Hairspray

Based on John Waters’ campy ’80s comedy, Hairspray follows a festively plump ’60s teen (Nikki Blonsky’s Tracy Turnblad) as she successfully tries out for a local TV dance show and consequently takes up the fight for integration. John Travolta co-stars as Tracy’s fussy shut-in of a mother, while folks like Amanda Bynes, Christopher Walken, and Michelle Pfeiffer pop up in supporting roles. Stylelessly directed by Adam Shankman, Hairspray is admittedly a lot of fun for a while; the various musical numbers are poppy and energetic, while cinematic newcomer Blonsky delivers a charismatic performance that’s occasionally more compelling than the film itself (that Travolta manages to turn his character into a surprisingly sympathetic figure doesn’t hurt, either). Screenwriter Leslie Dixon’s reliance on individual musical numbers to propel forward the wafer-thin storyline becomes increasingly problematic, however, as there reaches a point at which such sequences start to take on repetitive and superfluous qualities (ie the film’s climactic show-stopper just seems to go on forever). And despite the inclusion of a genuinely moving, late-in-the-game cry for racial equality (led by Queen Latifah’s Motormouth Maybelle), the relentlessly uneven vibe ultimately ensures that Hairspray is unlikely to win over neophytes (fans of the Broadway musical should be pleased, though).

** out of ****

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