Hairspray (1988)

 Hairspray (1988)




I knew that in the 2000’s, Hairspray was a major musical phenomenon. I knew it was a major Broadway hit and the 2007 film adaptation was a very popular John Travolta film. Despite my love for movies, I did not know that they were adaptations of an original 1988 John Waters film. I have not seen the play or remake, so it did not matter much to me. Just a piece of trivia! I was not sure what to expect when watching the movie, but I was pleasantly surprised. It is a musical with excellent songs from the 50’s and 60’s. The dance moves are authentic and pleasing to the eyes. I got a similar feeling watching this movie as I did when I watched George Lucas’s American Graffiti, the desire to grow up during this time and let the music sway me. On the surface, the film tackles teenage crisises such as weight and popularity, but there are some important, underlying messages about race and segregation, which of course was a major issue during this film’s setting.

This film was directed and written by John Waters, one of the heroes of independent cinema. This guy also goes for the weird and is not afraid to say what he wants to say. Compared to his other films on his filmography, this is his more accessible film. It did play out like that upon release, but this is a movie that should be seen given today’s climate. Plus, you cannot go wrong with great music. The cast is not as well-known. Ricki Lake is the best-known name, but I believe this was her film debut. Divine plays Ricki’s supportive mother and the racist television manager, but he died three weeks after the film premiered. This is a great role to be remembered for as the final performance.

Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake) is a Baltimore teenager described as “pleasantly plump.” Despite her size, she loves to dance. Her favorite show is the Corny Collins Dance Show, a show reminiscent of “The Hop” or “American Bandstand.” Her dream is to become a regular and join the democratic council…but her problem is she does not have the “popular” looks of the dancers on the show. Her parents, Edna (Divine) and Wilbur (Jerry Stiller) are supportive of her dreams. Once she obtains her dream of being on the show, she uses her fame to speak out on social causes such as integration. Her main rival is the snooty Amber von Tussle (Vitamin C) and her pro-segregation parents, Franklin (Sonny Bono) and Velma (Debbie Harry). As they show down for the Miss Auto Show 1963, times are a-changin’ as Edna puts it. There is also a subplot where Motormouth Maybelle (Ruth Brown) tries to use her voice to support integration.

The performances are a wonderful surprise. I knew Sonny Bono as a great singer and Jerry Stiller as Ben’s father and a wonderful actor himself, but I was not as familiar with the other leads. Ricki Lake does a great job and her character truly made me smile. She is someone going after her dreams no matter the odds and taking about the bad, judgy people in the process. Divine delivered great performances in his dual role. Apparently, this is the only film he did with Waters where he was not in the lead role. Still created a memorable supporting turn! He also had the film’s best lines. My favorite is when his Edna character used Bob Dylan titles to get a point across.

Hairspray is a simple, but enjoyable movie. I enjoy this type of music, so I did a lot of singing and dancing myself. While it does not go heavy on the themes, it is social aware enough where the film makes you think. It focuses on issues there were important in 1962 as they are in the year 2021. Waters tend to make his films outlandish, but he did dial back in order to reach a more mainstream audience. Although there are some weird moments. A quote from David Edelstein about this movie is one I love, “a family movie that both the Bradys and the Mansons would enjoy.” I did love the ending and thought the film came to a solid resolution. I do not know much about the Broadway show and film remake Waters’s original film inspired, but I know this is a good watch for anyone who likes musicals or music-themed films in general.

My Grade: B+

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