and-dance extravaganza, and we all urge you to run out and see it right this minute! Go ahead, I'll wait right here... :-) My little girl loves music and dancing, but she still tends to like animated films better than live-action films, so when she got into HAIRSPRAY from the start, dancing joyfully in her seat to the Phil Spector-style opening number, "Good Morning, Baltimore," I knew this movie was truly something special. Lest you think this HAIRSPRAY has forgotten its roots, the opening number also features Waters in a hilarious cameo as a flasher. Also, watch for Ricki Lake, the original HAIRSPRAY's original Tracy, as a talent agent in the climactic "Miss Hairspray" sequence, as well as Jerry Stiller, Tracy's dad in the original, playing The Hefty Hideaway's head honcho. HAIRSPRAY is the kind of movie musical that GREASE should have been back in the 1970s (yes, it was a huge box-office hit, but I always thought it had a cold, calculating air to it, plus it was so obvious that the teenage characters were being played by stars pushing 30), making it all the more appropriate that John Travolta should carry on the Divine tradition of a man playing mama Edna Turnblad in drag, without *being* a drag. Travolta is great fun to watch, a delightful surprise with his sensitive performance (even if his Baltimore accent is a little off — but maybe that's just because Baltimore is played by Toronto :-)) as insecure caterpillar-turned-butterfly Edna; this is no cheap, brassy drag-queen turn. The very convincing fat F/X makeup and prosthetics (Edna may be overweight, but she's got womanly curves in all the right places) don't get in the way of fleet-footed Travolta's fabulous dancing. Adorable newcomer Nikki Blonsky lights up the screen in all her scenes as Tracy Turnblad, the perky dynamo who won't let her plus-size body or the sneers of Amber Von Tussle (Brittany Snow) and the other so-called cool kids keep her from dancing her way onto Baltimore's American BANDSTAND manque, THE CORNY COLLINS SHOW. Tracy and her shy bud Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes) become socially aware as they befriend the black kids from the "wrong" side of town, fighting against bigoted station manager and stage mother Velma Von Tussle (Michelle Pfeiffer, having a blast slinking around making trouble) to integrate the show instead of relegating their new friends to the program's monthly "Negro Day." The plot's serious aspects, with its foreshadowing of the era's more sobering issues, are woven deftly into the movie's high spirits. The jubilant dance numbers, Marc Shaiman's catchy music and Scott Wittman's snappy lyrics are performed with bubbly abandon by each and every cast member. As the Dick Clark-ish Corny Collins, James Marsden proves that Hugh Jackman isn't the only X-Man with range and musical talent. I've never watched HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, but it's easy to see why Zac Efron, winning Tracy's heart as Link Larkin, has won audiences' hearts, too. Efron is alluring enough to make teenage girls squeal while coming across as wholesome enough not to panic parents, plus he doesn't seem to take himself too seriously. Indeed, there were Zac Efron fans in our theater who shrieked and giggled with joy every time he appeared on screen! Christopher Walken reminds us that before he was an eccentric Oscar-winning character actor, he was a hell of a dancer. As Tracy's supportive joke-shop proprietor dad, Walken has winsome chemistry with Travolta in their duet, "You're Timeless to Me." (You haven't lived until you've seen Walken and Travolta make like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers!) The funny, endearing Bynes is better served here than she's been in her previous movies; maybe she should seek out more ensemble pieces like this one. Bynes also has terrific chemistry with Elijah Kelley as Seaweed, who combines Denzel Washington's playful side with James Brown's moves; I'd love to see Kelley get even bigger and better roles. As Seaweed's mom, Motormouth Maybelle, Queen Latifah is saintly yet sassy, gliding effortlessly between belting out "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful" and bringing tears to my eyes with her soulful ballad "I Know Where I've Been" during the protest march. BTW, Bynes isn't the only Nickelodeon alumnus in HAIRSPRAY; director and choreographer Adam Shankman also choreographed ROUNDHOUSE, one of our favorite Nick shows from the early 1990s. Leslie Dixon adapted Waters' original screenplay, keeping the sly, subversive elements while also keeping things bouncy and upbeat. HAIRSPRAY is a great big sunny summer movie that'll put a smile on your face, a song on your lips, and a shimmy in your shake!

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Certifications:
Argentina:Atp / Australia:PG / Brazil:Livre / Czech Republic:12 / Denmark:A / Finland:K-3 / France:U / Germany:0 / Hong Kong:I / Ireland:PG / Malaysia:U / Mexico:A / Netherlands:AL / Philippines:G / Portugal:M/6 (Qualidade) / Singapore:PG / South Korea:12 / Sweden:Btl / Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) / Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) / Taiwan:GP / UK:PG / USA:PG (PCA #43491)