Hairspray (2007 film)

Hairspray

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Adam Shankman
Produced by
Screenplay by Leslie Dixon
Based on Hairspray 
by Mark O'Donnell
Thomas Meehan
Starring
Music by Marc Shaiman
Cinematography Bojan Bazelli
Edited by Michael Tronick
Production
company
Distributed by New Line Cinema1
Release dates
  • July 13, 2007 (2007-07-13) (Mann Village Theatre)
  • July 20, 2007 (2007-07-20) (United Kingdom and United States)
Running time
 116 minutes[1]
Country
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
Language English
Budget $75 million[2]
Box office $202.5 million[3]

Hairspray is a 2007 American musical romantic comedy film based on the 2002 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was based on John Waters's 1988 comedy film of the same name. Adapted from both Waters' 1988 script and Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell's book for the stage musical by screenwriter Leslie Dixon, the 2007 film version of Hairspray is directed and choreographed by Adam Shankman and stars John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Queen Latifah, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley, Allison Janney and Nikki Blonsky. Hairspray features songs from the Broadway musical written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, as well as four new Shaiman/Wittman compositions not present in the original Broadway version. Set in 1962 Baltimore, Maryland, the film follows the "pleasantly plump" teenager Tracy Turnblad as she pursues stardom as a dancer on a local TV show and rallies against racial segregation.

Opening to positive reviews, Hairspray met with financial success, breaking the record for biggest sales at opening weekend for a movie musical,[4] which the film held until July 2008 when it was surpassed by Mamma Mia![5] and later High School Musical 3: Senior Year in October.[6] Hairspray went on to become the sixth highest grossing musical film in US cinema history, behind the film adaptations of Grease, Chicago, and Mamma Mia!,[5] and stands as one of the most critically and commercially successful musical films of the last decade. Available in a variety of formats, Hairspray's Region 1 home video release took place on November 20, 2007.[7] USA Network purchased the broadcast rights to Hairspray and was scheduled to debut the film on cable television in February 2010, but in the end it did not broadcast that month, instead the film was pushed back and premiered on USA on July 24, 2010, with sister channel Bravo also showing it multiple times, and in February 2011 aired on ABC for over-the-air broadcasts.[8]

Plot

Tracy Turnblad is an overweight high school student living in Baltimore, Maryland ("Good Morning Baltimore") in 1962. She and her classmate Penny Pingleton frequently watch the The Corny Collins Show, a local teen dance television show, together ("The Nicest Kids in Town").

The teenagers featured on the show attend Tracy and Penny's school, among them Amber von Tussle and her boyfriend Link Larkin, the lead male dancer. Amber’s mother, Velma, manages WYZT and makes sure Amber is prominently featured. Corny Collins and the dancers on the show are white, and Velma only allows African-American kids on the show once a month on "Negro Day", hosted by R&B disc jockey Motormouth Maybelle.

One day, one of the dancers on the show takes a leave of absence and auditions for a replacement are held. Tracy attends, but is rejected by Velma for being overweight and for supporting integration ("The Legend of Miss Baltimore Crabs"). Tracy is sent to detention for skipping school and discovers the "Negro Day" kids practicing in the detention room. Tracy befriends Seaweed (Elijah Kelley), the students' best dancer and Motormouth Maybelle's son, who teaches Tracy several dance moves. As Tracy leaves detention, she inadvertently bumps into Link and dreams of a life with him ("I Can Hear the Bells"). At a record hop, Tracy’s moves attract the attention of Corny Collins ("Ladies' Choice") and he chooses her to join the show ("The Nicest Kids in Town (Reprise)").

Tracy becomes one of Corny's most popular dancers, threatening Amber's chances of winning the show's yearly "Miss Teenage Hairspray" pageant ("The New Girl in Town") and her relationship with Link, as he grows fonder of Tracy. Mr. Pinky suggests that Tracy be the spokesgirl for his Hefty Hideaway boutique. Tracy persuades her agoraphobic mother, Edna, to accompany her to the boutique as her agent ("Welcome to the '60s").

Tracy introduces Seaweed to Penny, and the two are smitten. Later, when Tracy and Link are in detention, Seaweed invites the girls and Link to follow him and his sister Little Inez (Taylor Parks) to a party at Maybelle's store ("Run and Tell That"). Edna finds Tracy there and tries taking her home, but Maybelle convinces her to stay and tells her to take pride in herself ("Big, Blonde and Beautiful"). At the party, Maybelle informs everyone that Velma has canceled "Negro Day" and Tracy suggests that they march for integration. Edna returns to her husband Wilbur's shop, but Velma gets there first and tries to seduce him ("Big, Blonde and Beautiful (Reprise)"). After accusing Wilbur of infidelity, Edna forbids Tracy to be on the show. Wilbur and Edna reconcile ("(You’re) Timeless to Me").

The next morning, Tracy sneaks out of the house to join the protest ("I Know Where I've Been"), which is halted by a police roadblock. The protesters engage in a brawl, while Tracy runs to the Pingletons' home and hides in a fallout shelter. Penny's mother, Prudence, catches Tracy and calls the police before tying her daughter to her bed. Having been bailed out by Wilbur, Seaweed and his friends help Tracy and Penny escape. Link visits Tracy’s house to look for her and realizes he loves her. Seaweed and Penny also acknowledge their love during the escape ("Without Love").

With the pageant underway ("Hairspray"), Velma places police officers around WYZT to stop Tracy. She also changes the pageant tallies so Amber is guaranteed to win. Penny arrives at the pageant with Edna, while Wilbur, Seaweed, and the Negro Day kids help Tracy infiltrate the studio. Link breaks away from Amber to dance with Tracy; later, he pulls Seaweed's sister, Little Inez, to the stage to dance in the pageant.

Amber's attempt to re-claim her championship crown fails. Little Inez wins the pageant, successfully integrating The Corny Collins Show. Velma confesses her tally-switching scheme to her daughter in front of a camera, resulting in her firing. The Corny Collins Show set turns into a celebration as Tracy and Link kiss ("You Can’t Stop the Beat").

Cast

Main characters
Minor roles
Council members
  • Curtis Holbrook as Brad
  • Hayley Podschun as Tammy
  • Phillip Spaeth as Fender
  • Cassie Silva as Brenda
  • Nick Baga as Sketch
  • Sarah Jayne Jensen as Shelley
  • Jesse Weafer as I.Q.
  • Kelly Fletcher as Lou Ann
  • J.P. Ferreri as Joey
  • Spencer Liff as Mikey
  • Laura Edwards as Vicky
  • Tabitha Lupien as Becky
  • Corey Gorewicz as Bix
  • Joshua Feldman as Jesse
  • Becca Sweitzer as Darla
  • Everett Smith as Paulie
  • Tiffany Engen as Noreen
  • Brooke Engen as Doreen
The Dynamites
  • Nadine Ellis
  • Arike Rice
  • Tanee McCall
Cameos

In addition to the principal actors, the film contained several cameo appearances by individuals involved in the history of Hairspray:

Singing cameos

Musical numbers
"Good Morning Baltimore"
The chorus of the film's opening number, "Good Morning Baltimore", as performed by Nikki Blonsky.
Problems playing this file? See media help.
  1. "Good Morning Baltimore" – Tracy (Nikki Blonsky)
  2. "The Nicest Kids in Town" – Corny and Council Members (James Marsden)
  3. "It Takes Two (Tag)" – Link (Zac Efron)
  4. "Miss Baltimore Crabs" – Velma and Council Members (Michelle Pfeiffer)
  5. "I Can Hear the Bells" – Tracy (Nikki Blonsky)
  6. "Ladies' Choice" – Link (Zac Efron)
  7. "The Nicest Kids in Town (Reprise)" – Corny, Council Members, Penny, Edna, Wilbur (James Marsden)
  8. "The New Girl in Town" – Amber, Tammy, Shelley, and The Dynamites (Brittany Snow)
  9. "Welcome to the '60s" – Tracy, Edna, The Dynamites, and Hefty Hideaway Employees (Nikki Blonsky & John Travolta)
  10. "Run and Tell That" – Seaweed, Little Inez, and Detention Kids (Elijah Kelley)
  11. "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful" – Motormouth (Queen Latifah)
  12. "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful (Reprise)" – Velma and Edna (Michelle Pfeiffer & John Travolta)
  13. "(You're) Timeless to Me" – Wilbur and Edna (Christopher Walken & John Travolta)
  14. "I Know Where I've Been" – Motormouth (Queen Latifah)
  15. "Without Love" – Link, Tracy, Seaweed, Penny, and Detention Kids (Zac Efron, Nikki Blonsky, Elijah Kelley, Amanda Bynes)
  16. "Hairspray" – Corny and Council Members (James Marsden)
  17. "You Can't Stop the Beat" – Company (Nikki Blonsky, Zac Efron, Amanda Bynes, Elijah Kelley, John Travolta and Queen Latifah)
  18. "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)" (end credits) – (Queen Latifah, Zac Efron, Nikki Blonsky, and Elijah Kelley)
  19. "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now" (end credits) – Ricki Lake, Marissa Jaret Winokur, and Nikki Blonsky with Harvey Fierstein
  20. "Cooties" (end credits) – Aimee Allen

Music producer/composer/co-lyricist Marc Shaiman and co-lyricist Scott Wittman were required to alter their Broadway Hairspray song score in various ways in order to work on film, from changing portions of the lyrics in some songs (e.g., "(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs", "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful", and "You Can't Stop the Beat") to more or less completely removing other songs from the film altogether.

"Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now", a popular number from the stage musical, features Tracy, Penny, and Amber arguing with their respective mothers. Neither Shankman nor Dixon could come up with a solution for filming "Mama" that did not require a three-way split screen — something they wanted to avoid[20] — and both felt the number did not adequately advance the plot.[20][21] As a result, "Mama" was reluctantly dropped from the film during pre-production, although it is used by Shaiman as an instrumental number when the Corny Collins kids dance the "Stricken Chicken". A special version of "Mama" was recorded for the film's end credits in May 2007, during the final score recording process, which featured vocals from each of the three women most famous for portraying Tracy Turnblad: Ricki Lake from the 1988 film, Marissa Jaret Winokur from the original Broadway cast, and Nikki Blonsky from the 2007 film.[22] Harvey Fierstein, who portrayed Edna as part of the original Broadway cast, has a brief cameo moment in the end credits version of "Mama" as well.[22]

"It Takes Two", a solo for Link, was moved from its place in the stage musical (on Tracy's first day on The Corny Collins Show) to an earlier Corny Collins scene, although only the coda of the song is used in the final release print, and the song's background music can be heard immediately after the reprise of "The Nicest Kids in Town". "Cooties", a solo for Amber in the stage musical, is present in this film as an instrumental during the Miss Teenage Hairspray dance-off. As with "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now", a version of "Cooties", performed in a contemporary pop rendition by Aimee Allen, is present during the end credits.

The performance of a vintage dance called The Madison, present in both the 1988 film and the stage musical, was replaced for this version by a newly composed song, "Ladies' Choice". Portions of the Madison dance steps were integrated into the choreography for the musical number "You Can't Stop the Beat", and the song to which the dance is performed on Broadway can be heard during Motormouth Maybelle's platter party in the film, re-titled "Boink-Boink". "The Big Dollhouse" was the only song from the musical not used in the film in any way.

Shaiman and Wittman composed two new songs for the 2007 film: "Ladies' Choice", a solo for Link, and "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)", a song performed during the end credits by Queen Latifah, Blonsky, Efron, and Kelley. Another "new" song in the 2007 film, "The New Girl in Town", had originally been composed for the Broadway musical, but was deemed unnecessary and discarded from the musical. Director Shankman decided to use the song to both underscore a rise-to-fame montage for Tracy and to showcase Maybelle's "Negro Day", which is never actually seen in either of the earlier incarnations of Hairspray.[23]

One additional Shaiman/Wittman song, a ballad entitled "I Can Wait", was composed for the film as a solo for Tracy, meant to replace the stage musical's reprise of "Good Morning Baltimore". "I Can Wait" was shot for the film (Tracy performs the number while locked in Prudy's basement), but was eventually deleted from the final release print. The audio recording of "I Can Wait" was made available as a special bonus track for customers who pre-ordered the Hairspray soundtrack on iTunes, and the scene itself was included as a special feature on the film's DVD release.[24]

Post-production took place in Los Angeles. Composer/co-lyricist Shaiman continued work on the film's music, employing the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra to record instrumentation for both the songs and the incidental score.[22]

Production

Early development

Following the success of the Broadway musical of the same name, which won eight Tony Awards in 2003, New Line Cinema, who owned the rights to the 1988 John Waters film upon which the stage musical is based, became interested in adapting the stage show as a musical film. Development work began in late 2004, while a similarly film-to-Broadway-to-film project, Mel Brooks' The Producers, was in production.[25]

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the executive producers of the Academy Award-winning film adaptation of the Broadway musical Chicago, were hired as the producers for Hairspray,[26] and began discussing possibly casting John Travolta and Billy Crystal (or Jim Broadbent) as Edna and Wilbur Turnblad, respectively.[25] Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell, authors of the book for the stage musical, wrote the first draft of the film's screenplay, but were replaced by Leslie Dixon, screenwriter for family comedies such as Mrs. Doubtfire and Freaky Friday.[25] After a year's deliberation on who should direct the film, Zadan and Meron finally decided to hire Adam Shankman to both direct and choreograph Hairspray.[27] Upon learning he had been hired, Shankman arranged a meeting with John Waters, who advised him "don't do what I did, don't do what the play did. You've gotta do your own thing."[11] Despite this, Shankman still noted "all roads of Hairspray lead back to John Waters."[11]

Tony Gardner (designer) and his company Alterian, Inc. were hired to design and create the look of Edna Turnblad on John Travolta. Costume designer Rita Ryack wanted to put Edna into several revealing outfits, so Travolta ended up being encapsulated in prosthetics. He wore silicone prosthetics on his head and neck, and foam latex arms and legs that connected to a spandex and foam body suit.

(Screen to) stage to screen changes

Dixon was primarily hired to tone down much of the campiness inherent in the stage musical.[20] The 2007 film's script is based primarily on the stage musical rather than the 1988 film, so several changes already made to the plot for the stage version remain in this version. These include dropping several characters from the 1988 version (such as Arvin Hodgepile (the role Mr. Spritzer fills), Velma's husband Franklin, Corny's assistant Tammy, the beatniks, et al.), removing the Tilted Acres amusement park from the story, and placing Velma in charge of the station where The Corny Collins Show is filmed.

"Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now", a popular number from the stage musical, features Tracy, Penny, and Amber arguing with their respective mothers. Neither Shankman nor Dixon could come up with a solution for filming the song that did not require a three-way split screen — something they wanted to avoid[20] — and both felt the number did not adequately advance the plot.[20][21] As a result, the song was reluctantly dropped from the film during pre-production, although it is used by Shaiman as an instrumental number when the Corny Collins kids dance the "Stricken Chicken". A special version of the song was recorded for the film's end credits in May 2007, during the final score recording process, which featured vocals from each of the three women most famous for portraying Tracy Turnblad: Ricki Lake from the 1988 film, Marissa Jaret Winokur from the original Broadway cast, and Nikki Blonsky from the 2007 film.[22] Harvey Fierstein, who portrayed Edna as part of the original Broadway cast, has a brief cameo moment in the end credits version of the song as well.[22]

"It Takes Two", a solo for Link, was moved from its place in the stage musical (on Tracy's first day on The Corny Collins Show) to an earlier Corny Collins scene, although only the coda of the song is used in the final release print, and the song's background music can be heard immediately after the reprise of "The Nicest Kids in Town". "Cooties", a solo for Amber in the stage musical, is present in this film as an instrumental during the Miss Teenage Hairspray dance-off. Similar to "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now", a version of "Cooties", performed in a contemporary pop rendition by Aimee Allen, is present during the end credits.

One notable difference between the stage musical, the original film, and the 2007 film version of Hairspray is that Tracy does not go to jail in the 2007 version (thus eliminating the musical's song "The Big Dollhouse"). In both previous incarnations of Hairspray, Tracy is arrested and taken to jail along with the other protesters. Edna is presented in this version as an insecure introvert, in contrast to the relatively bolder incarnations present in the 1988 film and the stage musical.[20] Among many other elements changed or added to this version are the removal of Motormouth Maybelle's habit of speaking in rhyming jive talk, and doubling the number of teens in Corny Collins' Council (from ten on Broadway to twenty in the 2007 film).[28]

Dixon restructured portions of Hairspray's book to allow several of the songs to blend more naturally into the plot, in particular "(You're) Timeless to Me" and "I Know Where I've Been". "(You're) Timeless to Me" becomes the anchor of a newly invented subplot involving Velma's attempt to break up Edna and Wilbur’s marriage and keep Tracy off The Corny Collins Show as a result. The song now serves as Wilbur's apology to Edna, in addition to its original purpose in the stage musical as a tongue-in-cheek declaration of Wilbur and Edna's love for each other.[20] Meanwhile, "I Know Where I've Been", instead of being sung by Maybelle alone after being let out of jail, now underscores Maybelle's march on WYZT (which takes place in the stage musical only briefly during "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful").[20]

The song "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful" was inspired by a line that Tracy delivered in the original film ("Now all of Baltimore will know: I'm big, blonde and beautiful!"), but in the stage version and in this film, Motormouth Maybelle performs the song. A reprise of the song was added to the 2007 film, which is sung by Edna and Velma.

Pre-production and casting

Hairspray was produced on a budget of $75 million.[2] An open casting call was announced to cast unknowns in Atlanta, New York City, and Chicago. After auditioning over eleven hundred candidates,[29] Nikki Blonsky, an eighteen-year-old high school senior from Great Neck, New York who had no previous professional acting experience, was chosen for the lead role of Tracy.[30] Relative unknowns Elijah Kelley and Taylor Parks were chosen through similar audition contests to portray siblings Seaweed and Little Inez Stubbs, respectively. John Travolta was finally cast as Edna, with Christopher Walken ultimately assuming the role of Wilbur.[10] Several other stars, including Queen Latifah, James Marsden, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Allison Janney were chosen for the other supporting adult roles of Motormouth Maybelle, Corny Collins, Velma Von Tussle, and Prudy Pingleton, respectively. Teen stars Amanda Bynes, and Zac Efron were cast as Tracy's friends Penny and Link, and Brittany Snow was cast as her rival, Amber Von Tussle. Jerry Stiller, who played Wilbur Turnblad in the original film, appears as plus-sized women's clothes retailer Mr. Pinky in this version.[31]

Since Hairspray's plot focuses heavily on dance, choreography became a heavy focus for Shankman, who hired four assistant choreographers, Jamal Sims, Anne Fletcher, and Zach Woodlee, and put both his acting cast and over a hundred and fifty dancers through two months of rehearsals.[28][32] The cast recorded the vocal tracks for their songs as coached by Elaine Overholt in the weeks just before principal photography began in September.[32]

Principal photography

Principal photography took place in Toronto, and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada from September 5-December 8, 2006.[33][34] Hairspray is explicitly set in Baltimore, Maryland and the original 1988 film had been shot on location there, but the 2007 film was shot primarily in Toronto because the city was better equipped with the sound stages necessary to film a musical.[35][36] The opening shots of the descent from the clouds and the newspaper being dropped onto the stoop are the only times that the actual city of Baltimore is shown in the film.[36]

The majority of the film was shot at Toronto's Showline Studios.[37] Most of the street scenes were shot at the intersection of Dundas Street West and Roncesvalles Avenue. A PCC streetcar with Toronto Transit Commission livery is seen in the opening sequence. Some of the signs for the 1960s-era stores remain up along the street. Toronto's Lord Lansdowne Public School was used for all of the high school exteriors and some of the interiors, while the old Queen Victoria School in Hamilton was also used for interiors. Scenes at Queen Victoria were shot from November 22 to December 2, and the school was scheduled to be demolished after film production was completed.

Thinner than most of the other men who have portrayed Edna, Travolta appeared onscreen in a large fat suit, and required four hours of makeup in order to appear before the cameras.[10] His character's nimble dancing style belies her girth; Shankman based Edna's dancing style on the hippo ballerinas in the Dance of the Hours sequence in Walt Disney's 1940 animated feature, Fantasia.[11] Although early versions of the suit created "a dumpy, Alfred Hitchcock version of Edna,"[38] Travolta fought for the ability to give his character curves and a thick Baltimore accent.[10] Designed by Tony Gardner, the fat suit was created using lightweight synthetic materials, consisting of layered pads and silicone, which was used from the chest upwards.[38] The suit provided the additional benefit of covering Travolta's beard, eliminating the problem of his facial hair growing through his makeup midday.[38]

Shankman's inspirations

Shankman included "a lot of winks" to films that influenced his work on Hairspray:[11]

Reception

Box office

Hairspray debuted in 3,121 theaters in North America on July 20, 2007, the widest debut of any modern movie musical.[43] The film earned $27,476,745 in its opening weekend at #3, behind I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.[3] This made Hairspray the record-holder for the biggest opening weekend for a movie based on a Broadway musical.[4] This record was later broken by the release of Mamma Mia!, which grossed $27,751,240 on its opening weekend.[44] Hairspray has since gone on to become the fourth highest grossing musical in U.S. cinema history, surpassing The Rocky Horror Picture Show ($145 million) and Dreamgirls ($103 million), released seven months prior.[5] Ending its domestic run on October 25, 2007, Hairspray has a total domestic gross of $118,871,849 and $202,548,575 worldwide.[3] Its biggest overseas markets include the United Kingdom ($25.8 million), Australia ($14.4 million), Japan ($8 million), Italy ($4.6 million), France ($3.9 million) and Spain ($3.8 million).[45] This made Hairspray the third musical film in history to cross $200 million internationally, behind 1978's hit Grease ($395 million) and 2002's Chicago ($307 million).[5] It is the seventh highest-grossing PG-rated film of 2007, and has grossed more than other higher-budgeted summer releases like Ocean's Thirteen ($117 million) and Evan Almighty ($100 million).[46]

Two weeks after its original release, new "sing-along" prints of Hairspray were shipped to theaters.[47] These prints featured the lyrics to each song printed onscreen as subtitles, encouraging audiences to interact with the film. On January 4, 2008, Hairspray was re-released in New York and Los Angeles for one week because John Travolta was present for Q&A and autographs.[48]

Critical reception

Hairspray has garnered acclaim from film critics such as Roger Ebert, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe, as well as a smaller number of reviews comparing it unfavorably to the Waters original. The film is one of the top picks on Metacritic, with an average of 81.[49] It scored a 91% "Certified Fresh" approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, also indicating excellent reviews,[50] making it one of 2007's best-reviewed films.[51] Peter Rainer of The Christian Science Monitor named it the 4th best film of 2007.[52] Lou Lumenick of the New York Post named it the ninth best film of 2007.[52]

Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, saying that there was "a lot of craft and slyness lurking beneath the circa-1960s goofiness," also stating that "The point, however, is not the plot but the energy. Without somebody like Nikki Blonsky at the heart of the movie, it might fall flat, but everybody works at her level of happiness..."[53] Ebert also noted that this film is "a little more innocent than Waters would have made it..."[53] Krishna Shenoi, of the Shenoi Chronicle, called the movie "Shankman's masterpiece," saying that it moved away from his previous works into a different direction, making a light comedy that deals with serious issues maturely. Shenoi also said that the film was everything he wanted Grease to be. Lou Lumenick of The New York Post hailed Hairspray as "The best and most entertaining movie adaptation of a stage musical so far this century — and yes, I’m including the Oscar-winning Chicago," calling it "one of the best-cast movies in recent memory..."[54] New York Daily News critic Jack Matthews called the film "A great big sloppy kiss of entertainment for audiences weary of explosions, CGI effects and sequels, sequels, sequels."[55] The Baltimore Sun review offered Michael Sragow's opinion that "in its entirety, Hairspray has the funny tilt that only a director-choreographer like Shankman can give to a movie," pointing out that Shankman skillfully "puts a new-millennial zing behind exact re-creations of delirious period dances like the Mashed Potato."[56] Dana Stevens from Slate called Hairspray "intermittently tasty, if a little too frantically eager to please."[57] Stevens noted that "Despite its wholesomeness, this version stays remarkably true to the spirit of the original, with one size-60 exception: John Travolta as Edna Turnblad," saying "How you feel about Hairspray will depend entirely on your reaction to this performance..."[57]

The New Yorker's David Denby felt the new version of Hairspray was "perfectly pleasant," but compared unfavorably to the Broadway musical, since "[director Adam Shankman and screenwriter Leslie Dixon] have removed the traces of camp humor and Broadway blue that gave the stage show its happily knowing flavor."[58] Denby criticized the dance numbers, calling them "unimaginatively shot," and he considered "the idea of substituting John Travolta for Harvey Fierstein as Tracy’s hefty mother... a blandly earnest betrayal."[58] Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com found Hairspray "reasonably entertaining. But do we really need to be entertained reasonably? Waters' original was a crazy sprawl that made perfect sense; this Hairspray toils needlessly to make sense of that craziness, and something gets lost in the translation."[59] Zacharek was also displeased with the way Latifah's performance of "I Know Where I've Been" was incorporated into the movie, saying "The filmmakers may believe they're adding an extra layer of seriousness to the material... [but] the inclusion of this big production number only suggests that the filmmakers fear the audience won't get the movie's message unless it's spelled out for them."[59]

Washington Blade boycott controversy

Although it was generally received well by both critics and the box office, Hairspray nonetheless garnered some criticism upon its release by individuals in the gay community. Much of this criticism surrounded Travolta's portrayal of Edna Turnblad, a role played in the original film by celebrated drag performer Divine, and in the stage adaptation by Harvey Fierstein. Kevin Naff, a managing editor for Washington, D.C./Baltimore area gay newspaper the Washington Blade called for a boycott of the new Hairspray film, alleging that Scientology, in which Travolta believes, was patently homophobic, and allegedly supported workshops designed to "cure" homosexuals.[60] Adam Shankman protested Naff's proposed boycott, stating that Travolta was not homophobic, as he (Shankman), Waters, Shaiman, Wittman, and several other members of the creative staff were homosexual, and Travolta got along well with the entire crew.[61] "John's personal beliefs did not walk onto my set," said Shankman. "I never heard the word 'Scientology.'"[61]

Home media

Hairspray was released in standard DVD and HD Blu-ray Disc formats in Region 1 on November 20, 2007. The Blu-ray disc is encoded with 7.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio.[7] The standard DVD was released in two versions: a one-disc release and a two-disc "Shake and Shimmy" edition.

Bonus features on the two-disc release include two audio commentaries, a feature-length production documentary, featurettes on the earlier versions of Hairspray, dance instruction featurettes, deleted scenes including Tracy's deleted song "I Can Wait", a slightly extended ending, and an alternate version of the "Big, Blonde and Beautiful" reprise, and behind-the-scenes looks at the production of each of the film's dance numbers. The Blu-ray release, a two-disc release, includes all of the features from the two-disc DVD, and includes a picture-in-picture behind-the-scenes feature, which runs concurrently with the film. An HD DVD version of the film was originally slated for release in 2008, but was canceled due to New Line Cinema's announcement that it would go Blu-ray exclusive with immediate effect, thus dropping HD DVD support.[62][63]

Awards

Following is a list of awards that Hairspray or its cast have won or for which they have been nominated.[64]

Wins
Nominations

Cancelled sequel

Due to Hairspray's financial success, New Line Cinema had asked John Waters to write a sequel to the film.[74] Waters reunited with director/choreographer Adam Shankman for the project, and songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman were set to compose the film's musical numbers.[74][75]

The story would have looked at Tracy's entering the late 1960s era of music and the British Invasion,[76] and used the Hippie movement and Vietnam War as backdrops.[77] While no official casting was announced, New Line said that they hoped to "snag much of the original Hairspray cast."[74] John Travolta, however, publicly announced that he would not return because he is "not a big sequel guy".[78]

The sequel was set for a mid-July 2010 release by Warner Bros., which owns New Line Cinema.[74] However in June 2010, Shankman told British press that Hairspray 2: White Lipstick was no longer in development.[79] Shankman has also said that there will be no sequel.[80]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ The film's distribution rights were transferred to Warner Bros. in 2008.

References

  1. ↑ "HAIRSPRAY (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2012-11-05.
  2. 1 2 Marr, Merissa (2007-05-25). "At 20, Hairspray Gets a Third "Do".". Hollywood Report. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
  3. 1 2 3 "Hairspray (2007)". Box Office Mojo. 2007-08-23. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
  4. 1 2 Gray, Brandon (2007-07-23). "Chuck & Larry Can't Stop Hairspray Sheen". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Musical Movies". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  6. ↑ "High School Musical" breaks record. Reuters
  7. 1 2 Buckley, Michael (2007-11-18). "Stage To Screens: Menken & Schwartz Are "Enchanted"; Plus Bosco, Chenoweth, "Hairspray"". Playbill. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
  8. ↑ Dempsey, John (2007-10-04). "USA all lathered up for Hairspray". Variety. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
  9. ↑ "Hairspray Film Premiere Coverage Airs on MySpace Today". BroadwayWorld.com. 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Green, Jesse (2007-07-15). "Seeking His Inner Her, Size XXXL". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross". National Public Radio. 2007-07-19. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
  12. 1 2 Shankman, Adam (2007-07-13). "The Director's Chair: Adam Shankman's Hairspray Diary #6". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  13. 1 2 Yaeger, Lynn (2007-07-24). "Watered Down: The truth behind Hairspray". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Shankman, Adam (2007-07-17). "The Director's Chair: Adam Shankman's Hairspray Diary #8". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  15. 1 2 Hofler, Robert (March 2005). "A hubby for Hairspray. (Billy Crystal to act in New Line Cinema Corp.'s movie)". Daily Variety. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  16. ↑ "Jim Broadbent Cast as Wilbur in Hairspray Film". BroadwayWorld.com. 2006-08-07. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  17. 1 2 Roberts, Shiela (2007). "Amanda Bynes, Elijah Kelley Interview, Hairspray". MoviesOnline.ca. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  18. ↑ Shankman, Adam (2007-07-13). "The Director's Chair: Adam Shankman's Hairspray Diary #4". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Shankman, Adam (Director) (2007-11-20). Hairspray: Commentary with Director Adam Shankman and Nikki Blonsky (DVD). New York, NY: New Line Cinema. Event occurs at 1:28:50 - 1:29:03. Retrieved 2008-07-23. By the way, for those who don't know the agents are Marc Shaiman, uh, that's [Adam Shankman] in the sunglasses, there's Ricki Lake, and Scott Wittman, the other lyricist, smoking....
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Verini, Bob (July /August 2007). "Miss Beehive-ing: Leslie Dixon styles Hairspray for the Big Screen." Script. pp. 60-66
  21. 1 2 Shankman, Adam (2007-07-21). "The Director's Chair: Adam Shankman's Hairspray Diary #3". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 Burlingame, Jon (2007-07-11). "You Can't Stop The Beat: Shaiman's unrivaled songwriting talent is outed by Hairspray colleagues". The Film Music Society. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  23. ↑ Shankman, Adam (2007). Hairspray: Soundtrack to the Motion Picture [Liner notes]. New York: New Line Records.
  24. ↑ Shankman, Adam (2007-08-07). "The Director's Chair: Adam Shankman's Hairspray Diary #19". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  25. 1 2 3 Mohr, Ian (March 2007). "Casting looms for New Line's younger-skewing Hairspray.". Daily Variety. Archived from the original on December 26, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  26. ↑ "Craig Zadan and Neil Meron Signed to Produce New Line Cinema's Musical Film Version of Hairspray". Time Warner. 2004-11-29. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  27. ↑ Shankman, Adam (2007-07-11). "The Director's Chair: Adam Shankman's Hairspray Diary #2". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  28. 1 2 Shankman, Adam (2007-07-21). "The Director's Chair: Adam Shankman's Hairspray Diary #13". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  29. ↑ Shankman, Adam (2007-07-16). "The Director's Chair: Adam Shankman's Hairspray Diary #7". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
  30. ↑ Shankman, Adam (2007-07-19). "The Director's Chair: Adam Shankman's Hairspray Diary #9". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
  31. ↑ "Jerry Stiller to Make Cameo in Hairspray Film, Waters Too". BroadwayWorld.com. 2006-09-14. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  32. 1 2 Shankman, Adam (2007-07-21). "The Director's Chair: Adam Shankman's Hairspray Diary #11". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  33. ↑ Kennedy, John (2006-06-21). "Summer of stars". Canada.com. Retrieved 2006-06-25.
  34. ↑ "Internet Movie Database — List of Films shot in Hamilton, Ontario". Retrieved 2008-01-29.
  35. ↑ "Interview with director Adam Shankman on WBAL-TV Baltimore (at 4:16)". Youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
  36. 1 2 Zadan, Craig (Producer) (2007-11-20). Hairspray: Commentary with Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (DVD). New York, NY: New Line Cinema. Event occurs at 0:00:43 - 0:01:15. Retrieved 2008-07-23. Except that opening shot of Baltimore is the only shot of Baltimore in the entire movie. That and the newspaper going down on the stoop were actually shot in Baltimore. The Baltimore film commission made a big play to try and have us come there. We asked the question 'Do you have big sound stages?' and, uh, unfortunately the answer was no. When you do a movie musical you need big sound stages to build big sets, so because Baltimore did not have any big sets we shot in Toronto.
  37. ↑ Shankman, Adam (2007-07-21). "The Director's Chair: Adam Shankman's Hairspray Diary #12". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  38. 1 2 3 Washington, Julie (2007-07-20). "North Olmsted native Tony Gardner creates John Travolta's fat suit for Hairspray". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
  39. 1 2 Zadan, Craig (Producer) (2007-11-20). Hairspray: Commentary with Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (DVD). New York, NY: New Line Cinema. Event occurs at 0:02:00 - 0:02:47. Retrieved 2008-07-23. So the opening shot, basically coming down through the clouds and finding Baltimore is our homage to Robert Wise, to the director of West Side Story and The Sound of Music because both of those movies begin with shots through the clouds coming down. In West Side Story, it was through the streets of New York to find the Jets on this... schoolyard, and in, of course, the classic Sound of Music coming down through the clouds and finding Maria spinning on the mountaintop. And the other homage that we have in this song is, uh, our homage to Funny Girl. When Tracy Turnblad eventually gets on top of that garbage truck, that was our homage to Barbra Streisand in a tugboat during "Don't Rain on My Parade" in, in that great sequence in Funny Girl.
  40. ↑ Shankman, Adam (2007-07-25). "The Director's Chair: Adam Shankman's Hairspray Diary #15". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
  41. ↑ Shankman, Adam (Director) (2007-11-20). Hairspray: Commentary with Director Adam Shankman and Nikki Blonsky (DVD). New York, NY: New Line Cinema. Event occurs at 0:45:23 - 0:45:42. Retrieved 2008-07-23. This was Michelle Pfeiffer's first scene, and [Blonsky's] hairstyle I stole... as a joke off of Funny Girl, which is also what the garbage truck was too, which is like the tugboat in Funny Girl, but Barbra Streisand has, like, a hairdo just exactly like this in, umm, the scene where she goes over to Nicky Arnstein.
  42. ↑ Shankman, Adam (Director) (2007-11-20). Hairspray: Commentary with Director Adam Shankman and Nikki Blonsky (DVD). New York, NY: New Line Cinema. Event occurs at 1:37:47 - 1:37:59. Retrieved 2008-07-23. I think we had to sew Amanda into that dress.... It's her curtains from her bedroom which is an homage to Sound of Music. Another one of my little musical references.
  43. ↑ Mason, Steve (2007-07-19). "Weekly Tracking: Chuck & Larry likely 2nd to Potter w/$35M+; Hairspray w/widest opening in modern history for a musical, but is New Line opening too wide?". FantasyMoguls.com. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  44. ↑ "Mamma Mia! (2008)". Box Office Mojo. 2008-07-20. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
  45. ↑ "Hairspray (2007) - International Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
  46. ↑ "2007 Yearly Box Office for PG Rated Movies". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  47. ↑ Hernandex, Ernio (2007-07-31). "Blonsky and Kelly Screen Sing-Along "Hairspray" in NYC Aug. 1; Hits Theaters Aug. 3". Playbill. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  48. ↑ "Hairspray Returns in 2008". Shared Darkness. 2008-01-03. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  49. ↑ "Hairspray (2007): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
  50. ↑ "Hairspray (2007)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
  51. ↑ "Top Movies: Best of Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  52. 1 2 "Metacritic: 2007 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Archived from the original on January 2, 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
  53. 1 2 Ebert, Roger (2007-07-20). "Hairspray". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  54. ↑ Lumenick, Lou (2007-07-17). "Tons of Fun: Star-studded Musical Large and in Charge". New York Post. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  55. ↑ Matthews, Jack (2007-07-22). "Hair do...". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  56. ↑ Sragow, Michael (2007-07-20). "Hair apparent". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  57. 1 2 Stevens, Dana (2007-07-19). "Not a Drag: John Travolta in Hairspray". Slate. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  58. 1 2 Denby, David (2007-07-30). "Hairspray". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  59. 1 2 Zacharek, Stephanie (2007-07-20). "Hairspray". Salon.com. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  60. ↑ Walls, Jeannette (2007-07-03). "Travolta says Hairspray isn't a gay film". MSNBC. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  61. 1 2 "Shankman Blasts Proposed Hairspray Boycott". Hollywood.com. 2007-07-16. Archived from the original on 2013-01-25. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  62. ↑ "Warner Goes Blu: The Story So Far". High-Def Digest. 2008-01-06. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
  63. ↑ "New Line Details Transition to Blu-ray". High-Def Digest. 2008-01-08. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
  64. ↑ "Awards for Hairspray (2007)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  65. ↑ "Hairspray Wins 3 Hollywood Film Festival Awards". BroadwayWorld.com. 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  66. ↑ "Hollywood Fest Honors Ben Affleck, Jennifer Connelly, Neil Meron and Craig Zadan". Hollywood Film Festival. 2007-09-20. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  67. ↑ "Johh Travolta to Receive Hollywood Supporting Actor of the Year Award at Hollywood Film Festival's 11th Annual Hollywood Awards Presentation October 22". Hollywood Film Festival. 2007-09-25. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  68. ↑ "Hairspray gets Ensemble Acting Honors from Hollywood Film Festival". Hollywood Film Festival. 2007-08-08. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  69. ↑ ""Old Men" Tops Critics' Choice Awards". CBS News. 2008-01-08. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  70. ↑ "No Country for Old Men, Hairspray, Juno, There Will Be Blood Big Critics' Choice Winners". Fox News. 2008-01-08. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  71. ↑ "Blonsky, Coen, Enchanted & Hairspray Win Critics' Choice Awards". BroadwayWorld.com. 2008-01-08. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
  72. 1 2 "New Line Records Scores High on Billboard" (Press release). New Line Cinema. 2008-01-08. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  73. ↑ Hayes, Dade (2007-12-11). "Broadcast critics go Wild". Variety. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  74. 1 2 3 4 Gans, Andrew (2008-07-23). "John Waters to Pen Sequel to "Hairspray" Movie Musical". Playbill.com. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
  75. ↑ Fleming, Michael (2008-07-23). "New Line asks for more Hairspray". Variety. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  76. ↑ Hetrick, Adam (2008-12-01). "You Can't Stop the Beat: "Hairspray" Film Sequel Seeking Screenwriters". Playbill.com. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  77. ↑ ""Hairspray 2: White Lipstick" Plans". Moviesblog.mtv.com. January 5, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  78. ↑ "John Travolta Will Not Return for "Hairspray 2"". Flixster.com. October 28, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  79. ↑ Director Adam Shankman Says HAIRSPRAY 2 is Dead collider.com
  80. ↑ Hetrick, Adam."'Hairspray' Musical Film Sequel Will Not Materialize" playbill.com, June 3, 2010

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