Hairspray (2007) Rank 3 Reviews

The Seattle Times (Moira Macdonald)

If there's a debut performance on film this year that's better than Nikki Blonsky's in the daffily adorable film musical "Hairspray," I can't wait to see it. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The Seattle Times (Moira Macdonald)

Screen International

As an adaptation of an adaptation, Hairspray beats the odds against turning a musical based on a film into a credible movie, with a punchy cast that delivers the musical numbers without sacrificing the comedy. The score also ups the ante with new numbers ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Screen International

Scott's Movie Reviews (Scott Mantz)

There�s no question about it: �Hairspray� is, by far, the most fun you�ll have at the movies all summer long. The big screen version of the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit musical, which itself was based on the 1988 cult ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Scott's Movie Reviews (Scott Mantz)

Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)

John Waters should be one happy fella. His 1988 film, Hairspray has lost none of its charm, kitsch or energy in its latest form.The pedigree of this film is long. It was first a film, then a Broadway musical and now it is has been brought back to the big ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)

Bullz-Eye.com

As I�m coming home from the screening of �Hairspray� and forming this review in my head, my mind was saying this was a three-and-a-half-star movie. Then I got home, checked my notes, and discovered that I gave last year�s �60s R&B-flavored musical ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Bullz-Eye.com

FilmJudge (David Mercier)

In 1960s Baltimore, chubby teenager Tracy Turnblad (Blonsky) and her friend Penny Pingleton (Bynes) are huge fans of the Corny Collins Show, and adore its resident hunk Link Larkin (Efron). When one of the dancers from the show quits the girls audition ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at FilmJudge (David Mercier)

eFilmCritic.com (David Cornelius)

There was always something deliciously subversive about the 1988 film �Hairspray� - a fun-for-the-whole-family comedy from the guy that made �Pink Flamingos� and �Polyester.� In 2002, the movie was adapted into a hit Broadway musical, and I could imagine ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at eFilmCritic.com (David Cornelius)

eFilmCritic.com (Erik Childress)

John Waters� Hairspray was a turnabout in his career; a most accessible, kitschy �60s pastiche that run counter to films featuring Odor-ama, chicken sex and masticated dog feces. It was also so �PG� that Waters did little but sit back and let the camera ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Erik Childress)

efilmcritic.com (Peter Sobczynski)

The new musical �Hairspray� comes to theaters with two large and unavoidable obstacles to overcome. The first is the fact that while there has been a slight upturn in the production of full-scale movie musicals in the wake of the success of 2002's ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at efilmcritic.com (Peter Sobczynski)

Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)

Hairspray works so well as a musical that I can't remember anymore what it was like when it wasn't one. I last saw John Waters's original 1988 Hairspray when it came out on VHS, and I remember really liking it because it was goofy and presented a rather ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)

Empire Magazine [UK]

From the opening sequence, in which Nikki Blonsky�s tubby teen, Tracy Turnblad, delivers a wonderful ode to her home town of Baltimore from atop a garbage truck, the tone is set: trashy in the extreme, but never rubbish. Far from it, this lively and ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Empire Magazine [UK]

Just Press Play

Thatâ��s what Bob Dylan said back in the 60s, and itâ��s also the underlying message of Hairspray, which is set in the same era. Christopher Walkenâ��s character even offers a pearl of wisdom along the same lines in the movie. Based on a Broadway hit b ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Just Press Play

Apollo Guide (Brian Webster)

Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) has big dreams � of being the dance sensation of 1962 Baltimore � and a big problem: she�s a social outcast due to people�s reactions to her large size. What�s a girl to do? Adam Shankman directs this campy ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Apollo Guide (Brian Webster)

Apollo Guide (Brian Webster)

Depending on your perspective, the fact that New Line Cinema, a once-independent film studio that was gobbled up by Turner Broadcasting System and then Time Warner in the 1990s, decided to cash in on the marketing potential of a film version of the ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Apollo Guide (Brian Webster)

The Denver Post

"Hairspray" is an infectious aerosol comedy with nearly every hair in place. The triumph of the little fat girl is now a triumph of the screen, stage ... and screen again. From its catchy choreography to its peppy pop, you can't stop the beat. Go ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The Denver Post

Preview Family Movie Review

I�m not a fan of men in drag movies, and the trailer to this one focused so much attention on John Travolta in a female fat suit that I found it a chore attending the screening. I had not seen the original and have always found the bizarre John Waters ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Preview Family Movie Review

The New York Times

That �Hairspray� is good-hearted is no surprise. Adam Shankman�s film, lovingly adapted from the Broadway musical, preserves the inclusive, celebratory spirit of John Waters�s 1988 movie, in which bigger-boned, darker-skinned and otherwise different folk ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The New York Times

Mark Reviews Movies (Mark Dujsik)

I suppose this whole movie-to-Broadway-musical fad is fine, as long as when the shows head back to the screen they are at least as lively as Hairspray. The 1988 John Waters' film was adapted to a 2002 Broadway musical that won eight Tony Awards, is ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Mark Reviews Movies (Mark Dujsik)

Mutant Reviewers From Hell

You know, sometimes the movies I like aren't necessarily the best movies. I'm not saying that I don't like good movies, far from it. But some of the best movies I've ever seen â�� some of the most powerful, the most moving, the most evocative â�� I've onl ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Mutant Reviewers From Hell

Chicago Tribune (Matt Pais)

Perky, open-minded and overweight teen Tracy Turnblad (likable newcomer Nikki Blonsky) dreams of shaking her stuff on local TV's Corny Collins show despite her mom Edna's (John Travolta in drag) objections. When Tracy gets her wish, her presence sets off ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Chicago Tribune (Matt Pais)

ReelTalk (John P. McCarthy)

Hairspray -- the candy-colored film version of the Broadway hit inspired by John Waters' 1988 movie -- does what a musical should: it makes you feel good. Never mind that it also engenders some guilt and ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at ReelTalk (John P. McCarthy)

hoopla.nu

Just when you thought modern storytelling couldn't get any more cannibalistic, along comes a movie based on a stage musical based on a movie. How do you judge a screen musical? If you don't walk out humming the tunes to yourself (or belting them out ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at hoopla.nu

CNN Showbiz (Paul Clinton)

Nikki Blonsky. The name doesn't exactly sing. It's at least as flat -- and, if you'll pardon the expression, as "ethnic" -- as Tracy Turnblad, the dance-crazy Baltimore teenager Ms. Blonsky plays in ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at CNN Showbiz (Paul Clinton)

Chicago Tribune (Matt Pais)

Perky, open-minded and overweight teen Tracy Turnblad (likable newcomer Nikki Blonsky) dreams of shaking her stuff on local TV's Corny Collins show despite objections from her mom Edna (John Travolta in drag). When Tracy gets her wish, her presence sets ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Chicago Tribune (Matt Pais)

Xi-online (Gabriella Ader)

Waarom worden wij toch allemaal zo enthousiast van dansfilms? Met name de wat oudere, maar tijdloze, films lijken onze voorkeur te hebben: Grease, Dirty Dancing, Fame maar ook Hairspray spreekt tot de verbeelding. Het ontroerende verhaal van de hitfilm ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Xi-online (Gabriella Ader)

Mediasearch, Australia

An adaptation of the popular Broadway play (which was an adaptation of the 1988 John Waters cult film), â��Hairsprayâ�� stars newcomer Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnbland, a pleasantly plump high school student who lives in the segregated city of Baltimore w ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Mediasearch, Australia

Cineclub-Filmkritik

Es ist noch frÃ¼h am morgen in Baltimore am 3. Mai 1962, in einem der vielen typisch amerikanischen ReihenhÃ¤user der Arbeiterklasse klingelt der Wecker und Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) wacht aus ihrem Schlaf auf. Es dauert nur wenige Sekunden und schon ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Cineclub-Filmkritik

Political Film Society

Hairspray, based on a 1988 film that became a Broadway musical in 2003, has returned to the screen as a musical with a nostalgic reminder that racial integration required pickets to prevail over bigots and that women could best rise from traditional ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Political Film Society

Cinema in Focus (Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin)

â��Hairsprayâ�� is a wacky and satirical look at the life of a pudgy Tracy Turnblad (played by Nikki Blonsky who had never been in a movie before). Tracyâ��s life dream is to dance on the Corny Collins Show, a local TV program patterned after American ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Cinema in Focus (Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin)

KYW Newsradio (Bill Wine)

It may not affect your hair. But Hairspray puts an ear-to-ear smile on your face and keeps it there through the final credits. Ultimately, it's the refreshing unpretentiousness of Hairspray that wins the day. After all, just because a film is ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at KYW Newsradio (Bill Wine)

El Criticon (Antonio Méndez Casanova)

Lo que alguna vez fue la vaselina en los aÃ±os cincuenta, es ahora en los sesenta la laca para el cabello, Â¿en un futuro serÃ¡ la crema moldeadora? â��Hairsprayâ��, producciÃ³n musical basada en la pelÃcula homÃ³nima de los aÃ±os ochenta de John Waters ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at El Criticon (Antonio Méndez Casanova)

culturevulture.net, Choices for the Cognoscenti

Who would have guessed that a movie musical based on a Broadway musical based on an even earlier non-musical movie could be so good? Itâ��s not that director Adam Shankman has created art-with-a-capital-A or a new form or anything, this is a highly ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at culturevulture.net, Choices for the Cognoscenti

Plugged In

Tracy Turnblad is happy with her teen life in 1962. And unrepressed joy bursts out through her feet and hips and mile-high, hairspray-shellacked bouffant as she dances down the streets of her beloved Baltimore. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Plugged In

Ruthless Reviews

Itâ��s good to see that after all of these years, the Negroes can still sing and dance. Iâ��d been concerned that with all the activism, protesting, and calls for civility in public life, blacks had thrown off the shackles of their natural rhythm and were ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Ruthless Reviews

reVision

Fa un certo effetto dover considerare lâ��indipendente John Waters un classico del secolo scorso. Lâ��acido corrosivo spruzzato, con volontÃ iconoclasta, dal beffardo autore di commedie bizzarre, sporche, volutamente volgari e trasgressive come Pink ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at reVision

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Sneaks in morals about racial harmony and positive self-image in between its tongue-in-cheek survey of Kennedy-era rock 'n' ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)

The film bursts onto the screen with robust energy, youth, and vigor. With tongue firmly in cheek, it pokes fun at everyone. Keep an eye out, between the square-in-your-face humor, there are also plenty of quietly subtle ironic jokes sprinkled throughout. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)

The New Yorker (David Denby)

The movie version of the hit Broadway musical �Hairspray� is perfectly pleasant�I smiled to myself all the way through it�but it�s not as exhilarating as the show. For a subject like this�old dance crazes and pop styles�what matters is not so much the ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The New Yorker (David Denby)

Film Journal International (Kevin Lally)

That Baltimore's cinema transgressor John Waters made a PG-rated film in 1988 was shocking enough. But when his low-budget comedy Hairspray became an audience-friendly, Tony-winning Broadway musical in 2002, it was nothing less than mind-blowing. Now, in ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Film Journal International (Kevin Lally)

Slant Magazine

adam Shankman is responsible for some of this decade's lousiest Hollywood product, and though his 2003 abomination Bringing Down the House may be big in some circles (particularly among gays who should be turned off by its minstrelsy), it's a ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Slant Magazine

Film Freak Central

It's pretty easy to take the neo-hipster stance of having been there when Divine ate dog shit and, because of status conferred by said endurance of John Waters at his most insouciantly "fuck you," to ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Film Freak Central

Hollywood.com (Kit Bowen)

When eccentric writer/director John Waters made the subversive but colorful Hairspray in 1988�about a plus-sized girl and her dreams to dance, as she breaks taboos in the early �60s�he probably thought it would be chalked ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Hollywood.com (Kit Bowen)

Spirituality & Health (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)

Hairspray is based on the 1988 screenplay by John Waters and the 2002 musical stage play. Its choreographer and director, Adam Shankman, has created a jubilant, funny, and phantasmagorical movie about an outsider who finds a way to fulfill her dreams. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Spirituality & Health (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)

Los Angeles Times (Carina Chocano)

At first blush, the idea of a movie musical based on the Broadway musical based on "Hairspray," the film by John Waters, seems beyond derivative � it's practically inbred. So it comes as a surprise when the movie turns out to be as happy, healthy and ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Los Angeles Times (Carina Chocano)

Time Out

Let�s get one thing clear: there is nothing questionable about heterosexual actor John Travolta clad in a fat suit, dragged up in pink sequins and breathily trilling �I�m the cutest chickie that you ever did see!� There is, however, something awkward and ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Time Out

Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf)

I recently returned to see the Broadway show �Hairspray� and found it in slick working order. There have been cast changes through the years, but the show itself is the star no matter who�s in it, and new audiences still enjoy its spirit and the fun it ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf)

ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

Hairspray follows in the footsteps of Little Shop of Horrors and The Producers as campy movies that became even more campy stage musicals before returning to the screen in lavish song-and-dance productions. (Spamalot may be the next title to follow this ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

Austin Chronicle (Steve Davis)

If ever there were a happy summer movie, it�s Hairspray. But for all its bubbly musical numbers and effervescent good humor, this film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical feels oddly lacquered � it�s John Waters by ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Austin Chronicle (Steve Davis)

Hairspray (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for

Infectious and relentless, Adam Shankman's Hairspray is an explosion of pixie dust and pastel frosting. It barrels along on the propulsion of bright smiles and swinging hips, inviting unbelievable fun for those willing to keep up with its cha-cha-cha ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at

The Spinning Image (Keith Rockmael)

Poor Baltimore. It�s always getting picked on for being too humid or having a perennially bad baseball team but thanks to the remodeled for the big screen version of �Hairspray� the city of Edgar Allan Poe may get some rekindled ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The Spinning Image (Keith Rockmael)

KYW Newsradio (Bill Wine)

It may not affect your hair. But Hairspray puts an ear-to-ear smile on your face and keeps it there through the final credits. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at KYW Newsradio (Bill Wine)

Washington Post (Stephen Hunter)

BALTIMORE The city on the bay is awash -- the citizens would say "awarsh" -- with local heroes this week. The great Cal Ripken is about to enter baseball's Hall of Fame and Cal Love is so dense the vapors bring moisture to your eyes and clear your ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Washington Post (Stephen Hunter)

Variety

Director-choreographer Adam Shankman's buoyant stage-to-screen translation of "Hairspray" may not equal the comic zest of its 1988 root source, John Waters' first and still-finest mainstream feature. Nonetheless, it's one of the best Broadway-tuner ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Variety

Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)

As a musical, "Hairspray," whether on Broadway or on the screen, does not compare favorably to "Grease," with which it can be most closely compared. "Grease," which deals with rebellious high-school kids during the 1950's, has a wide variety of dances ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)

New York Magazine (David Edelstein)

Hairspray lays it on real thick; Sienna Miller and Steve Buscemi go at each other brilliantly. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at New York Magazine (David Edelstein)

Reeling Reviews (Robin and Laura Clifford)

1962 Baltimore. Teenaged Tracy Turnblad (newcomer Nikki Blonsky) wants nothing more than to dance on a local afternoon show. When she gets a shot at an audition, overweight mom Edna (John Travolta) is afraid her affliction, which her daughter has ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Reeling Reviews (Robin and Laura Clifford)

ReelzChannel (Heather Huntington)

I went into Hairspray a skeptic. No, that's not exactly right. I went into Hairspray angry is more like it. I remember watching the original Hairspray by John Waters when I was in high school--and while this isn't exactly my first gig out of college, ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at ReelzChannel (Heather Huntington)

MovieMaze.de (Julia Stache)

Die etwas pummelige Tracy Turnblad aus Baltimore mÃ¶chte unbedingt TÃ¤nzerin in der populÃ¤ren "Corny Collins Show" werden. Obwohl sie in ihrer Kindheit schon Ã¶fter Nachteile wegen ihrer FÃ¼lle hatte und auch von ihrer Mutter nicht wirklich unterstÃ¼tzt ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at MovieMaze.de (Julia Stache)

ShowBIZ Data

Hairspray , a remake of the 1988 John Waters film that starred a man (the late Divine) in drag, may not be as groundbreaking as the original, but it certainly is creating as much of a stir. "Hairspray is just plain fun," writes Roger Ebert in the Chicago ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at ShowBIZ Data

The Movie Chicks

It's 1962 in Baltimore, and for Tracy (Nikki Blonsky) and Penny (Amanda Bynes) the only thing worth getting excited about is The Corny Collins Show - a local daily teen dance show with the popular host (James Marsden) and the "nicest kids in town". Tracy ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The Movie Chicks

Jam! Movies

Hairspray is all calories and fizz -- a super-sized pleasure and the summer's pluckiest surprise. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Jam! Movies

Film e Dvd

Remake di un film di John Waters intitolato â��Grasso Ã¨ belloâ��, ripulito ed educato per lâ��occasione dal regista Adam Shankman, il musical, passato anche da Broadway nel 2002, come il titolo originale recita, Ã¨ un inno allâ��emancipazione dei brutti ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Film e Dvd

kids-in-mind

Stage-to-screen musical taking place in 1960s Baltimore, and based on the eponymous 1988 John Waters film: Tracy (Nicole Blonsky) is a teenage girl who dreams of dancing on a local dance show and proving that people who berate her for her weight are ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at kids-in-mind

Movie-Vault.com (Avril Carruthers)

A blast of fun, retro music and dance and even more retro attitudes and fashions, Hairspray is based on John Watersâ�� 1988 film and the Broadway musical of 2002. Itâ��s a musical comedy of vaudevillian mould complete with dame and villain. A brilliant Jo ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Movie-Vault.com (Avril Carruthers)

filmdeculte.com (Nicolas Bardot)

A l'aube des annÃ©es 60, Tracy, jeune fille rondelette et bien dans sa peau, n'a qu'un rÃªve: celui de danser dans son show tÃ©lÃ© favori, l'Ã©mission de Corny Collins. Sa route sera semÃ©e d'embÃ»ches et d'apprentissages. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at filmdeculte.com (Nicolas Bardot)

Time Out Chicago (Hank Sartin)

Thereâ��s a lot of star power in the cast of Hairspray, but the movie belongs to newcomer Blonsky. As young Tracy Turnblad, a plus-size teen in 1962 Baltimore who dreams of being on the local version of American Bandstand, sheâ��s like a walking exclamati ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Time Out Chicago (Hank Sartin)

Movies 101 (Robert Glatzer)

"Hairspray" is the kind of movie musical that's peppy, cute, sprightly, vivacious, even tuneful - unfortunately it's not funny. It's not funny in the way that John Waters's original 1988 film was funny - that is, Waters's film had witty lines, witty ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Movies 101 (Robert Glatzer)

Off-screen

Chi lâ��avrebbe mai detto che la tranquilla Baltimora, ripresa dallâ��alto con i suoi quartieri tutti uguali, sarebbe stata scossa da un dirompente terremoto che avrebbe cambiato la vita e la mentalitÃ dei suoi abitanti? Il sisma ha nome e cognome: si ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Off-screen

Christian Spotlight on the Movies

"Hairspray" is a musical extravaganza, wanting to enthrall it�s audience and capture some of the exuberance of the Broadway show. Unfortunately, it felt forced on the audience. It says �hey, look at me aren�t, I ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Christian Spotlight on the Movies

The Movie Boy (Dustin Putman)

A big-screen adaptation of the 2002 Tony-winning Broadway musical by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (itself based on the 1988 John Waters cult classic), this third "Hairspray" incarnation is the weakest of the bunch but a lot of fun all the same. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The Movie Boy (Dustin Putman)

Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Ironically, the biggest name in the cast of the new movie version of "Hairspray" is actually the film's biggest liability. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Deseret News, Salt Lake City

The Cranky Critic (Chuck Schwartz)

Cranky admits that I really don't care much for musicals. That goes way back to high school days, when musicals usually meant songs dropped into dramas willy nilly. The songs written for musicals considered "classics" in those days were based on musical ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The Cranky Critic (Chuck Schwartz)

USA Today (Claudia Puig)

John Travolta may stand out as a plus-size laundress who is hesitant, drab and retiring, but Hairspray is a consistently flashy, rousing and rambunctious movie spectacle. It's hard to keep a smile off your face and your toes from tapping during this ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at USA Today (Claudia Puig)

Twitch (Michael Guillen)

During Peaches Christâ��s onstage interview with Mink Stole for the 9th season of Midnight Mass, she called for a national boycott of Adam Shankmanâ��s Hairspray. Granted, she enthusiasticallyâ��if not hastilyâ��proposed said boycott as an indirect compl ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Twitch (Michael Guillen)

Parent Previews

John Travolta in drag, teen smoking, and many moments of sexual innuendo in a PG movie? Obviously the MPAA's Classification and Ratings Administration bought into Hairspray's light and fluffy sarcastic tone. Any parents wondering if this musical romp, ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Parent Previews

Slate (Dana Stevens)

Hairspray (New Line Cinema) isn't quite Greaseâ��an all-singing, all-dancing event so irresistibly vulgar that it promises to single-handedly revive the movie musical for a new generation. But neither is it Dreamgirlsâ��a bland, high-minded slog that serv ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Slate (Dana Stevens)

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Hairspray (2007) Rank 3 Reviews

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