Hairspray (2007)

Hairspray (2007)

On Demand, Seattle, WA

June 18, 2008

*** / ****

By Scott Muoio

In our current age of tepid entertainment and unnecessary remakes, Hairspray is a surprising success. This adaptation of the Broadway musical, which is itself a reimagining of the 1988 John Waters cult classic, may be three times a remake, but Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes this is not. On the contrary, Hairspray Version 3.0 is fresh, fun and filled with more surprises than anyone who knows its inspiration and long history could ever expect.

This candy-colored version of Hairspray takes many cues from its godfather, the Waters original. Once again the main focus is pleasantly plump teenager, Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky). Tracy is a happy-go-lucky young girl who loves to dance as much as she loves a tasty glazed donut. Obsessed with a local Baltimore teenage television dance program, The Corny Collins Show, Tracy dreams of one day gyrating her way onto the show and meeting hunky teen dream, Link Larkin (Zac Efron). Tracy’s long-suffering mother, Edna (John Travolta), is a big-hearted, big-boned woman who loves her daughter but can’t quite figure out the early ‘60s. Together they form a jousting pair with daughter unexpectedly rising to local teen dance fame and mother begrudgingly and then gloriously breaking out of her isolated, workaholic homebody lifestyle. It’s a heartwarming story of an unconventional family that somehow we can all relate.

Oh, and one other thing: did I mention Edna is played by a man in drag (John Travolta)? Yes she is, a minor detail that is also a genius casting move and critical to the film’s success. Ah, the magic of the suspension of disbelief!

Now if Hairspray were merely a song and dance story of the underdog defying the odds in the face of tumultuous teenage hierarchy with an added clever casting quirk, it would be a decent film yet hardly worthy of heaping praise. Hairspray, however, goes beyond the typical and truly excels with its message of racial harmony. This version knocks our socks off because it turns up the underlying sweetness of Waters’ harmonic sentiments (can’t we all just get along!), smooths the rough edges of his humour and world-view (filth is beauty), yet manages to find a perfect balance between innocent crudeness, over-the-top Broadway chutzpah, and a heartwarming, truthful, and intelligent message only the great John Waters is capable of imagining. After all, it isn’t every day that the heavy girl gets to be the hero, Baltimore gets celebrated, the down trodden get to shine as themselves without a lame Hollywood-esque shimmer, and a flasher is as kindly and non-threatening as the mailman. Throw in charming performances by all involved, and in particular Tracy, Penny (Amanda Bynes), Tracy’s quiet yet adorable pal, and dance show host, Corny Collins (James Marsden, Cyclops from the X-Men movies!) and you’ve got a fun-filled movie that bucks political correctness yet can still be enjoyed by the entire family.

Who could have ever imagined that the mind behind the filthiest, most disgusting film of all time, Pink Flamingos, would go on to win a Toney, be the toast of Broadway, have one of his movies remade, and have his bizarre worldview the inspiration for it all? Not even Waters, himself, could have predicted it but it’s true. Now if that isn’t the Cinderella story in the history of Hollywood, I don’t know what might be. And if anyone, anyone deserves to light their cigars with $100 dollar bills and have his films celebrated by society’s entertainment elite, its’ the great, the immortal, the clandestine, The Pope of Trash, himself, Mr. Baltimore, John Waters. Viva la Baltimore!!