What Do The Critics Say?

"This bright, bouncy movie musical is a happy surprise, a candy-colored ode to outsiders that left me with a big grin." David Ansen NEWSWEEK "The songs will really get the blood flowing." Gary Brown HOUSTON COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS "Only a die-hard grump could resist the giddy charms of Hairspray." Randy Cordova ARIZONA REPUBLIC "Hairspray is a playful, kitschy, sweet but snarky tribute to the era of sky-high bouffants, TV dance parties and desegregation." Colin Covert MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE "Hairspray arrives as a big, bundle of fun, infectious to the core and accomplishes more often than not what the best musicals are prone to do." Erik Childress EFILMCRITIC "A blast of fresh air, from the vivid sets and costumes to witty directorial touches, funny cameos and spectacularly enjoyable production numbers." Rich Cline SHADOWS ON THE WALL

"Hairspray is a wondrously entertaining ball of spunky musical numbers, talent set free and fun, fun, fun, with just enough of a message to make it sizzle all the more. Don't miss it." Tom Long DETROIT NEWS "the movie envelops its audience with good vibrations." Lori Hoffman ATLANTIC CITY WEEKLY "If this movie were in a can, it would spray out fun everywhere." Linda Cook QUAD CITY TIMES "A fast-paced, hugely-entertaining romp that'll have you dancing all the way home." David Foucher EDGE BOSTON "The real star of this Hairspray is director-choreographer Adam Shankman." Peter Marks WASHINGTON POST "It's hard to keep a smile off your face and your toes from tapping during this unpretentious and spirited adaptation of the stage musical by director/choreographer Adam Shankman." Claudia Puig USA TODAY

The Inside Story The story of Hairspray’s genesis begins in 1988, when filmmaker John Waters and New Line Cinema released the original "Hairspray". Like his prior films, including "Pink Flamingos" and "Polyester", "Hairspray" was written, directed and produced by Waters and quickly became another comedy cult classic. The film starred newcomer Ricki Lake as Tracy Turnblad, the titular Divine (née Glen Milstead) as her loving mother, Edna, and actor Jerry Stiller (who stars in the latest version) as her father, Wilbur. This was a story that only John Waters could have told (and cast) in his own inimitable way. "I wrote it on my bed in my kind of slummy apartment in Baltimore," says Waters. "I lived a lot of this movie growing up in Baltimore in the early 1960s. I used to watch the local TV teen dance show, "“The Buddy Dean Show", and even was on it once. I, like all the other white kids, was listening to the black music back then. We had three black radio stations." "John really lived the coming together of those two cultures in Baltimore," says Jerry Stiller, who now portrays Mr. Pinky, the owner of the Hefty Hideaway, a dress shop with 'Quality Clothes for Quantity Gals' in the new version of the film. "The result was a story that could have only come from his uniquely crazy personality and perspective on life. John has no limits or restrictions when it comes to his sense of humor, and that is his brilliance as a filmmaker. His vision of life in 1962 Baltimore may be a bit twisted, but you can’t deny the fact that it’s incredibly funny." Waters explained that his film is actually a white person’s perspective (as seen through the eyes of teenager Tracy Turnblad) of the integration movement. "I think my movie resonated with people because it was really funny but socially redeeming without being preachy. The biggest difference, no pun intended, was that on the real Buddy Dean show, there was never a fat girl. So that’s where the character of Tracy came from. To me, Tracy, the fat girl, basically represented every outsider, and her dream to dance on 'The Corny Collins Show' represented the dreams of anyone facing discrimination of any kind." For the original Tracy Turnblad, Ricki Lake (who, like Waters and Jerry Stiller, appears in a cameo role in the new film), the John Waters movie is a Cinderella story not only in terms of its themes but for her personally as well. "It was actually a little overwhelming to be on set in Toronto on the day I did my cameo," Lake (who played Stephanie Heffernan in "The King Of Queens") recalls. "I mean, it was 19 years ago when we made the original. It’s surreal to think that I am actually old enough to be the new Tracy’s mother! Seriously, I think the story is still relevant today; you know, the ideas of tolerance and acceptance and inclusion. And I love the idea of the underdog winning. It’s such a positive story about being true to yourself and if you can do that, then your dreams can come true. Like mine did. Being in the original opened every door for me, and I’m eternally grateful to John Waters for discovering me and plucking me from obscurity and making me a star. In a lot of ways, Nikki Blonsky is wearing the shoes that I filled so long ago, and may she have as long and as lovely a career as I have had." In 2002, New Line debuted "Hairspray: The Musical", the smash hit Broadway adaptation of Waters’ cult classic film. Written by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, with music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman, "Hairspray: The Musical" won eight Tony Awards: Best Musical; Best Book of a Musical; Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics); Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Harvey Fierstein);, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Marissa Jaret Winokur); Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Dick Latessa); Best Costume Design (William Ivey Long) and, Best Direction of a Musical (Jack O’Brien). Now New Line Cinema has put Tracy Turnblad back on the big screen in what can only be described as a 'sensationally entertaining production'. To get the project off the ground, New Line Cinema enlisted producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron to help shepherd this new version to the screen. The producers then hired screenwriter Leslie Dixon ("Mrs Doubtfire"). "All three incarnations of Hairspray have the same DNA, the same bloodline," says Neil Meron. "They’re all very much related to one another, but unique in their respective artistic sensibilities. This film utilizes the building blocks of the original movie and combines it with the energy and fun of the Broadway musical to create a singularly different translation of the story. It’s like having triplets: they’re not always identical, they don’t always look the same, but they come from the same family." "For all of us, it was first and foremost about honoring the source material," says Craig Zadan. "Whether it was comedic elements from the original film or musical elements from the Broadway show, we approached this movie with a deep respect and dignity for the story that John Waters so brilliantly conceived." New Line Cinema and the producers found a perfect choice for director in Adam Shankman. Hairspray also marks a return to Shankman’s roots in the entertainment business. "This is truly a dream come true for me, and I feel like I’ve come home," says Shankman, who spent the first half of his career as a successful dancer and stage and film choreographer. "What we’ve come to today is all based on John Waters' classic story of nineteen years ago. At the heart of that story is the idea of realization of one’s dreams." For those who don't know, "Hairspray" has two traditions: the role of Tracy Turnblad has always been played by an unknown talent; and the role of Edna Turnblad has always been played by a male actor. First it was Ricki Lake and Divine, then Marissa Winokur and Harvey Fierstein and now, Nikki Blonsky is Tracy and John Travolta is Edna. "The day I met John Travolta is a day I’ll never forget," says Blonsky (who was working part-time at a Long Island ice cream store before landing a starring role). "When we hugged, I felt like I was hugging my real mom." "A star has definitely been born," Travolta says of Blonsky. "I don’t think I'll ever have to eat my words about that." Travolta was originally approached to play the part of Billy Flynn in "Chicago", but he turned it down and the part ultimately went to Richard Gere. "Honestly, "Chicago" was the first musical film project that tempted me to return to the genre, and now I have regrets that I didn’t do it," says Travolta. "So, Craig and Neil told me that I was not getting away this time." Finding Tracy Turnblad would mean an exhaustive worldwide search with open casting calls in Canada, Britain, Australia and the United States. They also set up an Internet web site for taped audition submissions as well. Over one thousand girls were seen by the filmmakers before Nikki Blonsky rose to the top of the list. "Once I saw Nikki’s audition, I immediately put her on my list.She was the right age, certainly looked the part, she could sing very well and she made me laugh," recalls Shankman. "All she really had to do was show up, put on the wigs and it was done." For the characters of music-loving mom 'Motormouth Maybelle' and the scheming Velma Von Tussle, the filmmakers went straight to their first choices: Queen Latifah and Michelle Pfeiffer. Both actors are big stars, beautiful women and, thanks to some hair-raising wigs, blonde. "Being blonde brought out a whole other side of me. It was a side I didn’t even know I had," says Latifah, who signed on without even seeing the script. "I was a bit reluctant at first to play her. I didn’t really know how to approach such a hateful character. Every scene I tried to humanize her and sometimes it just wasn’t possible. So, I must give thanks to Adam," says Pfeiffer. "I knew she could handle the physical, comedic and singing elements of Velma," says Shankman. "There was no question, though, that she had a very daunting task in playing the villain, who is essentially just a big racist." Academy Award winner Christopher Walken’s name was first brought up by John Travolta for the role Wilbur. "John’s suggestion to get Chris was brilliant," says producer Craig Zadan. "He was that triple-threat performer we needed to play Wilbur." "Chris Walken is like a human novelty shop," says Shankman. "He is quirky, original and always full of surprises." James Marsden, better known as Cyclops in the "X-Men" trilogy was cast as Corny Collins. "Jimmy was never on my radar as someone to play Corny Collins," admits Shankman. So what changed his mind? When Shankman saw a thirty second tape of him singing on "Ally McBeal", which by the way was produced by Michelle Pfeiffer's husband, David E Kelley. "High School Musical" star Zac Efron plays high school heart throb, Link Larkin. "For "High School Musical", we only rehearsed for about a week and a half and shot the entire movie in six weeks. That’s actually less time than we spent just rehearsing "Hairspray". So, yeah, it was different and exhausting." The delightful Amanda Bynes was cast as Tracy's truly best friend, Penny. "Oh, I wanted to play this part so badly," says Bynes. "Penny is just such a great character. John and Chris were both so nice, but for someone like me who loves movies, they are huge movie stars. So getting to do "Hairspray" was probably one of the coolest gifts I’ve ever received." "Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve just had a fascination with the sixties," says Brittany Snow who was cast as Amber Von Tussle. "Bridget Bardot has always been an icon to me and all the fashions and fads back then were so new and original and colorful." That sums up everything about "Hairyspray". Sure this is the third version and yes, nineteen years have passed by, but "Hairspray" still feels fresh and excitingthanks to its cast, colorful costumes, the dance routines and of course, the fabulous songs. The 2007 vesrion includes two new songs: the Elvis-inspired "Ladies Choice" and "Come So Far (Got So Far To Go)". "Hairyspray" will surely go down as the "Grease" of the twenty first century. Synopsis

Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair, and a big heart, has only one passion; dancing. Her dream is to appear on "The Corny Collins Show", Baltimore's hippest TV dance party. She seems a natural fit for the show except for one not so little problem; she's fat. Her big figure has always set her apart from the cool crowd which she is reminded of by her loving, but over-protective plus-sized mother, Edna. That doesn’t stop Tracy, because if there is one thing that this girl knows, it’s that she was born to dance. As her father, Wilbur tells her, "Go for it! You’ve got to think big to be big." After wowing Corny Collins at her high school dance, Tracy wins a spot on his show and becomes an instant on-air sensation, much to the chagrin of the show’s reigning princess, Amber Von Tussle. Her scheming mother, Velma, who runs television station, WYZT and once a month promotes 'Negro Day', is even less impressed. Even worse for Amber is the fact that it’s not just the audience who loves the new girl in town: her sweetheart, Link Larkin, seems to be smitten by Tracy’s charms as well. This dance party gets personal as a bitter feud erupts between the girls while they compete for the coveted "Miss Teenage Hairspray" crown and Tracy sides with the talented 'Negro Day' cast.

The Verdict "How do you even start to describe "Hairspray"? Try brilliant, colorful, exciting. One could go on and on. What a cast? There's John Travolta as Edna Turnblad; Christopher Walken as loving husband and family man Wilbur Turnblad; Michelle Pfeiffer, beautiful as ever playing a racist from the sixties; Elijah Kelley as the talented coloured boy Seaweed; the delightful Amanda Bynes as Penny; Queen Latifah as Motormouth Maybelle; the list goes on and on. So many standouts but one bright and shining star, newcomer Nikki Blonsky. Original cast members Jerry Stiller, John Waters and Ricki Lake make cameo appearances. The recreation of the early sixties is superb. The dance/song routines will have you tapping your toes. When it comes to big screen musicals, "Hairspray" is definately the 'real deal'. Superbly entertaining. Most highly recommended. 5 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "HAIRSPRAY" stars .......
2007 Young Hollywood Award winner Nikki Blonsky ["Hairspray"]; 1995 David di Donatello Award winner John Travolta ["Ladder 49", "Be Cool", "Lonely Hearts" and "Wild Hoggs"]; Academy Award winner Christopher Walken ["Plots with a View", "Catch Me If You Can", "Wedding Crashers" and "Click"]; Three time Blockbuster Entertainment Favourite Actress Award winner Michelle Pfeiffer ["What Lies Beneath", "I Am Sam", "White Oleander" and "Stardust"]; Brittany Snow ["The Pacifier" and "John Tucker Must Die"]; Five time Kids' Choice Blimp Award winner & 2007 Hollywood Film Award winner Amanda Bynes ["Big Fat Liar", "What a Girl Wants" and "She's the Man"]; James Marsden ["X-Men", "Zoolander", "The Notebook" and "Superman Returns"]; Queen Latifah ["Chicago", "Barbershop 2: Back in Business" and "Stranger Than Fiction"]; Zac Efron ["High School Musical", "High School Musical 2" and "High School Musical 3"] and Jerry Stiller ["Hairspray (1988)", "Little Vegas", "Zoolander" and TV'S "The King of Queens"] as Mr Pinky.
"HAIRSPRAY" was .......
directed by Adam Shankman ["The Wedding Planner", "Bringing Down the House", "The Pacifier" and "Cheaper by the Dozen 2"]; screenplay by Leslie Dixon ["Pay It Forward", "Freaky Friday" and "Just Like Heaven"]; set decoration by 2003 Academy Award winner Gordon Sim ["The Hurricane", "Frequency", "Chicago" and "Cinderella Man"]; 2001 Costume Designers Guild & 2001 Golden Satellite Award winner costume design by Rita Ryak ["How the Grinch Stole Christmas", "Rush Hour 2", "A Beautiful Mind" and "Charlotte's Web"]; 2001 Art Directors Guild Award winner production design by David Gropman ["The Cider House Rules", "Chocolat", "The Shipping News" and "Little Children"]; edited by Michael Tronick ["Meet Joe Black", "The Scorpian King", "S.W.A.T" and "Mr & Mrs Smith"]; cinematography by Bojan Bazelli ["Patty Hearst", "King Of New York", "The Ring" and "Mr & Mrs Smith"]; original music by Marc Shaiman ["The First Wives Club", "Ghosts of Mississippi", "Down with Love" and "Rumor Has It"]; produced by Neil Meron ["If Looks Could Kill", "My Fellow Americans" and "Chicago"] and Craig Zadan ["Footloose", "Sing" and "Chicago"]. Who's Who?

Nikki Blonsky John Travolta Christopher Walken Michelle Pfeiffer Brittany Snow Amanda Bynes James Marsden Jerry Stiller Queen Latifah Zac Efron Elijah Kelley Allison Janney Taylor Parks Paul Dooley Darren Frost John Waters Ricki Lake Joe Parro Nick Loren

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Tracy Turnblad Edna Turnblad Wilbur Turnblad Velma Von Tussle Amber Von Tussle Penny Pingleton Corny Collins Mr Pinky Motormouth Maybelle Link Larkin Seaweed Prudy Pingleton Little Inez Mr Spritzer Cameraman Flasher Talent Agent Teacher Cop Nick

Run Time 116 minutes Rated PG [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - New Line Cinema - All Rights Reserved ©2007 All Rights Reserved The Movie Pages - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark Laws Apply.