hr_hairspray

YOU CAN'T STOP THE BEAT!!!!
You can’t stop the beat! That is what everyone has been singing ever since November 20, 2007 came rolling around, releasing the movie that swept the nation in theaters on DVD. //[|Hairspray]//, directed by [|Adam Shankman], which was expected by millions of people to crash and burn, slowly became one of the best musicals to ever hit theaters. It stars [|John Travolta], [|Michelle Pfeiffer], [|Queen Latifah], [|Amanda Bynes], [|Brittany Snow], [|Zac Efron], [|Elijah Kelley], [|Christopher Walken], [|James Marsden] and newcomer to the game, [|Nikki Blonksy]. The movie runs with about 117 of nonstop singing and dancing of the talented stars from the movie. Being a remake of the original //Hairspray//, starring [|Ricki Lake] was said to put some pressure on the director and cast, however the two weren’t alike at all. This movie was based more on the Broadway show minus a few songs and creating some new ones.

//Hairspray// is the story of a young girl Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) who is not like your average normal girl. She is how people say…big in size. Her dream is to perform on the hit TV show, at the time, the Corny Collins show. Tracy also wants to win the heart of the cute boy in school, Link Larkin (Zac Efron). Her dreams are constantly brought down by her mom, Edna Turnblad (John Travolta) saying that “they don’t pick big girls.” However with persistence and help from her friend, Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes), her father Wilbur Turnblad (Christopher Walken), Seaweed Stubbs (Elijah Kelley) along with his mom Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah) and her mom, Tracy is able attempt to fight the separation of blacks and whites.

The movie has basically the same plot as the Broadway show except for a few twists and turns in there. Adam Shankman didn’t want the movie to be exactly like the show completely which made him work even harder to make the movie something suitable for all ages. All together the plot is very appealing and it can be related to by a certain group of people who actually lived through that time, however it can also relate to the younger audience because of the music and funny moments that come along. Not only is the plot humorous but to some extent it can be educational as well.

//Hairspray// is filled with one of the most talented casts that have ever graced a movie musical in a long time. John Travolta who is best know for his role as Danny Zuko in //Grease// and as Tony Manero in //Saturday Night Fever//. However, for this movie he stepped out of his comfort zone, put on a dress and spent hours in makeup to bring the character of Edna Turnblad back to life. Travolta gave the performance of his life as the caring mother of Tracy Turnblad. It’s been a long time since John Travolta has been dancing and to see him dance again was a truly amazing thing to see. He brought more to the character than expected and it was one of the best performances ever given from him. Michelle Pfeiffer, who portrays the villain of this movie, also shows her true talent, as Velma von Tussle. Nobody really took notice of her singing talents until the movie was first seen. Of course, this wasn’t the first time she actually sang. Pfeiffer was in the second Grease movie as one of the Pink Ladies. Nobody was sure how she would do as the villain of //Hairspray//, all the really knew was she definitely looked the part. It was also uncanny on how much she and her movie daughter, Brittany Snow, looked alike. Brittany Snow who plays Amber von Tussle isn’t new to the big screen at all. However, when it came to the thought of her singing, it wasn’t as impressing as some people hoped. Her voice was very young and little girlish. At some parts it didn’t seem to blend in with the music, however when she was singing with the other girls it fit perfectly. Based on acting skills though, and not singing skills, Snow did a great job in portraying the little villainess who is based on her mother’s actions and views towards everything in the world. Now since every movie has a good romance, this one wasn’t any different. For this movie, Zac Efron stepped out of his Disney roots and took a leap of faith to play Link Larkin. To be honest, there was worry on to how Efron would do portraying this character but he definitely shocked everyone with the strength of his vocals and his Elvis hip thrust. Now, this was the start of his whole singing in the movie he became famous for. So much for stepping outside of the box of the Disney world. Newcomer to the movie business, Nicole Blonsky put on the performance of the lifetime as our hero in action, Tracy Turnblad. Watching her light up the TV as she stepped on to sing her musical solos made a smile appear on all of the viewers’ faces. It was as if this young girl was born to play Tracy Turnblad and this movie is only the start of her amazing career.

As the DVD came to release, everyone rushed to the store to pick up the one with the bonus disc. The extras include watching John Travolta get into his four hours worth of makeup for his role. There are also scenes of them recording in the studio and a step by step to learn some of the ridiculously hard dances included in the film. The extras weren’t as great as many people expected it to be. Unfortunately there are only so many things that a person can use as extras for the DVD.

In my opinion, //Hairspray// is definitely worth going to the store to buy. If a person loves comedy, romance, music and even some angst this is the movie for them. However, this movie isn’t recommended for viewers under the age of seven since some of the themes probably won’t be understood by them. The music is catchy and it is a movie that families can sit down with their children and watch together. All in all, I give this a four, because it exceeds all expectations I’ve had for this film.