Picking today’s fractal, Zero Plus, was fairly easy: the circular shape seems right to represent the journey Hairspray made from non-musical feature film, to Broadway musical and back to the big screen. The colors worked well for such a happy show and the title asks the question “are the additions to this new version of Hairspray really necessary?”
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At first I thought reviewing Hairspray would be easy--until I realized I’d have to decide whether or not to compare it to the stage musical. A truly “fair” Reviewer would take the movie at its own merit and not make comparisons to other media: I find I can’t do that though: I‘m something of a fan of the Broadway show so maybe I‘m not the best qualified to write a review. This being my blog, however, I have to fill it with something so I’m just going to go ahead and write the review and let my loyal readers sort (if any there be) it out for themselves.
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Hairspray has an interesting pedigree: it began as a “straight” feature film by John Waters (if any John Waters film can truly be described as “straight”) in 1988 then was adapted into a Broadway Musical in the mid-90s by Mark O’Donnell and James Neehan. The show is still running on Broadway and is touring nationally and internationally but now it has been filmed by Adam Shankman with mixed results just in time for the 2007 summer movie season.
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The basic story remains the same through all three versions: Tracy Turnblat, a hefty teenage girl from Baltimore dreams of dancing on the “Corny Collins Show” (in other words, a fictionalized rip-off of American Bandstand). She’s chock full of talent as great as her positive attitude. She tries out but is dismissed by Station Manager Velma von Tussle--only to catch Corny’s eye at a High School Sock Hop with her unique dance moves (lifted from some Black friends she made in Detention). The Host gives Tracy a place on his show which leads to Tracy’s quest to integrate the show--and a chance to get close to her crush “Link Larkin“--who just happens to be dating Velma‘s daughter Amber. (It’s hard to believe that blacks and whites weren’t allowed to dance on the same shows in my lifetime--but it’s true.) The play and film diverge in the middle but eventually the story wraps up at the “Miss Teenage Hairspray Contest” and (almost) everyone lives happily ever after.
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Nicky Blonsky (literally in her first role!) knocks it out of the park as Tracy: she has a big voice and can really move on the dance floor. She truly “inhabits” her role and never hit’s a single false note throughout the movie. Kidstar and Nickelodeon Mainstay Amanda Bynes isn’t given much to work with as Penny Pingleton but she’s an adequate support for Tracy and makes her story arc from repressed miss to "Checkerboard Chick" believable. High School Musical cutie Zac Efron plays Link Larkin with suitable aplomb. Jason Marseden (Cyclops from the three X-Men movies) proves he can wail but his dancing is just weird. (Was that the choreographer‘s choice or is he a truly awful dancer?) Long-time character actor Christopher Walken (who can atually sing and dance) is a weirdly creepy choice as Tracy’s supportive father Wilbur. Queen Latifah (who was nominated for an “Oscar” for her work in Chicago) lights up the screen as “Motormouth Maybell” but is shockingly underused here. Alison Janney (The West Wing) gets the much-expanded role of Penny’s whacked-out Mom Prudy Pingleton and she digs in to her role. Brittany Snow (Amber von Tussle), and Elijah Kelley (“Seaweed“) fill out the cast adequately in their featured roles. There are fun cameos by John Waters (who wrote and directed the original Hairspray) and Ricky Lake (who has slimmed down considerably since her star turn in the original film). Jerry Stiller (who played Wilbur in the original movie) gets a scene as “Mr. Pinky” (owner of Mr. Pinky’s Hefty Hideaway). The few things wrong with the movie can be laid squarely at the feet of the last two cast members John Travolta and Michelle Pfeifer.
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Michelle Pfeifer is still a beauty and a talented actress but she doesn’t show much here. (That may well be the fault of the script writers though.) She doesn’t have much of a singing voice and isn’t much of a dancer (at least not in this movie). Here, she has about as impact as a slice of Wonder Bread. Velma should be a bold brassy bitch but Pfeifer underplays the role through the whole movie. I’m sure the producers hired her so they could have a “Big Name” above the marquee but her part could have been played by pretty much anybody. At least she gets her comeuppance in the end (a departure from the musical but it harkens back to the original movie).
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The same thing cannot be said for the part of Edna Turnblatt--and one of those people it can’t (or at least shouldn't) be played by is John Travolta. Before agreeing to star in this movie he demanded a great deal of control--and most of the choices he made were bad. He insisted on doing a Baltimore accent (a weird combination of “Southern Drawl” and “Valspeak”) for the character and since he’s the only one doing it the audience wonders what’s going on. He didn’t want to play Edna as a “joke” so he gives the part a completely straight reading--thus taking a lot of the humor out of the character. He’s no Harvey Fierstein and the character suffers for it On the plus side he has a decent singing voice and blue eyes to die for. I didn’t hate his performance but I didn’t love it either.
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The writers decided to compress the play’s 2 ½ hour running time to around two hours (as often happened with shows that become movies). They did this by chopping out four numbers (two of which end up being played over the end credits) and cutting down three more. Two new numbers (a showcase for Zac Efron and a group number called “New Girl in Town”) aren’t as good as the cut-out stuff (but I guess they needed to add something to be considered for Oscar Nominations in the “Best Song” category). The middle of the movie will go a bit awry for fans of the stage musical but those who haven’t seen Hairspray live probably won’t notice. The movie’s message of inclusiveness no matter your size or skin color is a nice one that deserves to be heard loud and clear.
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This version of Hairspray isn’t perfect but it’s lots of fun. It is a pleasant, entertaining diversion that is well worth seeing. You’ll go away happily humming one of the many memorable tunes--and isn’t that what a movie musical should do for the viewer? You will be well-satisfied since the movie delivers on what it promises. Support this movie so more musicals will be produced.
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FINAL GRADE - B+
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At first I thought reviewing Hairspray would be easy--until I realized I’d have to decide whether or not to compare it to the stage musical. A truly “fair” Reviewer would take the movie at its own merit and not make comparisons to other media: I find I can’t do that though: I‘m something of a fan of the Broadway show so maybe I‘m not the best qualified to write a review. This being my blog, however, I have to fill it with something so I’m just going to go ahead and write the review and let my loyal readers sort (if any there be) it out for themselves.
-
Hairspray has an interesting pedigree: it began as a “straight” feature film by John Waters (if any John Waters film can truly be described as “straight”) in 1988 then was adapted into a Broadway Musical in the mid-90s by Mark O’Donnell and James Neehan. The show is still running on Broadway and is touring nationally and internationally but now it has been filmed by Adam Shankman with mixed results just in time for the 2007 summer movie season.
-
The basic story remains the same through all three versions: Tracy Turnblat, a hefty teenage girl from Baltimore dreams of dancing on the “Corny Collins Show” (in other words, a fictionalized rip-off of American Bandstand). She’s chock full of talent as great as her positive attitude. She tries out but is dismissed by Station Manager Velma von Tussle--only to catch Corny’s eye at a High School Sock Hop with her unique dance moves (lifted from some Black friends she made in Detention). The Host gives Tracy a place on his show which leads to Tracy’s quest to integrate the show--and a chance to get close to her crush “Link Larkin“--who just happens to be dating Velma‘s daughter Amber. (It’s hard to believe that blacks and whites weren’t allowed to dance on the same shows in my lifetime--but it’s true.) The play and film diverge in the middle but eventually the story wraps up at the “Miss Teenage Hairspray Contest” and (almost) everyone lives happily ever after.
-
Nicky Blonsky (literally in her first role!) knocks it out of the park as Tracy: she has a big voice and can really move on the dance floor. She truly “inhabits” her role and never hit’s a single false note throughout the movie. Kidstar and Nickelodeon Mainstay Amanda Bynes isn’t given much to work with as Penny Pingleton but she’s an adequate support for Tracy and makes her story arc from repressed miss to "Checkerboard Chick" believable. High School Musical cutie Zac Efron plays Link Larkin with suitable aplomb. Jason Marseden (Cyclops from the three X-Men movies) proves he can wail but his dancing is just weird. (Was that the choreographer‘s choice or is he a truly awful dancer?) Long-time character actor Christopher Walken (who can atually sing and dance) is a weirdly creepy choice as Tracy’s supportive father Wilbur. Queen Latifah (who was nominated for an “Oscar” for her work in Chicago) lights up the screen as “Motormouth Maybell” but is shockingly underused here. Alison Janney (The West Wing) gets the much-expanded role of Penny’s whacked-out Mom Prudy Pingleton and she digs in to her role. Brittany Snow (Amber von Tussle), and Elijah Kelley (“Seaweed“) fill out the cast adequately in their featured roles. There are fun cameos by John Waters (who wrote and directed the original Hairspray) and Ricky Lake (who has slimmed down considerably since her star turn in the original film). Jerry Stiller (who played Wilbur in the original movie) gets a scene as “Mr. Pinky” (owner of Mr. Pinky’s Hefty Hideaway). The few things wrong with the movie can be laid squarely at the feet of the last two cast members John Travolta and Michelle Pfeifer.
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Michelle Pfeifer is still a beauty and a talented actress but she doesn’t show much here. (That may well be the fault of the script writers though.) She doesn’t have much of a singing voice and isn’t much of a dancer (at least not in this movie). Here, she has about as impact as a slice of Wonder Bread. Velma should be a bold brassy bitch but Pfeifer underplays the role through the whole movie. I’m sure the producers hired her so they could have a “Big Name” above the marquee but her part could have been played by pretty much anybody. At least she gets her comeuppance in the end (a departure from the musical but it harkens back to the original movie).
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The same thing cannot be said for the part of Edna Turnblatt--and one of those people it can’t (or at least shouldn't) be played by is John Travolta. Before agreeing to star in this movie he demanded a great deal of control--and most of the choices he made were bad. He insisted on doing a Baltimore accent (a weird combination of “Southern Drawl” and “Valspeak”) for the character and since he’s the only one doing it the audience wonders what’s going on. He didn’t want to play Edna as a “joke” so he gives the part a completely straight reading--thus taking a lot of the humor out of the character. He’s no Harvey Fierstein and the character suffers for it On the plus side he has a decent singing voice and blue eyes to die for. I didn’t hate his performance but I didn’t love it either.
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The writers decided to compress the play’s 2 ½ hour running time to around two hours (as often happened with shows that become movies). They did this by chopping out four numbers (two of which end up being played over the end credits) and cutting down three more. Two new numbers (a showcase for Zac Efron and a group number called “New Girl in Town”) aren’t as good as the cut-out stuff (but I guess they needed to add something to be considered for Oscar Nominations in the “Best Song” category). The middle of the movie will go a bit awry for fans of the stage musical but those who haven’t seen Hairspray live probably won’t notice. The movie’s message of inclusiveness no matter your size or skin color is a nice one that deserves to be heard loud and clear.
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This version of Hairspray isn’t perfect but it’s lots of fun. It is a pleasant, entertaining diversion that is well worth seeing. You’ll go away happily humming one of the many memorable tunes--and isn’t that what a movie musical should do for the viewer? You will be well-satisfied since the movie delivers on what it promises. Support this movie so more musicals will be produced.
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FINAL GRADE - B+
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