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Hairspray (2007)

Director: Adam Shankman

Time Out rating

Average user rating

180 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Let’s get one thing clear: there is nothing questionable about heterosexual actor John Travolta clad in a fat suit, dragged up in pink sequins and breathily trilling ‘I’m the cutest chickie that you ever did see!’ There is, however, something awkward and faintly disturbing about watching his Edna Turnblad dance and duet with Christopher Walken’s Mr Turnblad dressed in toreador kitsch. Divine it ain’t. In fact, so peculiarly mannered is Edna’s transformation from chipmunky homebody to liberated blob that it’s quite impossible to forget you’re watching John Travolta in latex and, therefore, to suspend disbelief. Nor is that made any easier by uncertain, sometimes clashing performances from such other big names as Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah and indeed Walken, whose dance skills are criminally underused.

That said, this new ‘Hairspray’ – adapted from the Broadway musical based on the 1988 film – is often great fun. Though not as scabrous, as sharp or even as musically memorable as John Waters’ original, it retains much of his filthy, big-hearted sensibility (he cameos as a happy flasher) and is less deadeningly stagey than that other recent film-of-the-musical-of-the-film, ‘The Producers’. Stepping into Ricki Lake’s pumps as Tracy Turnblad – the tubby teen who takes 1962 Baltimore music TV by storm and nearly sparks a race riot by declaring ‘I wish every day were Negro Day!’ – Nikki Blonsky is unflaggingly chipper as both naive kid chastised for ‘inappropriate hair height’ and indignant civil-rights activist. Throw in plenty of sparky numbers and snarky gags and ‘that chubby Communist girl’ is hard to resist.

Author: Ben Walters 2007-07-16 16:06:21

Time Out London Issue 1926: July 18-24 2007

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User reviews of this film

lolli said...

Posted on Aug 20 2007 09:24 i havent seen the film yet but it looks really funny and i cant wait to see john travolta act as a women on there!

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rose said...

Posted on Aug 19 2007 22:50 best fim i've ever seen!!!!!!! i advise people to go and see it!! you feel like getting up and dancing by the end of it!!! amazing!!!

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Jade said...

Posted on Aug 19 2007 17:04 Seen The Film And Its Amazing Reccomend Anyone To Go And See It. Not A Film To Be Missed.

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kerry said...

Posted on Aug 19 2007 16:07 i thought this movie was the sex wicked bruv!!!!luv u lds bbz

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Ellie said...

Posted on Aug 18 2007 18:21 The official trailer does no justice to the film. Its absoloutley amazing 4 teenage girls. Plus I hate High School Musicl Tbh. & Thought Zak was a puff lol. But in this film he looks so much better (except from the stupid random curl - But hey, I guess thats 60's fashion H3H3.) & I think its his real voice this time cuz it sounds loads better! Anyway; My rating is 6/6, A must see for any teenage girl! So much better than the trailer shows, plus it strarts off really racist but then resolves itself. Trust me no matter who you are (apart from maybe very boy-ish boys!) you will LOVE it. Love Elii..<<3

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haz nd shona said...

Posted on Aug 17 2007 17:09 DID NOT ENJOY THIS FILM, WE BOTH DISLIKED THE STORY LINE OF THE FILM, VERY BORING TO BE QUITE HONEST, RATHER HAVE GONE TO SEE TRANSFORMERS!

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apollo said...

Posted on Aug 17 2007 11:34 everyone is saying it is good.in my opinian,it is very bad.the whole of my school saying it is bad.my school is the best.they must be right.it is rubbish.it is worse than harry potter and the order of pheonix.

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Craig said...

Posted on Aug 16 2007 11:02 I think Hairspray is going to be wicked and im seeing it on my birthday-Sunday!! Go ZACK EFFRON!

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*polly* said...

Posted on Aug 16 2007 08:50 i thought the movie was gd but at the begining it was a bit boring with all da boltamore singing but it was really gd by the end !!

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V said...

Posted on Aug 16 2007 00:31 Might i please add that i loved the songs and the music in this film so much, i actually went out and bought the soundtrack! I definately recommend it, i've listened to it almost every day, i've had it for nearly 3 weeks! It's so good, i don't think i'll ever get tired of it, and i'm definately going to buy the DVD when it comes out! Oh, and D Hallion, yes, this film would be perfect for a 5 year old girl who loves to dance and sing, i think it would inspire her in so many ways, but i'm not sure she'll understand the message that it's trying to bring, about differences, racism and equilization. But there's so much singing and dancing and music in the film anyway, she probably won't mind, i barely noticed the morral myself, but it was definately there. She'll probably find it very entertaining and it's so colourful!

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V said...

Posted on Aug 16 2007 00:21 Look, first of all no-one cares if your'e going to see the film, we just want to know what it was like and how good or bad people thought it was, that is what a review is after all, what somebody thinks about something, not them telling you they're going to see the film, or read the book. For goodness sakes, Now, i'm going to actually leave a review unlike some people who have wrote a load o useless twaddle about there lives and what they are going to do on Saturday night, not like anyboddy really cares. I thought this fil was absolutely brilliant! The songs were fabulous, amazing and inspireing, they made me want to get up and sing and dance right then and there! The acting wasn't the best but it wasn't exactly bad. There were lots of good, famous actors and actresses in it! For example, John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Amanda Bynes, Christopher Walken, James Marsdon, Queen Latifa (who is and absolutely amazing singer might i please add!), Brittany Snow, Zac Efron (Who is very cute and handsome, i'm sure many teenaged girls will agree! He is also very talented!), Elijah Kelly and introducing Nikki Blonsky who is the main star and plays Tracy Turnblad, she is a great singer and dances well too. This film is so wonderful and inspireing because it makes fun of racism and discrimination towards people who aren't stick thin. It shows that there's nothing wrong with being different which i think is a good message to get across to the young people in the world today.

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Craig said...

Posted on Aug 16 2007 00:07 Just such a great film to watch at the cinema. More than even The Bourne Ultimatum seeing this at the cinema really adds to the enjoyment, especially if the cinema is as busy as it was when I saw it, as the whole audience bring so much atmosphere to the experience. As a film it is a little disjointed, the characters so polarised they could almost be dressed in black or white and the racial messages a little lost in the humour, but it's worth all that for the performances which are all superb. If you haven't seen it at the cinema go tonight, I'll not be buying it on DVD but if I have another spare evening this week that late showing looks awfully tempting.

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D Hallion said...

Posted on Aug 15 2007 22:57 Just wondering......I have a five year old girl who loves singing and dancing shows - would this be a suitable film? I dont actually know the story line! But would she enjoy the music side of it?

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Telling The Truth said...

Posted on Aug 15 2007 21:42 OH MY GOD YOU ARE ALL REEALLLYY STUPID THE FILM COMPLETELY SUCKS!!!!!! HOW AN YOU POSSIBLY LIKE IT ITS PRACTICLY THEWORST FILM EVVEERRR!!! EVRYONE I KNOW HATES IT TO SOO ITS NO JUST ME WHO ISNT TOTALLY INSANE..

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jo said...

Posted on Aug 15 2007 20:45 wasn't expecting much from the film. I was dragged by friends. but ended up having a great time. very funny and great for a pick me up by the end of the week. definitely worth seeing. not intellecually stimulating but soo much fun

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