Available on HBO GO
"Hairspray" is just plain fun. Or maybe not so plain. There's a lot of craft and slyness lurking beneath the circa-1960s goofiness. The movie seems guileless and rambunctious, but it looks just right (like a Pat Boone musical) and sounds just right (like a Golden Oldies disc) and feels just right (like the first time you sang "We Shall Overcome" and until then it hadn't occurred to you that we should). It bounces out of bed with Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky), a roly-poly bundle of joy, whose unwavering cheerfulness shines on the whole movie. "Good morning, Baltimore!" she sings, as she dances through a neighborhood where everyone seems to know and love her, even the garbagemen who let her ride on the roof of their back-loader. She's like a free-lance cheerleader." From Roger Ebert
The film is set in 1962 Baltimore, Maryland, and follows the story of Tracy Turnblad (Blonsky), a large, quirky teenager who dreams of dancing on the Corny Collins Show, a popular teen dance show hosted by the charismatic Corny Collins (James Marsden)
When Tracy finally gets her chance to audition, she wins a spot on the show and quickly becomes a local celebrity. However, Tracy's newfound fame soon leads her to clash with the show's producer, Velma Von Tussel (Pfeiffer), who is determined to keep the show segregated.
With the help of her friends, her family, and her love interest, Link Larkin (Efron), Tracy sets out to integrate the Corny Collins Show and challenge the city's racial segregation laws. The film is a heartwarming and uplifting story about acceptance, friendship, and standing up for what you believe in..
The film features a number of memorable songs, such as "You Can't Stop the Beat," "Welcome to the Sixties," and "I Know Where I've Been." The choreography is also energetic and fun to watch.
The cast of Hairspray (2007) is uniformly excellent. Nikki Blonsky is charming and endearing as Tracy Turnblad, and John Travolta is hilarious as Edna Turnblad, Tracy's mother. The rest of the cast, including Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah, Zac Efron, James Marsden, Amanda Bynes, and Brittany Snow, all give memorable performances
1 comment:
This is such fun: I loved it! And, look, you're watching another filmed-in-Toronto movie! There's a really great bookstore, IRL, just south of the intersection you see on-screen. In case you were wondering. hee hee
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