Hairspray (2007) stars John Travolta (Pulp Fiction, Grease), Christopher Walken (True Romance, King of New York), Michelle Pfeiffer (Dangerous Minds, Batman Returns), James Marsden (Cyclops from X-Men, Superman Returns), Amanda Bynes (She’s All That, What a Girl Wants), Queen Latifah (Bringing Down the House, Chicago) and a no-name actor who actually is the lead star of the film, Nikki Blonsky [corrected](this is her first film - I had a chance to interview her at the Baltimore Premier, where we talked about how she was working at a Cold Stone Creamery before she was picked for the role)

Just to give a little background, the musical version of Hairspray was based off of the John Water’s film and now the new Hairspray film is based off of the musical.  Therefore, the new film is not really a remake of the original film, even though it does contain a lot of the same scenes. 

The Plot: The story is a feel good type of film that makes you want to be a better person.  I know how cheesy that sounds, but I literally felt like a better person after watching the film.  I actually was sitting in the parking garage after the movie and I let someone cut in front of me, even though I knew it would take me longer to get out of the garage.  The film takes place back in the 1960’s in Baltimore, where black people were still segregated and never danced on television with white people. 

Blowsky plays Tracy Turnblad, who is an overweight girl whose lifelong dream is to be dancing on "The Corny Collins T.V. Show" (which is basically a version of “American Bandstand”), which has a specific day out of the month where black people dance, called “Negro Day.”  After school, everyday, Tracy runs home with her best friend Penny Pingleton (Bynes) and watches the show while dancing.  The only problem is that she is a big woman and her mother, Edna (played by Travolta), worries that if she tries out for the show, she will be made fun of. 

To make a long story short, Tracy ends up getting on the show and protesting the fact that the show needs to be integrated, not segregated.  There are a ton of subplots that would take too much time to explain, but basically the villains of the movie are Velma Vontussle (Pfieffer) and her daughter Amber (played by Brittany Snow).  They will stop at nothing to ruin Tracy’s run on the show and keep the show segregated.  While all of that is going on, the women on the show are competing for Miss Teen Hairspray, which is voted upon by the Baltimore public.  I know it sounds like a lot is going on, but trust me, it all fits together perfectly.

The Review: Overall, this film blew me away with amazing, catchy songs and fantastic acting.  One of the funniest scenes in the film was watching Christopher Walken and John Travolta, who play husband and wife in the film, dancing and singing together.  In case you did not know, Travolta plays Tracy’s big fat mother in the film.  He is obviously wearing a fat suit, but he did a hell of a job convincing me that he was a middle-aged woman.  Travolta really did steal this entire movie, even though he/she is basically a supporting role.  It was just so hilarious seeing him play a big mother in the film.  We all know he can sing and dance from seeing him in Grease, which is a classic.  I just really never thought I would see the day when two actors from Pulp Fiction would be singing and dancing on screen together, serenading each other as husband and wife. 

Now, let me talk about this Nikki Blowsky girl.  This girl was seriously amazing, considering she was the star of the film and had to sing and dance the entire time.  Remember, this is her first role ever in a film.   

I really do worry that a lot of people will shy away from this film because of the fact that it is a musical.  You have to have an open mind about all types of film.  I grew up going to Broadway plays all the time with my parents, so I am used to them.  These things really take talent though, especially with all the singing and dancing.  I can not even imagine all of the choreography that goes into this type of film.  Seriously, give this film a chance.  It is an excellent story about over coming racism and achieving your dreams. 

The Verdict: I give the film 4.5 BDK’s because I feel that it should be seen in theatres.  The movie does have some slow moments and some of the scenes could have been cut out, but overall it was great.  I also thought the anti-racism was shoved down our throats a little too much, especially with Queen Latifah.