The Hairspray Movie

Now I know I have been a bad gay, telling people about this blog then not following through in updating it. Whoops!

So I have seen some shows that I will eventually get to reviewing, but now while it's still fresh in my mind is the new film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Hairspray.

When I first heard about this project, I was skeptical, the original movie was basically a musical without the songs. I was in love with the original movie, and when I heard they were turning it into a Broadway musical I was slightly disappointed. Then of course I bought the cast recording and from the first "Oh Oh Oh's" I was hooked.

I am usually a fan of the big screen musical adaptations but they occasionally fall flat. Fortunately this one does not. I think a vast majority of the credit goes to newcomer Nikki Blonksy. This woman was a burst of energy from the first moment she stepped on screen. She carried the whole movie with zest and innocence in her portrayal of Tracy, a overweight teen in Baltimore who dreams of dancing on The Corney Collins show, an American Bandstand type local TV show. Though I enjoyed the staccato belting of Marisa Jaret Winokur in the role that won her a Tony, Nikki's take on the opening number "Good Morning Baltimore" was fun and energetic, lending her striking tonalities to the song to make it like no version I have heard. Nikki clearly has star potential, but the question remains, will she find any future film success?

I think I am going to do sort of a positive negative, negative, positive review of this movie. So here comes my first negative, John Travolta as Edna, the desperate overweight housewife who has forgone her own dreams because of a lack of self-confidence. Travolta may have seemed like inspired casting by some, and I too must admit that I was in that camp before I saw his horrifying performance as Edna. His accent sounded like Mike Myers' Dr. Evil character from the Austin Powers films. While the movie was progressing, I didn't get a sense of him as a woman, I got a sense of him as a guy in a fat suit, whereas when I watched the original movie Devine had me believing that she was an actual woman, and not just a man in drag. The same with Harvey Firestein in the original Broadway production. Travolta seemed uncomfortable in his own skin, or rather his prosthetic fat suit. And his singing left little to be desired. Like other reviews have written, he was the main sour note in this film.

Another sour note, was the casting of Amanda Bynes as Penny. Granted she wasn't on screen for the long, but whenever she was, she was distracting. In the original movie Leslie Ann Power's Penny was not as socially aware or rather aware at all, leading to a clueless Penny that actually grows into herself. And Kerry Butler's Penny in the original Broadway cast was ditsy and in the end of the show, she becomes this sexpot with a soulful belt. Amanda Bynes's performance could have been the fault of the director and screenwriter for not fully flushing out her character, or it could be her own. Her Penny was too sexy throughout the whole movie, she didn't seem like the sweet innocent sheltered Penny's of the past. Her Penny was more of the naughty school girl who has been around the block a few times. And her singing voice was limp and lifeless. Penny is supposed to have a soulful diva belt, not a limp whisper.

And now to end on a positive note. Christopher Walken as Wilbur was the most inspired casting in the whole movie. His bumbling clueless joke shop owner almost stole the movie. His dancing and singing were brilliant. I was also impressed with Michelle Pfeiffer's Velma. I am not usually a Pfeiffer fan, but she impressed me in this role, she was evil and beautiful, and it didn't stretch her as a dramatic actress, the roles she usually fails miserably at. She was consistent, and her role was pretty much idiot proof. Rounding out the ensemble was Zac Efron as a oddly sexual Link, who's best scene was when he entered Tracy's Room and molested her pillow while staring at a picture of her in "Without Love." He was likable enough, but his acting in this film, much like his acting in High School Musical, was terrible and he looked confused out of his mind the whole time. Elijah Kelly's Seaweed was impressive, a good combination of dancing and singing, I don't think he was really given a fully developed enough character to show off his acting abilities. And by far the second most impressive performance in the movie Queen Latifah.

Latifah's Motormouth Maybelle, had to be the highlight of the movie. Is there nothing that this woman cannot do? She sang the hell out of "I Know Where I've Been" one of my least favourite songs from the score of the Broadway venture, but the best number in the movie. It was so moving and powerful. A must see moment. I would say that for that scene alone we are looking at, at least a Golden Globe Nomination for the Queen. Brilliant.

Overall the great performances held the piece together, and picked up slack where there was weakness. The choreography was tight, and the songs were seamlessly interwoven into the screenplay. Brilliant directing by Adam Shankman using muted tones throughout the whole movie. I will most definitely be heading back to the theater to see this movie, and will be recommending it to friends and family.