Aug 22 2007
The Hairspray Movie: Just As Good The Second Time Around!
Last night I went out with a friend to see the Hairspray movie. I’d already seen it once, but he had not…I was game for seeing it again! It was just as good the second time around.
The Music is great. It’s somewhat different from the Broadway version, but not too much. The music is “feel-good” high energy music, but it doesn’t go cheesy. The singing of all the main character’s is excellent. I was especially impressed with Elijah Kelley’s (Seaweed) singing when I saw Hairspray last night.
The Acting was excellent. Zac Efron from High School Musical was the perfect choice to play teen heartthrob Link Larkin. The only contentious issue seems to be John Travolta, who played Traci Turnblad’s mom, but I thoroughly enjoyed his performance. I thought it was convincing!
The Dancing is electric! Very well choreographed, and excellently performed. The dancing is crisp and energetic, going right along with the music.
The storyline keeps moving right along, too. I never got the least bit bored, even on the second time through.
Content: I’d say PG is right for the movie. There are a few swear words, some innuendo, and some suggestive clothing and moves. Most of the authority figures are either idiots or downright evil, but Traci’s parents are positive influences, as is Motormouth Maybelle. The movie also deals quite a bit with discrimination and racial issues.
Overall, Hairspray is a great movie musical - well worth seeing if you haven’t already.
Have you seen it yet? If so, what did you think about it?
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My 5-year old daughter has seen it 3 times now (she chose to re-see it over seeing Ratatouille) and the CD has been our regular travel music for weeks. Most of the more mature content goes over her head, but it has led to some sooner-than-expected conversations about segregation, which isn’t a bad thing.
I couldn’t agree more, it’s really well done all around. Nikki Blonsky is perfectly cast and definitely holds her own against the others in the group. One minute she’s scooping ice cream at her local Cold Stone and a few months later she’s dancing with Travolta. Pretty amazing.
“can’t tell a verb from a noun, they’re the nicest kids in town” may be my new favorite lyric.
Pete Johnson
HP.com Chief Architect
Personal blog: http://nerdguru.net
Hairspray was a good film. I was surprised how much I liked Zac Efron. It’s about a big girl making her dreams come true despite her size. The only problem I have with plots like these is that the obese characters show pride in their size. I see no problem in showing pride in who you are and what your abilities are, but I do not think it right to take pride in your size when you should make every effort you can to be as healthy as you can. I do have one short complaint about “Hairspray” and that is that the main character’s mother is played by a man, John Travolta. The scenes with the mother and father made me smile and laugh, but then I would remember that the mother was a man in a fat suit and I could not enjoy it any more. I find cross dressing just disgusting. I won’t judge those who choose that lifestyle, but I will never support the lifestyle itself along with the homosexual, bisexual, and sex change life styles.