Hairspray (2007)

Written by Leslie Dixon
Directed by Adam Shankman

What else is there to think when a John Waters movie is remade by a studio with a big budget, starring an unknown, Amanda Bynes, Queen Latifah, Zack Efron, and John Travolta (in drag and a fat suit), directed by Adam Shankman (he of Bringing Down the House fame), other than "Well this is going to be watered down crap."? Many other things I guess, but from that description and the trailer, I didn't really have many other thoughts than the one previously mentioned. As always when I think like this, I'm glad I ended up being extremely long. Hairspray ended up being an entertaining movie.

I was on a 4 hour flight from San Jose to Houston, and when the in flight movie was changed from Daddy Day Camp (which I wanted to watch for some odd reason, long flights are known to brew insanity) to Hairspray due to tape malfunctions, I was actually kind of disappointed. Honestly, I guess I couldn't really give a shit now, it just means I'll never see Daddy Day Camp, but in the end I'm actually glad I saw Hairspray, because it ended up being an entertaining movie. I went in with the feeling that there was nothing better to do, so I might as well just smile and stare straight into the abyss, but the movie actually kept me occupied for 2 hours of the 4 hour flight, and tailed by an episode of Still Standing, I can't say the flight was awful, all things considered.

It changed my viewpoint on the notion of remaking a film for no reason, sure, this remake is still pretty much without any real merit (other than to make money in a different audience group with minimal retooling of an already existing property), but it turns out I actually gained a few positive bits of knowledge from watching this. I can now see why Zack Efron is going to be a huge star, I learned that Travolta can still dance (even in a fat suit), Christopher Walken's best dancing is behind him (the Fatboy Slim video), and I finally understand why people say Amanda Bynes is hot. Well, that last one was because of the hairdo I think, but I digress.

This is an entertaining movie, about a chubby Baltimore girl named Tracy Turnblad(Nikki Blonsky) that loves the after school dance show, The Corny Collins (James Marsters) Show, where the self-proclaimed "coolest kids in town" hang out. When one of them takes an unlikely absence ("She's taking a 9 month vacation!" proclaims Corny) the show is open for auditions, to which Tracy skipping school against her mother's wishes to try out for the show. The mother is Edna (John Travolta) who thinks the other kids won't understand that she's merely different and she'll be made fun of. Certainly the station manager (Michelle Pfieffer) and her daughter (Brittany Snow) are of the same mind, seeing her as unfit for the show due to her weight. Well, ole Corny doesn't think so, he sees her dancing skills as something needed on a show that once a week has Negro Day.

Well, it turns out Tracy's different looks and attitude make her a big star in 1962 Baltimore, so she enjoys becoming the latest local pop culture icon, while fawning over the show's heartthrob, Link (Zack Efron). Tracy ends up convincing her mom to change her lifestyle, and gearing up for the impending social changes, Tracy starts to fight for the right to have black people on the show every day, instead of just the designated Negro Day. This is a step over the line for the station manager, who kicks her off the show, and calls the police on her after Tracy slaps the Chief of Police with a protest sign. In the meantime, Tracy is able to convince Link to fight for what is right, and they invade the show and prove they have just as much right to appear on the Corny Collins Show as anyone else. Link also learns what a shallow, selfish bitch his girlfriend is, and what depth Tracy has and a romance blossoms.

I liked how they subverted the original film into a musical, and then turned that hit musical into a film of its own. I still feel the original film was made as a statement toward being proud of being an outcast, so to change that into a big budget, mainstream musical kind of defeats the message of the original movie in a way. Still, Waters' coy humor and wry social commentary is for the most part maintained throughout this movie, which is something I thought they would push to the side in favor of the campy elements of the musical version. So I was impressed in that respect, and I have to say the song and dance numbers were well done, even if a lot of that credit goes to the broadway show. As I said before, I can finally see why people make such a fuss over Zack Efron, he's got charisma and good looks out the wazoo, newcomer Nikki Blonsky shows she has both acting and singing and dancing chops, Amanda Bynes is hot (that hairstyle gets me, along with the lollipop), John Travolta busts moves in a fat suit, Jerry Stiller comes back after playing the father in the previous film, and Christopher Walken takes up Stiller's role from the original film. All in all, not a bad way to eat up half of my flight time, I'm glad I watched it there, because I probably wouldn't watch it any other time, even though the DVD is sitting at my mom's house.

7.1/10