The Big Hairspray Post

I didn't think I was going to write about Hairspray so soon after its release, because I still have a little fear in me that I'm over-hyping it and that the feeling it gives will wear off after a couple months. But on the other hand, maybe it's important to sort of capture how I'm feeling about the movie right here, right now, shortly after seeing it for the 4th time in 5 days. So here goes, 10 reasons why I'm loving the Hairspray movie to no end...

10. The Opening Night Enthusiasm
I can't remember the last time my local theatre went so out there to ensure that their audience had a real good time. Actually, it's the first time I've ever seen them do something so extravagant to sell a movie. Friday night, they had "Make Love, Not War" posters all over the place, all the ushers and cashiers were dressed up like they were in the '60s, there were people in the theatres doing choreographed dances to the soundtrack and giving away prizes. Even if the movie sucked, it still would have been a fun night.

09. The Design
Lots of the design aspects of the piece are tongue-in-cheek kitschy and flashy which is just the way I like 'em. (This is a good ol' fashioned musical here, after all.) Credit should go to production designer David Gropman and art director Dennis Davenport (and the rest of their team) for sets like The Corny Collins Show stage which are big, bold, and colourful; but also for sets like Tracy's house and her dad's joke shop, which are appropriately homey and drab.

08. Zac Efron
A prettier package you never did see
Those eyes. That hair. Those gyrating hips. That voice. *swoon* This kid makes me feel like a 10-year-old schoolgirl. I hate you so much, man.



07. The Editing
You know, it really is nice to be able to see all the choreography in a movie musical, instead of having an over-indulgent editor trying to make us think that the actors are good dancers by using incessant jump cuts to various body parts and odd angles. Kudos to Michael Tronick for realizing that sometimes it's best for a musical-turned-movie to retain some of its stage routes (while still feeling wholly cinematic, mind you.)

06. The Humour
Despite the movie being about racial discrimination and other prejudices, Hairspray never really feels like an in-your-face message movie. That's because the subject's always handled with such a light touch. Everyone in the cast gets a couple of great one-liners - I laughed especially hard at Brittany Snow's "Are you aware that your son has just entered a hotbed of moral...turpentine?" Like they say, sometimes you just need to laugh to stop from crying.

05. The Choreography
Like I mentioned above, it's so nice to be able to see the actual choreography -especially when it's as lively and exuberant as it is here. It was probably a smart choice picking a director with some dance background, because I don't think I've ever wanted to get up and just dance in a theatre so bad in my life. You can tell that everyone involved just a had a ton of fun performing - it really does show.

04. The Mood
When was the last time a movie so good was this feel-good? Drawin' a blank.

03. The Cinematic Flourishes
In the opening scene, we're introduced to the lovely Tracy Turnblad with startling close-ups of her wiggling abdomen in bed, then her jiggly arms, and of course, her hair. Sometimes it's the small little details like this that really count. Unlike the movie adaptation of Rent, which basically just pointed a camera and let the actors do their thing, Hairspray succeeds because it actually does feel like a director's true vision, a re-awakening of its source material, instead of a carbon copy.

02. The Music
What would a musical be without the music? The splashy, funny song score, originally written for Broadway by Marc Shaiman and Scott Witman, is of course still intact, but the movie really benefits from some of the new stuff it brings to the table. James Marsden and Michelle Pfeiffer in particular improve upon their Broadway counterparts with their beautiful singing, and the new songs "Ladies' Choice" and "The New Girl in Town" are both very welcome additions to the score.

01. The Ensemble Casting
At first, I was gonna try to list the principal cast members in order from best to worst, but it was proving to be a little too difficult, because every person involved was absolutely wonderful. Michelle Pfeiffer is a dream as the villainous Velma Von Tussle, fittingly catty and wicked. Allison Janney makes good use of her limited screen time by milking every line she's given to often-hilarious effect. John Travolta may be the biggest surprise in the cast, because he manages to not be annoying. (I still would've preferred Harvey Fierstein though.) But it's the younger cast that really shines. Amanda Bynes is her usual goofy self as the lovable Penny Pingleton, and Zac Efron makes a perfect Link Larkin (sooo dreamy). But it was newcomers Nikki Blonsky and Elijah Kelley that were originally at the top of my list; their unbridled enthusiasm is completely contagious and their talent very exciting.



So all that was really just an over-wrought way of saying that Hairspray is simply a huge bag o' fun. Pure popcorn delight, yes, but immaculately-crafted popcorn delight that I wouldn't be surprised to see become a rough equivalent of Grease for my generation.

Grade: A (ETA: Changing the grade to an A-)