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Lunch » Tags » Movies » Reviews » Hairspray (1988 movie)

Hairspray (1988 movie)

6 Ratings: 4.3

A movie

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Tags: Movies, Drama Movies, Comedy Movies

Cast: Queen Latifah, Jim Broadbent, Holter Ford Graham, Allison Janney, James Marsden, Jerry Stiller, see all

Director: John Waters, Adam Shankman

Genre: Comedy, Music, Drama, Musical

Release Date: July 20, 2007, February 26, 1988

MPAA Rating: PG

1 review about Hairspray (1988 movie)

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Summer movie - had me a blast!

Nov 16, 2008

by arichards

Rating:

Those who know me best will know that there's no way I could review a movie with John Travolta (Grease) and Michelle Pfeiffer (Grease 2), without borrowing the theme song.

Essentially a musical with a message, this version takes the original 1988 John Waters film and the Broadway musical, and combines them with a new style and a fresh application of Ultra Clutch hairspray to get out any kinks.

The time is 1962, and segregation still exists in Baltimore, especially at the local TV station managed by Velma von Tussle. Tracy Turnblad is a plus sized teenager of sunshiny disposition and big heart, and her dream is to appear on the popular teen show "The Corny Collins Show" and maybe one day to win the Miss Teenage Hairspray pageant.

(To the tune of "Grease")

She sees no difference between black & white
She's just a teenage girl
With a good appetite
There ain't no danger she can go too far
She just believes right now that she can become a star

Hairspray's the word

They think her dream is just a growing pain
They just don't understand
Though it's so very plain
Her hips are moving
Tracy's so surreal
She starts the fight right now
The segregation appeal

Hairspray's the word.
(is the word, is the word, that you heard)
It's got groove.
It's got meaning.
Hairspray's the time,
It's the cast,
It's the dancing
Hairspray's the way we are feeling.

She took the pressure and she threw away
Discrimination should belong to yesterday
She never knew that she could make it that far
By just believing that
People should be who they are

Hairspray's the word.
(is the word, is the word, is the word....)

Nikki Blonsky completely steals the show from her famous co-stars, and that's not for the want of them trying. Everybody was excellent in this movie, which effectively uses music and dance to send a message against racism and prejudice. An excellent choice, and one I'll definitely be buying on DVD. If you love musicals, you just HAVE to get this one.

Amanda Richards

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