Hairspray...the movie....the GOOD one

So, to celebrate one of my last nights at home, last Friday, I decided to do a musical movie marathon, and one of the movies I watched was Hairspray - the recent one based off of the Broadway musical, not the not the not so great first movie that inspired the musical. And I have to say, it was better than I remembered (and I liked it the first time around). What makes the good and bad parts of the movie can really be broken down into its actors. I'm not going to cover everyone, just the few I think will get some discussion. :)


First, no brainers - Queen Latifah (Motormouth Maybelle), Nikki Blonsky (Tracy Turnblad), Amanda Bynes (Penny), James Marsden (Corny Collins), and Christopher Walken (Mr. Turnblad) were are brilliant choices, and performed wonderfully. No question.

John Travolta (Edna Turnblad): ......Meh. If he had been the first to play this role, he would've been fine. But he played the role straight as it's played on stage, without making it his own, and without raising it to a new level. Honestly, my main problem is he shows all these self esteem issues, and yet he walks like...well like someone in a fat suit. He doesn't modify how he moves, his steps are too spry and light, so I find it impossible to combine the words spoken with the movements, just leaving me unsatisfied. Compare him to Queen Latifah, who is naturally big, but walks, not lightly, but carries herself gracefully. And no, it's not that he's in a suit, or just the difference in their characters' opinions; switch roles and I bet Latifah would be a better Edna.[Image]

Adam Shankman: Yes, I know you have no idea who this is. He was the director and choreographer for the movie, plus he's one of my favorite judges on So You Think You Can Dance. In a musical all about dancing, he did a brilliant job of adapting the musical while adding his own flair. My only problem is the severe lack of "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now." Why do I include him even though he isn't an actor in the film? FUN FACT: Adam Shankman makes a cameo in the film towards the end as one of Link's talent scouts (the one wearing sunglasses). A bunch of the production team (especially choreographers) make cameo appearances throughout the movie as all the talent scouts plus as background dancers. [Image]

Zac Efron (Link Larkin): Now, don't instantly hate. Yeah, he didn't play the typical Link Larkin role - the original is a far more sweet, equal rights minded, lovable, break-you-out-of-prison-with-hairspray-and-a-lighter dude, the kind the audience falls for along with Tracy. But I got the sense that this WASN'T what either Efron or Shankman was going for, so I tried looking at it unbiased. And when you do, Efron's Larkin is maybe a more believable one - he's a bit smarmy, and he unfortunately knows how great he is, but in the end he falls for Tracy, and falls for her hard. So what if we don't fall for him ourselves? I don't think it stops you from appreciating the movie. [Image]

Michelle Pfeiffer (Velma Von Tussle): When the movie first came out, in every review I read, critics kept bashing Pfeiffer. And after re-watching the movie, it's really half and half for me. I don't really like how her character's villainy was so watered down - in the musical, she doesn't seduce Tracy's dad, she get's everyone THROWN IN PRISON, and get's Tracy's bail set so high she can't make it to the pageant. However, I really like how they did "(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs." Instead of the traditional version, which is haughty and bragging, her version is snide reaching almost bored - as though relating her story to people so far below her is a chore. I love it! She drawls as she sings, creating this evil persona, without being in-your-face cackling loudly. [Image]

So, thoughts, comments, opinions?

~ Sarah