Hairspray (2007)

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Directed by Adam Shankman.

Starring Jim Broadbent, Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer, John Travolta, Christopher Walken, James Marsden, Amanda Bynes, Zac Efron, Nikki Blonsky.

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Adam Shankman's adaptation of the stage musical Hairspray, itself an adaptation of the non-musical John Waters film of the same name, stars Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad, an overweight high-school student whose only dream is to be on a local Baltimore teen dance program. While her father (Christopher Walken) tells her to follow her dreams, her mother Edna (John Travolta in drag) reminds her that she doesn't look like the girls on that show. After impressing the show's host (James Marsden), Tracy earns a coveted spot on the program, but when she becomes a popular addition to the cast, she earns the wrath of the prettiest girl in school -- a girl whose mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) just happens to operate the local television station. Tracy's visit to detention hall opens her eyes to the racial tension on the show, as does the budding relationship between her best friend (Amanda Bynes) and an African-American boy named Seaweed (Elijah Kelley). Thus empowered, Tracy attempts to integrate the races on her favorite program. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

One Un-True Thing
by slipofthetongue in SlipOfTheTongue Blog

is neutral about it.

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"HAIRSPRAY is a likable, well executed musical but the performance of John Travolta in the role of Edna is so ineptly handled and so uncomfortable to watch, that it knocks a decent little movie down at least one star in the ratings. Everyone else equips themselves nicely. Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad fits the fat suit well (actually I think that's her real figure). She makes you forget very quickly about Ricki Lake's enjoyable turn in the John Waters film of the same name. Christopher Walken underplays his role as Tracy's father and this actually helps the film by giving his scenes a believability not present in Travolta's scenes. Zac Efron does a nice job as the young dance show stud who is cool enough to cross racial lines and look beyond appearances in order to pursue true cool. The musical numbers are all expertly staged by director Adam Shankman. James Marsden is only a little off in his performance (perhaps he was uncomfortable with the dancing and th ... " [More]

my 2007 movie lists
by wonga in wonga's filmblog

liked it.

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"i have a wonderful picture of all my movie ticket stubs from this year in a pile but i can’t get it transferred to my filmblog (yes, i save my ticket stubs and scrapbook them at the end of the year…i know, it’s sad really)! armed with discount movie coupons, i saw 118 movies this year at the theater and, as usual, it was really hard to narrow them down but here’s my list, for what it’s worth. some are from 2006 that i didn’t see until later. my 15 favorite movies at the theater in 2007the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert fordthe diving bell and the butterflythe lives of othersjunothe painted veilonceno country for old menthe darjeeling limitedwaitressstarting out in the eveningsunshinefirst snow zodiacin the shadow of the moonacross the universehonorable mention (alphabetically)2 days in paris 3:10 to yuma51 birch streetdirty dancing (20th anniversary)dreamgirlshairspra yinto the wildthe jane austen book clubkiller of sheepknock ... " [More]

Top 10 Favorite Films of 2007
by The1TheOnlyJP in The Paxton Log

loved it.

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"Here it is, one final post relating to the movies of 2007. This in my opinion is really the only list that counts. Here I'm not talking about the supposed best films of the year (although some certainly are) but rather which ones I personally loved most. This time I'm actually going to place them in order though. So sit back and relax as I unveil my top ten favorite films of 2007. (Sadly, 'Bratz' is not one of them.)[10] 'Black Snake Moan'I love Samuel L. Jackson. He's the only reason I'm even interested in the upcoming action-flick 'Jumper.' His role in 'Black Snake Moan' as the bluesman Lazarus was something completely different for him. This was a movie which basically boils down to being about a black man reaching out to a lust driven white girl in an attempt at helping her with her sickness. Sounds a little dirty when in fact their relationship in the film is anything but. The sad thing is this turned out to be a defini ... " [More]

The Best Mainstream Movies of 2007
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

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"Here is my follow-up to last month’s question of what mainstream movie will feature on the most top ten movie lists. And the winner is … Ratatouille. Oh wait, didn’t I disqualify that one for being too obvious? No? Well, I should have. Yes, according to Movie City News’ Big Ass Chart (aka Scorecard) of critics’ top tens, the Pixar movie made it on to 51 best-of lists, making it the best-grossing best movie of the year. But maybe it wasn’t the most mainstream, if you define mainstream as studio-produced fare. Under that qualification Zodiac was the best mainstream movie of 2007, having been made jointly by Warner Bros. and Paramount and showing up on 70 best-of lists. Other Warner successes include Michael Clayton, which featured on 54 lists, Sweeney Todd, which received 44 mentions, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which showed up on one list, and Letters From Iwo Jima, which showed up a little late on one list. As far as those mainstream movies I predicted would feature ... " [More]

The Golden Globe Backlash Is th ...
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

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"It’s so easy to criticize the Academy Awards’ ignorance of the merits of comedy (even if such criticism is unfounded), but the Golden Globes have rarely been so deserving of scrutiny in their exclusion of the funny business. After all, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association actually has a category for best comedies of the year. Sure, the genre is still considered second fiddle to drama and has to share its category with musicals (which are sometimes musical dramas), but at least we know there’s a place that honors Trading Places, A Fish Called Wanda, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future and Crocodile Dundee as one of its year’s best pictures (thank goodness for the musical-less ’80s!). The problem is, now that the musical genre is back in (near) full force, comedies are not getting as much recognition, even in their own (shared) category. Following the Globe nominees yesterday, there was a good deal of complaining going on that Knocked Up wasn’t one of the Best Motion Picture Musical ... " [More]

Travolta in Drag for Best Suppo ...
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

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"Unless Amy Ryan prevails, Cate Blanchett is expected to scratch away the significance of Linda Hunt’s 1982 Oscar win. But wait: even if Blanchett fails to be the second person to win an Academy Award for playing a character of the opposite sex, John Travolta could also be up for that honor. On the eve of the announcement of the Golden Globe nominations, Travolta is expected to fill one of the five slots in the best supporting actor category for his performance as a big-boned mama in Hairspray. The predictions come from two awards-season blogs, Scott Feinberg’s And the Winner Is … (via The Carpetbagger), and Tom O’Neil’s Gold Derby, with the latter claiming his to be “100% accurate” and based on information received from both “industry insiders” and “sources close to members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.” Feinberg, meanwhile, points out that with a Globe nomination, Travolta will be a “major threat” contender for the supporting actor Oscar. (more…) Originally posted ... " [More]

a new favorite for me!
by filmafic06 in filmafic06 Blog

loved it.

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"This hilarious and colorful musical has terrific performances by Nikki Blonksy -- who is so adorable -- Zac Efron, John Travolta, and the rest of the excellent ensemble cast, and songs that have kept me dancing for days! A real treat. " [More]

Summer Movie Recap
by Lakerboy in Lakerboy Blog

hasn't rated it.

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"This summer wasnt such a bad one for movies after all. Starting out really shaky the summer progressively got better as it went on. Here is my list of films ranked from best to worst 1. The Bourne Ultimatum 2. The Simpsons Movie3. Once At it's core is a very simple story told in a very simple fashion is told mostly through Music. A very sweet movie4. Sunshine An engaging Sci-Fi Thriller5. Rescue Dawn Christian Bale gives a great performance. Maybe of his career6. Hairspray What a pleasant surprise. I dare you not to smile 7. Rataouille8. 28 Weeks Later9. Live Free Or Die Hard10. 140811. Superbad12. Joshua13..Oceans 1314. Stardust A fun Fairytale15. Transformers The story is very uneven in spots. But the final 20mins are worth the price16. Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer 17. Surf's Up18. Shrek the third19. Pirates Of the Carribean At Worlds End20. Spider Man 3 I wanted to slit my wrists at one point. 21. Evan Almighty- Unfunny, wastes alot of good talent. " [More]

wow there's a plot!?
by batty in batty Blog

liked it.

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"I went to go see this movie with my friends because, well frankly, we're all big musical theatre nerds. I really wasn't expecting much substance from it at all, I just figured some chick wants to be a star but everyone thinks she can't 'cause she's fat or something right? turns out there actually was more to it than that. I was quite surprised as to how they actually put segregation and racial protests into the movie that was seemingly shallow. the music, costumes, and general ambiance all went together quite well. i especially liked Maybelle's (Queen Latifah's) costumes, that leopard print dress was fabulous. " [More]

Shakin' All Over...
by rik_tod in The Cinema 4 Pylon: SpOutpost

loved it.

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"HairsprayDirector: Adam Shankman // 2007 [Century Promenade 25, Anaheim] Cinema 4 Rating: 8I will not lie, and say that I was wholly unprepared for how much I shook while watching Hairspray the other night. I don't mean with fear or anger, but from outright dancing in my seat. I don't friggin' dance... and I spent nearly two full hours practically dancing in my seat... in a movie theatre... with Jen next to me, who was enjoying the film equally as much as I was, but whose cool resolve hardly allowed her to move while she did so. Going home, with snippets of numerous songs bouncing about the interior of my skull, I continued to tap my feet and fingers. Falling asleep, I was still shaking from the music, rocking myself into slumber. And then, waking up at 3am to cease the aching of a full bladder, my stumble-bum journey to our room of rest found the blessed wail of Elijah Kelly continuing to resound in my ears.This does not happen often, even with films that I enjoy great ... " [More]

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Tags: fun , musical , wonderful , racism , joyous
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