 |
|
|
|
HAIRSPRAY (***½) |
|
|
Movie Review by:
Jim "Good Old JR" Rutkowski
Directed by: Adam Shankman
Written by: Leslie Dixon. Adapted from the musical "Hairspray"
written by Mark O'Donnell & Thomas Meehan which was adapted from the film
"Hairspray" written by John Waters
Starring: John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Amanda Bynes
Running time: 115 minutes
Released: 07/20/07
Rated PG for language, some suggestive content and momentarily teen
smoking. |
|
"Hairspray arrives
as a big, bundle of fun, infectious to the core and
accomplishes more often than not what the best musicals
are prone to do."
|
|
|
John Waters’ Hairspray was a turnabout
in his career; a most accessible, kitschy ‘60s pastiche that run
counter to films featuring Odor-ama, chicken sex and masticated dog
feces. It was also so “PG” that Waters did little but sit back and
let the camera roll like a bad rock-n’-roll teen film from the
decade where kids would dance and a plot would find them later.
While turned into a very successful Tony-award winning musical, the
prospect of handing the reins over to one of the spottiest
screenwriters working today (Leslie Dixon) and a director whose name
is among the first mentioned in conversations about the mayors of
Hacktown (Adam Shankman), is enough to give anyone with pause about
melodic storytelling a reason to seek out a vaccine. Let no one say
that preconceptions can ruin a movie experience though because
Hairspray arrives as a big, bundle of fun, infectious to the core
and accomplishes more often than not what the best musicals are
prone to do.
In 1962 Baltimore the most popular staple of the cultural landscape
is The Corny Collins Show that is part American Bandstand and part
Mickey Mouse Club for its ability to make its featured stars icons
of the community. Wanting to be a part like no other is Tracy
Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky), a plump butterball of life who smiles
through an opening tribute to her hometown that will remind many of
Stan Marsh’s hilarious stroll to begin the South Park feature (which
remains the greatest of all modern day musicals.) When a regular is
off on a not-so-long 9-month hiatus, auditions are opened and Tracy
couldn’t be more excited even if her launderette mother, Edna (John
Travolta, yes, John Travolta), isn’t exactly keen to the whole
living-your-dream scenario. Her father, Wilbur (Christopher Walken),
a novelty salesman is a little more whimsical about his daughter’s
happiness and encourages her to go for it.
Tracy is not exactly welcomed into her audition by station manager,
Velma Von Tussle (Michelle Pfeiffer), a former beauty queen paving
the way for her daughter, Amber (Brittany Snow) to take the crown of
Miss Hairspray, the dance show’s chief product. Corny Collins
himself (James Marsden) sees things differently for his show though
and would rather roll with the changes than allow further
suppression like the singular “Negro Day” they have each month
hosted by Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah). Tracy becomes an
instant sensation, attracting the eye of the show’s heartthrob (and
her longtime crush), Link Larkin (High School Musical’s Zak Efron)
and the respect of Maybelle’s son, Seaweed (Elijah Kelley), who has
become smitten with her best friend, Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes).
Tracy’s newfound friends from the other side of the tracks though,
faced with the resistance to integration on the show, leap towards
her affirmation that if they “can’t dance, they may as well march.”
Waters’ original screenplay was as simple as that – the outcasts
getting a chance over the stiff and stuck-up whiteys. While a fault
of the 1988 film, it becomes an attribute of the musical version
which from scene one is a buoyant and spirited blanket of optimism
personified by its lead character. Comparing the work of newcomer
Nikki Blonsky to (then) newcomer Ricki Lake is like setting the
sweetest apple from the largest redwood next to a rotten orange with
a smiley face drawn on it. Spending time watching Blonsky, and any
prejudicial notions about attractiveness or big-being-beautiful wash
away with each smack of her bottom. She has personality to boot and
its genuine where Lake appeared to just be smiling for the camera
because her version of Tracy thought that’s what we wanted. Blonsky
is the literal anti-Jennifer Hudson, talented beyond just great
pipes and a scowl that served as attitude and sass. Her opening
number distracts a bit as the soundtrack cranks up to levels that
offer no mistaking that lip synching is an integral part of the
performance, but once the noise settles into an acceptable level,
her wide-eyed version of “I Can Hear the Bells” dedicated to a
future with Link will de-sour the most stubborn of grumps.
Enjoying musicals, particularly those without a darker edge, will
always be associated with non-male activities. And when the songs
suck with the suction of gooey longing for better life and
unrequited love there’s a part of the male brain that rings the
checkout bell and never looks back. Marc Shaiman, a well-renown
composer who worked on the South Park film and wrote a few songs for
their Team America: World Police as well, is responsible (along with
Scott Wittman) for crafting the music and lyrics for the stage
production and unlike recent adaptations of Rent and Dreamgirls,
they are songs that you can actually find yourself wanting to
remember after you leave the show. These are fun songs,
period-appropriate songs with melodies that can either glide through
clouds or arouse your clapping to keep the beat. Only Latifah’s big
“meaningful” number, “I Know Where I’ve Been” disrupts the flow as
it feels stashed in so the creators didn’t appear that they were
flippantly glossing over an issue as monumental as the Civil Rights
Movement. As good as the song might be, it’s such a sullen,
overbearing sequence that it feels like a Spike Lee joint and almost
makes us feel bad for enjoying the fluffier, funny moments
surrounding it. All such nagging is forgotten (even if that’s
disingenuous) with spirit-lifting numbers like “Without Love” and
one of the great closing act songs since the film version of Grease,
“You Can’t Stop the Beat” with all the characters taking center
stage and those we like finding happiness in the end.
It will amuse some to see the stars of Grease and Grease 2 share the
same cinema space; the star of the iconic one bulked up in a fat
suit while the newcomer of the cult disaster looking as beautiful as
ever. But back to that fat suit for a second. In concept, the
continuation of notorious drag queen Divine’s legacy who originated
the role of Edna and died shortly after the film’s release is a nice
tribute and somewhat chuckle-worthy to have other men put on the
dress. In reality it’s also kind of stupid. So let’s not immediately
rush to judgment and scorn Travolta for donning the duds and playing
it straight. As a woman. So to speak. The fat makeup doesn’t do the
best of jobs in concealing Travolta in the role the way Rick Baker
accomplishes with Eddie Murphy in his sleep. So there’s an immediate
distraction and a warming up period involved. But since it’s also
meant as a joke and not plunging for Gilbert Grape poignancy, we
settle into it and await the moment Travolta will get to bust out
and have some real fun. Walken goes to great lengths to ease our
misgivings and their scenes together aren’t just priceless, but do
manage to squeeze out a poignancy in their relationship. It may
result from the futile distraction of a Pfeiffer seduction, but we
are rewarded with two actors (known for their trained dancing
hobbies) getting a chance to strut their selves and flaunt their
love of acting, hoofing and theatrics in a wonderful duet that we
would have felt cheated had it not been included. Travolta may hit
the Mr. Ed phonetics a little hard on the “Wilbur”’s but watching
him join in the finale will be as crowd-pleasing a moment as you may
see all year.
And they aren’t the only ones having all the fun. James Marsden hits
all the right comic beats as the host with a vision for change and
x-ray vision for the hypocrisy of the present. Best of all the
supporting players though is Amanda Bynes, who doesn’t get much in
the way of musical epiphany, but is perfect in her suppressed
exuberance in wanting to join in on it all. Bynes is a wonderful
comedic presence and I hope people will take note of her attention
to reaction. Coupled with Blonsky and a game cast of all-stars,
Shankman has successfully brought to life what I didn’t think was
possible. It’s easy to insinuate that he got out of the way and let
the material sell itself. As a choreographer, Shankman clearly wants
his moves to be experienced by the audience and uses just enough
cuts and the right amount of swivel to allow that joy to shine
through; something that can hardly be said of his dialogue-motivated
projects which include The Wedding Planner, A Walk to Remember, The
Pacifier, Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and one of the worst comedies ever
made, Bringing Down the House, the Steve Martin/Queen Latifah
vehicle which was more offensive in its view of race relations than
anything that went down in the ‘60s. Hairspray may split those in
the pleasantly-plump community with frequent jokes about food intake
(Wouldn’t it have been great to hear Walken resurrect his “fat hog”
talk show host from SNL?) but for those clamoring for an otherwise
inoffensive and exuberantly pleasant movie experience in another
year full of disappointment, this is just the cure. |
|
|
|
HAIRSPRAY ©
2007 New Line Cinema
All Rights Reserved
Review © 2007 Alternate Reality, Inc. |
|
|
|
OTHER REVIEWS... |
|
RASSLIN' REVIEW |
|
 |
|
Pay Per
Views and House Shows, we layeth the Smaketh- Down on
both! |
|
|
|
KIDS REVIEWS |
|
 |
|
Dozen's of kid
friendly titles arrive every week and we review the one that
stands out. |
|
|
|
YOUR HEADS UP |
|
 |
|
100's of new
comics ship every week, we give you a HEADS UP on them! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
