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Total Stories: 30          Published: Thu, Aug 16, 2007



Get ready for something big in sixties Baltimore


Think Grease, Chicago, and Moulin Rouge and you are already on the right track for a real musical treat this Summer.

For if ever there was a movie to get you in the mood for the holiday season, the latest offering from New Line Cinema is it.

Packed with music, song and dance, Hairspray, the movie version of the Broadway show, itself adapted from John Waters 1988 comedy film, has all the trimmings of a feel good, fun filled trip to the cinema.

That's if musicals are your thing of course - for if your feet aren't made for tapping, you may just find yourself fidgeting and sliding down your seat rather than sitting up straight and joining in with your consumed counterparts who are singing along to the 20 musical hits that, let's face it, are the driving force of the film.

Set in 1962 Baltimore, the film revolves around the 'pleasantly plump' Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) who devotes her days after school to watching The Corny Collins Show.

Stereotypically, she only has one vision, a dream to be on the show, to become famous, and to get the boy of her dreams – one of the stars on the show, Link Larkin (Zac Efron).

Her dream becomes a reality when show host (James Marsden) sees her dance, and invites her to be on stage. But as her fame increases her happiness is derailed somewhat by pretty jealous girl Amber (Brittany Snow) and her show manager mother played by the hilarious Michelle Pfeiffer.

We tune in as Tracy becomes a popular regular on the show, her mother becomes her agent, and together, as underdogs, they unwittingly rival and outdo Amber and her mother in a bid to take the Corny Collins Miss Teenage Hairspray pageant to a different level.

Beneath the fun and frolics that lie on the surface, there are some underlying themes that are put to work as Tracy pursues stardom as a dancer but rallies against racial segregation simultaneously.

One such relationship that is put to test is that of her best friend Penny (Amanda Bynes) and African American boy, Seaweed (Elijah Kelley), who help put the tension in perspective and give Tracy the purpose to get the show she loves integrated.

While many may not be familiar with the energetic and infectious Blonsky who is a relative newcomer to our screens, they will be impressed as she pulls off a great lead performance in Tracy, a performance that is complimented by a host of legendary screen names, most notably John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer and Christopher Walken. In scenes reminiscent of Robin Williams in Mrs Doubtfire, Travolta is dressed in fat suit, wig and make-up to play the believable part of Tracy's loving mother, Edna Turnblad. One may think back Danny and Travolta's Grease days as he gets into full swing for many of the big numbers, and while he's not instantly recognisable as himself, he still has that familiar Travolta swagger which in this case creates a funny, yet sweet and admirable Mrs Turnblad.

Pfeiffer is another character to watch out for. Undoubtedly the film's key villain, her fiery performance is used to despise the overweight Turnblad girls and all racial integration.

Predictably it's not long before we envisage her demise.

Ultimately, Hairspray is the ideal movie for musical lovers, and as such the colourful songs can't ago a mention. From start to finish, its hit after hit to carry the story along and viewers will be engaged with toe-tapping numbers such as 'I can hear the Bells' 'Welcome to the '60s', and 'Mama, I'm a big girl now'. As well as song and dance, Hairspray is essentially a movie sprinkled with fun and laughter throughout and topped off with a number of feel good, if not predictable themes.


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