Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. At this year's ShoWest there were a lot of presentations, but New Line's HAIRSPRAY presentation was by far the most surprising. I don't know what I was expecting going into it... The only thing on my mind was that it was remake featuring John Travolta in a fat suit. I must admit that the early pictures of Travolta as a fat woman were strangely fascinating, but surely that wouldn't translate to the screen, right?

The footage they showed was great. Felt like a real throw-back musical, the stuff I loved growing up, like GREASE and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. Most of the early reviews have been glowing on this film, so my hopes are high for a real fun time with this one.

Hey there–

I saw an early screening of Hairspray this morning. I’m going to admit upfront – I loved the John Waters movie and the Broadway production, which may make me an easy target to enjoy the movie, but having sat through horrible transfers of musicals to screen in the last 2 years (Rent, The Producers) and knowing this was directed and choreographed by Adam Shankman, he of “Cheaper by the Dozen 2” and “The Pacifier” fame—I really didn’t have high hopes (although he does score points for choreographing the brilliant Buffy musical episode).

The movie is fucking fantastic. I loved it so much that I snuck back in to the screening that started 20 minutes after the one I saw ended. And before people start ragging, no, I don't work for a film studio, I'm not in the business, I don't know anyone in the movie, and no one asked me to write in - I just want to make sure people don't write Hairspray off because musicals have SUCKED of late.

This is probably the best and most successful stage-musical to screen transfer since the brilliant Frank Oz version of “The Little Shop of Horrors.” It actually shares a lot of Little’s Shop’s sensibilities about how to present itself as a musical without the awkwardness of the “Gee, we’re going to start singing now” moments that film directors can’t quite seem to get these days (although why is this not a problem with the musicals of the 50s and 60s??). Even the brilliant “Chicago” couldn’t enter a song without presenting the songs as moments that existed only in the minds of the characters. Nope, these characters are singing and dancing their hearts out, as are the people on the street, the workers in a dress-shop, the kids on the bus - everyone’s in on it, and it doesn’t ever seem forced or out of place and its all done with a wink and a smile and begs you to go along with them. And with music this fun, who doesn’t want to be in on it? This is Grease for today’s generation, but with a lot more on its plate than boy-meets-girl.

And Shankman doesn’t shy away from the race issues that Waters’ so brilliantly wove into his original story – it is front and center. By using the American Bandstand-type TV-show as a backdrop to explore the changing attitudes of race in early 60s America, Waters, and now Shankman, are reminding us that it wasn’t that long ago that two people couldn’t dance together because of their skin-color, and he does it far more successfully and palatably than most other recent movies that have tried to explore race in America. No guns, no violence, no harsh language – this isn’t “Crash” – but it’s point is all the same, and you can take your kids to it. The second screening I saw today had a lot of kids in it, and I loved knowing that this movie would not only spark conversation with them, but maybe introduce the stylings of some of the great late 50s/early 60s music.

My biggest fears of the movie were with Travolta – the few clips I’d seen with him in it looked horrible. But he’s wonderful in the same way Divine and Harvey Fierstein made this part come alive. It’s very different than their interpretations, but it’s full, and motherly, and just fun. He’s obviously having a great time with it. And Michelle Pfieffer can do more with a single raised eyebrow than anyone. It’s SO great to see her looking gorgeous and in a role she sinks everything she has into it. The new find though is the girl playing Tracy – the part has already made stars of the first two woman to play it, and this girl is going to go far – she’s great, But again, everyone is given great material to work with, and they all shine. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen Christopher Walken try to get off a make-shift bed made of whoopy cushions. And James Marsden!!!! Who knew Cyclops could shake his tail-feather??

Again, the movie is just buckets of fun. I keep coming back to wanting to compare it to Little Shop, because that’s one of the few musicals that my friends who hate musicals love—Hairspray is the same thing. I’ve already seen it twice, and I’ll pay to see it again.

Ticketboy