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| Movie Review: Hairspray Alternate Title: So You Think You Can Dance?
Story: John Waters should
be one happy fella. His 1988 film, Hairspray has lost none
of its charm, kitsch or energy in its latest form.The pedigree of this
film is long. It was first a film, then a Broadway musical and now it
is has been brought back to the big screen by director Adam
Shankman (screenplay by Leslie Dixon, based
on the musical by Mark O'Donnell). We had a blast.
It was a toe tapping musical romp filled with fun, smiles and spunk.
It pretended to be nothing other than what it was meant to be. The message
was still there. Segregation is wrong - integration is the future.The
For some light summer entertainment that is good
for the whole family - go see it and smile. Acting: Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad was perfect.
From her opening number to the closing credits she radiated good spirit
and a lightness of being. Her performance alone is worth the price of
admission. John Travolta as her mother was terrific.
His feet did not fail him even in a fat suit. Christopher Walken
as Tracy's Dad was a delight. He always makes me laugh regardless what
role he is playing. Queen Latifa hit just the right
chords in her role as Motor Mouth Mabelle. Michelle Pfeiffer
looked like she was having a blast as Cat Woman on speed. Amanda
Bynes, James Marsden, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley were all terrific
in their respective roles. I laughed when I saw some of the original
Hairspray cast appear in cameos including Rikki Lake, Jerry
Stiller and of course, the man himself, John Waters.
Predilection: I like John Waters.
Critters: A cat
Food: Lots of food including pork, ribs, corn, kale
and muffins.
Soundtrack: The music by Marc Shaiman
was peppy and fun.
Opening Titles: The credits are all at the end and
I encourage you to stay to watch.
Visual Art: The attention to detail of the period
was terrifically kitsch.
Theater Audience: An integrated handful of late afternoon
movie goers. My movie buddy remarked " I hope the film is not pixelated"
when she saw it was a New Line Cinema production (which is a division
of Time Warner). I roared at that remark as both of us have Time Warner
as our cable provider and it brings us an awful lot of pixelated TV.
Weather: The weather was perfect in 1962 Baltimore.
Sappy Factor: 2
Quirky Meter: 0
Squirm Scale: 0
Drift Factor: I was entertained throughout.
Predictability Level: High
Tissue Usage: 0
Oscar Worthy: Maybe
Nit Picking: Why was John Travolta the only one with
a Baltimore accent?
Big Screen or Rental: Big screen is a MUST. For some
of John Waters' other films check out these titles:
Hag in a Black Leather Jacket, Roman Candles, Eat Your Makeup, Mondo
Trasho, The Diane Linkletter Story, Multiple Maniacs, Pink Flamingos,
Female Trouble, Desperate Living, Polyester, Hairspray, Cry-Baby, Serial
Mom, Pecker, Cecil B. DeMented, A Dirty Shame
Length: Under two hours.
LOBO HOWLS: 8 |