Hairspray - Loved It!

Ethan has been asking about this movie for the past month or so. We all went today and it was sooo good. Jim is not a big fan of musicals and even he loved it. The kids were singing and bouncing along with the WONDERFUL soundtrack. John Travolta is amazing and every bit the Edna Turnblad that Divine was in the John Waters' original. In fact, I actually like the new Hairspray better . The Ricki Lake version was good mind you. But it was campy and had an underground, tongue-in-cheek vibe. And I found it just a little bit dark for some reason. The new Hairspray is a stage production made for the screen. I had that same wanna-get-up-and-dance-feeling like I had with Mama Mia. It's positive, it's fun. And that's just fine by me.


There were a couple of mild, suggestive gestures that the kids could have done without but oh well. And a wee bit of crude humor but nothing too over-the-top. The PG rating was fitting. Still, the tone of the film is so optimistic and upbeat that the few, fleeting detractors I mentioned are well worth enduring. I can't forget to mention that the new Tracy Turnblad, Nikki Blonsky--she's perfect for the role. Great voice, great dancer. I'm glad they took a chance on an unknown instead of picking a skinny starlet and trying to doctor her up with extra weight. Tracy had to be the real deal and is she ever.

We all left the theater with smiles and the kids were dancing their way back to the car. We bought the soundtrack on itunes as soon as we got home!

I totally recommend. Four stars from this Wheaton mommy.