CUT & DRY: A REVIEW OF HAIRSPRAY
You know how clown dolls are scary and you fear that they’ll come alive, like the possessed one in Poltergeist II? Yeah, that’s how I feel about John Travolta in drag. Nightmares. They shall follow.
Hairspray was not my first choice to see as a matinee, but it wasn’t my turn to choose. As it turns out, I enjoyed it far more than I expected…except for Travolta. He was distracting and creepy as a woman. Which isn’t really surprising; he can be that way as a man.
Screenwriter Leslie Dixon is no stranger to camp, drag, comedy or even Travolta; she also penned Mrs. Doubtfire and Look Who’s Talking Now. Hairspray was produced by Chicago‘s executive producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan.
I’m not one to recap an entire film or give anything away. I tend to just provide my opinion and cut to the chase. Here are the highlights from Hairspray:
Michelle Pfeiffer. She vamps her way through the movie, and steals every scene she appears in. Welcome back, Mrs. David E. Kelly. I might actually see Stardust now. And bring on I Could Never Be Your Woman (an Amy Heckerling film co-starring Paul Rudd, out in November; no trailer available yet).
James Marsden. Yes, it’s true. He of the wooden demeanor (see: all 3 X-Men films, Superman Returns, The Notebook) knocks this one out of the park as the cheesy American Bandstand-type host of a popular teen dance show.
Brittany Snow. Although her role in Hairspray resembles her character Meg on American Dreams, she kicks it up a notch and plays bitchy quite well. Those of us who witnessed her disconcerting stint as a neo-Nazi high school student on Nip/Tuck a few seasons ago recognize that there is far more to her golden image than meets the eye. I hope she takes on more glamour-free roles in the near future.
Queen Latifah. She’s pretty damn good in just about anything, even those clunkers that are best viewed on rainy Sunday afternoons (Last Holiday, anyone?). Just as in Chicago, the woman simply commands the screen and sings the hell out of every showtune.
Zac Efron. Okay, so I haven’t seen High School Musical 1 or 2, but he plays the young heartthrob with as much energy as…a young Travolta in Grease. I was pleasantly surprised by his performance.
Elijah Kelley. I had never heard of him. His only notable credit before Hairspray was last year’s Take the Lead, and that has yet to hit my TiVo. But the guy can flat-out dance.
Nikki Blonsky. It is hard to believe that this was her first film. She was born in 1988, the year that John Waters’ original Hairspray was released, and she more than filled the lead role that Ricki Lake mastered almost 20 years ago – she nailed it. Lake has a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in this version, as a talent agent.
Hairspray also features Amanda Bynes, Allison Janney and Christopher Walken.
I do have to say that although I enjoyed it in the theater, I would relegate Hairspray as a rental.
And for what it’s worth, this is how I prefer Travolta and Walken.
