A Major Disappointment

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

'Hairspray' to me is one of John Waters' best. It is also his most accessible films, where Waters tones things down compared to most of his other films and stylistically and such it doesn't fall prone to excess.As a Waters film, 'Hairspray' is a delight and splendidly kitsch, a classic if you will. It has its minor flaws, a few scenes and strands are resolved a little too easily and Michael St Gerard is a bit bland compared to the rest of the cast. These minor flaws are far outweighed by the numerous elements that 'Hairspray' does right.One thing that 'Hairspray' particularly excels in is the casting. Divine, in his last film before his premature death shortly after, gives a performance of sheer brilliance, and Waters regulars Sonny Bono and Mink Sole are similarly electric. 'Hairspray' was the film that rose Ricki Lake to stardom and she does a wonderful job and more than holds her own against the more experienced cast members, just for the record am not a fan of her talk show but her performance may have initial non-fans being converted. The rest of the cast are great too.It's a good looking film too, well photographed and colourfully designed. The soundtrack is another highlight of 'Hairspray', delighting constantly. The script has some lovely black humour and there is a lot of wit.While not the busiest of stories, the story in 'Hairspray' has a lot of heart and has a darker undercurrent too with the exploration of racism. Waters' direction is wisely restrained in a film that called for a toned down and less excessive approach.Overall, a classic. On a side note, a few people have been less than charitable towards the 2007 musical remake and one being pretty insulting towards anybody who liked it better. Count me in as someone who loved the 2007 film, while loving both versions in their own ways for different reasons. 9/10 Bethany Cox

And she's busy doing "The Madison!" The Broadway musical and film version of that long-running show have overshadowed this non-PC John Waters movie that brought him into the mainstream after years of underground movies such as "Female Trouble" and "Pink Flamingos". It also defused the impact of the original film, made not to please the general public, but make an important statement through comedy and music about racism, segregation and more subtly, bullying. It also introduced Rikki Lake to audiences as teenager Tracy Turnblad, a "Hair Hopper" who danced like Gene Kelly and had a lovable, spunky personality that attracted the handsome hero (Link Larkin). It didn't matter that she was chunky-pretty much everybody liked her with the exception "A" group leader Amber Von Tussle, whose snobbish parents (Sonny Bono and Deborah Harry) owned the local amusement park. When Tracy gets chosen for the teenage council of a local dance show ("The Corny Collins Show"), Amber is furious, and vows revenge, especially when Tracy wins Link's heart. It all comes together at a showdown where the two opposites compete for Queen of the Auto Show. In the meantime, Tracy's best friend, geeky Penny Pingleton, wins the heart of Seaweed, the teenage son of black music store owner and local TV hostess Motor Mouth Mabel (Ruth Brown) who vows to make the Corny Collins Show interracial.The top-billed Divine steals the show as Tracy's out-of-touch mother Edna whom Tracy brings into the 60's by giving her a beehive and changing her frumpy house frau dresses into more stylish couture. From the moment Divine snarls, "Keep that racket down, I'm trying to iron in here!", you know you're in camp heaven. Add on Jerry Stiller as her easy going as pie husband, Wilbur (who owns a local novelty shop), Mink Stole (as Corny Collins' assistant) and "Guiding Light" veteran Shawn Thompson as Corny, and you've got the perfect mix of eccentrics and bigots for what many people rank as John Waters' finest film. While not as racy as previous John Waters films, there are moments of non-PC humour that rank up there with Waters' funnest tasteless moments. The title song that opens the film sets the stage for everything to follow. It's a shame it wasn't kept in the Broadway version that sanitized the humour. The major difference between the two film versions was the defusing of the character of Edna; Divine's matron was obviously a volcano ready to explode, while Harvey Fierstein played the part as a butterfly with a sting. By the time John Travolta got to it, all spark was gone, and Edna seemed like a shell of her former self. As for the original version, everybody is letter perfect. Michael St. Gerard delightfully makes what could have been a pompous conceited character extremely likable, while Colleen Fitzpatrick is everybody's teenage nightmare as Amber. Clayton Prince is charming as Seaweed, and Leslie Ann Powers exudes innocence as Penny. As her frantic mother, Jo Ann Havrilla is extremely funny. "Get away from me, you voodoo woman!", she screams at Ruth Brown ("Ooh Papa Tooney, We Got a Looney!), who is simply delightful as she brings black and white teens together as if a Den Mother for "Checkerboard Chicks". Pia Zadora and Ric Ocasak offer amusing cameos as a pair of beatniks. The ending is delightful, although the plight of the Von Tussles is somewhat off-putting.

As I watched this movie I was amazed at the fact that this movie attempts to break racial barriers and stereotypes, but the stereotypes regarding psychiatry (as well as beatniks in the 1960's) are over the top and I guess some call it "campy" but as a therapist who works in psychiatry I found it difficult to digest. My 11 year old had a much harder time watching this 1988 version. It was definitely groundbreaking at the time, but I am amazed at the attitudes that are reflected in this version--we've come such a long way in the past 20 years!We love the newer version--more energy, more fun, more comedy! The scene with John Travolta and Chris Walken dancing in the newer version is priceless.

This is a great film that is so much better than the awful remake they did with John Travolta. The remake lacks all the things that males this version so brilliant. The humour, the great music and dancing and the underlying message about race and segregation in the 50's and 60's in the USA. There are so many good performances that it is hard to single out any. The script and direction are both brilliant and this is a rare combination of a feel good film with a serious message. it is comedy and drama, it is one of the only musical films I like and is one of those films I would happily watch over and over again. I am surprised that the remake was in fact so bad, missing all the elements that made this a great film, so in my opinion, give the remake a miss and buy this version on DVD!