Hairspray

I always get a kick out of musicals. I find it funny that everyone in town seems to know the lyrics and dance steps to spontaneous songs. Maybe that’s why I’m mocking them in my next spoofed up play Musical!: The Musical. A good musical needs a great story, interesting characters and catchy songs. The movie version of a musical also needs stellar production values that tie all of these things together. Hairspray has some of these elements but not all of them. When I saw the trailers for Hairspray the biggest thing (no pun intended) that turned me off was John Travolta in a fat suit. The thing that drew me to the movie was the production values and the song used in the trailer. What brought me to the theatre was the 94% given by Rotten Tomatoes.

What Hairspray has going for it is some catchy songs, some great characters and some vivid sets. The film is bookended with the best songs. The opening tune “Good Morning Baltimore” is much like Belle’s from Beauty and the Beast. It also includes a fun cameo from John Waters (the original Harispray film director) as a flasher. This song is fun and bouncy and introduces us to the captivating Nikki Blonksy. This girl manages to steal the spotlight from all the other big name actors in this cast. Her energy and commitment to the role is outstanding. The screen literally lights up when she enters a scene. This is Blonsky’s first film, but that sheer wonder of working in the movies works to her advantage as her character is given a role in the Corny Collins Show. The last song is the climactic “You Can’t Stop the Beat” which is still running in my head as I write this review. This song, also used in the trailer, is instantly infectious and has you leaving the theatre with a spring in your step.

Unfortunately, the rest of the songs aren’t as memorable as the first and last. Zac Efforn’s “Ladies Choice” and the ensemble’s “Without Love” are good but hardly showstopping. I did enjoy Blonksy’s daydream-like “I Can Hear the Bells” but that’s mostly because of her charm and the cinematic journey throughout the school. While the other songs have fun lyrics, the music doesn’t seem to match.

Along with Blonsky, the other students are well cast. Amanda Bynes (She’s the Man, What I Like About You) is simply adorable as the lollipop sucking Penny Pingleton. Zac Efron (High School Musical) is wonderfully cast as the dreamy love interest. Brittany Snow and Elijah Kelley also portray their 60s character beautifully. I have a bigger problem with the adult characters in this story. Well, except for Christopher Walken who shines as the gentle and caring Wilber Turnblad. Queen Latifah is boring as Motormouth Maybelle even if she can sing her heart out. Michelle Pfieffer plays an okay villain but I hope she does far better in the upcoming Stardust. And as expected, John Travolta was terrible. I wish they cast gravel-voiced Harvey Fierstein (Mrs. Doubtfire, Independence Day) to reprise his Broadway starring role as Edna Turnblad. What maybe bothered me more than Travolta’s annoying mugging for the camera was the fact that I could see the prosthetic attachments under his eyes. There is a clearly visible line that should have been taken care of by the make-up people. I found it completely distracting.

As much fun as the movie tries to be, the message is plain and boring: Segregation is bad. Hairspray is all about accepting people no matter what their weight or skin colour. I don’t know about you, but it sounds a little too ‘afterschool-special’ly to me. Maybe I’m too cynical, but I found this message a little too simplistic and took most of the emotion out of the film. Musicals need a great story and this one falls short. It’s no Chicago.

So should you see Hairspray in the theatre? I’d wait for the DVD personally. Sure, the visuals look great on the big screen but I know you’re going to want to rewind the opening and closing songs. Of course, doing that will keep the songs lodged in your head forever. You can’t stop the beat.