Critic Reviews
Hairspray (2007) Rank 5 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (150) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Poor
0
(0)
Reviews by Score:
The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
From its ridiculously catchy opening number, through its funny but wholesome satire of early-'60s innocence, to its deliriously happy finale, "Hairspray" is as delightful and entertaining a musical as Hollywood has produced in years. It doesn't just ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
Christian Science Monitor
In Adam Shankman's adaptation of 'Hairspray,' a screwloose premise underscores one eminently sane message: sometimes, it's fun to stand up for who you really are. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Christian Science Monitor
ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
Based on the 1988 John Waters movie and the award-winning Broadway musical, Hairspray is set in Baltimore in 1962 and stars newcomer Nikki Blonsky as big-haired, big-hearted Tracy Turnblad, a full-figured girl whose only dream is to be a dancer on the ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
Sun Newspapers of Cleveland
Say bye-bye to "Bye, Bye Birdie." Take back the diploma from "High School Musical." When it comes to movie musicals about high school teens, "Grease" is no longer the word: It's now ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Sun Newspapers of Cleveland
San Francisco Chronicle
Enjoyable movies are released every week, but movies that have the capacity to delight -- movies like "Hairspray" -- are few and far between. This film version of the hit Broadway musical not only feels good in the moment but can actually transform a ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at San Francisco Chronicle
BBC Films
A combustible mix of sassy humour and brassy showtunes makes Hairspray one of the hottest musicals to come along in years. After bland family comedies like Cheaper By The Dozen 2 and The Pacifier, director Adam Shankman is gifted with great source ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at BBC Films
Houston Community Newspapers (Gary Brown)
If the recent rain has been giving you a case of the blahs, the best cure to come along is to go and see “Hairspray,” the rousing, foot stomping musical comedy that opened the other day. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Houston Community Newspapers (Gary Brown)
Toronto Star (Peter Howell)
You can do the Mashed Potato, or dance the Monkey, the Pony or the Boogaloo. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Toronto Star (Peter Howell)
eFilmCritic.com (Rob Gonsalves)
If we can’t have a new John Waters movie this year, a movie based on a musical based on a John Waters movie will have to do.
Hairspray began life in ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Rob Gonsalves)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) has all the right moves to be a sensation on "The Corny Collins Show," a dance showcase for Baltimore teens — if only she can shimmy past a few obstacles.
Plump, bouncy and committed to racial integration, she's out of ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at St. Louis Post-Dispatch
RopeofSilicon (Brad Brevet)
Thanks to some of the worst marketing ever for a movie my interest for this latest version of Hairspray couldn't have been any lower. In fact, I was dreading going to the screening. However, this was one of those times that I was happy this was my job ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at RopeofSilicon (Brad Brevet)
The Movie Insider (LaRae Meadows)
Hairspray is the toe-tappiest, finger snappiest, butt wiggilyist experience the studios have offered up in years. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The Movie Insider (LaRae Meadows)
ReelTalk (Betty Jo Tucker)
So what if Hairspray takes place during the 1960s? This big, bold, bodacious film version of the hit Broadway musical is timeless to me. I think it’s the best movie musical since Singin’ in the Rain -- which is quite a compliment, for that entertaining ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at ReelTalk (Betty Jo Tucker)
About.com Hollywood Movies (Rebecca Murray)
Hairspray is like a cinematic version of Disneyland. Walt Disney dubbed his theme park the “Happiest Place on Earth” and Hairspray has to be the happiest film of the past 20 years, even with its march against segregation led by a blonde haired Queen ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at About.com Hollywood Movies (Rebecca Murray)
Palo Alto Online (Susan Tavernetti)
Director Adam Shankman didn't need a jumbo can of Ultra Clutch hairspray to hold the joyfulness of this musical in place. Beginning with the wake-up tune of "Good Morning Baltimore," adorable newcomer Nikki Blonsky sets the high-spirited, energetic tone ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Palo Alto Online (Susan Tavernetti)
The King's Room (Paul Perkins)
Well this has been a great week for movie this is the second film I have given 5 stars to I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and This Great Film called Hairspray. Hairspray is Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, has only one ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The King's Room (Paul Perkins)
The Dallas Morning News
There's every reason that Tracy Turnblad should fail to get what she wants: In the movies, and too often in real life, a teenager who wears plus sizes, gets detention daily and has really strange parents just doesn't become a TV star or get the dreamy ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The Dallas Morning News
Frank's Reel Reviews
From the moment the first note of Good Morning Baltimore rang out I was hooked on the alluring wit of Hairspray and the infectious charm of Nikki Blonsky. The song is, of course, the opening number to Adam Shankman's version of the Broadway musical hit ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Frank's Reel Reviews
Christian Science Monitor
"Hairspray" is a feel-good musical that, for a change, actually makes you feel good. Based on the Tony award-winning Broadway show derived from the 1988 John Waters movie, it opens with a bang – the high-spirited "Good Morning Baltimore" – and never l ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Christian Science Monitor
New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
A rousing alternative in a marketplace packed with noisy, special-effects-heavy sequels, “Hairspray” is the best and most entertaining movie adaptation of a stage musical ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
Cinema 2000
Tracy Turnblad, uma rapariga grande com cabelo grande e um coração ainda maior, tem apenas uma paixão - dançar. O seu sonho é aparecer no “The Corny Collins Show” o programa de dança mais em voga da televisão de Baltimore. Mas é constantemente ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Cinema 2000
New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
The best musical so far this century, an irresistible adaptation of the Broadway hit inspired by John Waters' 1988 comedy about a plus-size teen (dazzling newcomer Nikki Blonsky) who wins a spot on a dance program and campaigns for integration in 1962 ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
The Sydney Morning Herald
Just so you know, the American movie musical is back. After Chicago and Dreamgirls, Hairspray is further evidence that somebody in Hollywood remembers. This is a film that inhabits all the traditions but with a twist.
It has everything you'd expect - ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The Sydney Morning Herald
The New Zealand Herald
You may have seen Hairspray before, either the original John Waters 1988 film starring Ricki Lake, or the Tony Award-winning 2002 Broadway musical adaptation, but that shouldn't stop you enjoying this new version which is an adaptation of the Broadway ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The New Zealand Herald
The Kansas City Star (Robert W. Butler)
Adam Shankman believes in destiny.
Specifically, he believes it always has been his destiny to make a film of the Broadway musical “Hairspray.”
From ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The Kansas City Star (Robert W. Butler)
The Arizona Republic
Only a die-hard grump could resist the giddy charms of Hairspray.
This sweet and sunny adaptation of the Broadway musical (itself taken from the 1988 film) is pure fun. You sit there watching the screen and find yourself smiling most of the time. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The Arizona Republic
Empire Movies (Erin Cullin)
The year was 1975, and a little-known actor who had gained his acting chops on Broadway with a role in a production of the musical, "Grease", was given the break of a lifetime when he was cast as Vinnie Barbarino in a new ABC television called "Welcome ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Empire Movies (Erin Cullin)
cinemattraction (Robert Levin)
There’s not a more ebullient film genre than the musical, when done correctly. Though it lost its relevance in the aftermath of the studio heyday, becoming beholden to B pictures and half-baked conceits, its return to form has been one of the notable ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at cinemattraction (Robert Levin)
Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)
With the sour scent of 2005’s hit-movie-turned-hit-musical-turned-lousy-movie “The Producers” still in the air, “Hairspray” had a lot to prove. What a relief then that Adam Shankman’s adaptation of the Broadway musical, based on the 1988 John Waters ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)
ReelTalk (Geoff Roberts)
Hairspray is a delightful musical comedy directed and choreographed by Adam Shankman. Set in Baltimore in 1962, the film was adapted from the award-winning Broadway musical and the script for the 1988 John Waters film. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at ReelTalk (Geoff Roberts)
Video Reviews with Joan Ellis
How has “Hairspray” sustained itself simultaneously on Broadway and in the multiplexes as a play and a movie? All the elements add up to high camp. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Video Reviews with Joan Ellis
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
"Hairspray" is just plain fun. Or maybe not so plain. There's a lot of craft and slyness lurking beneath the circa-1960s goofiness. The movie seems guileless and rambunctious, but it looks just right (like a Pat Boone musical) and sounds just right (like ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
filmcritic.com (Sean O'Connell)
As Hairspray opens, director Adam Shankman's camera parts the clouds and peers down from the heavens on beautiful Baltimore. A star is born. Maryland's blue-collar port city deserves top billing in the Hairspray credits, for it is as much a central ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at filmcritic.com (Sean O'Connell)
Flipside Movie Emporium (Rob Vaux)
I've always suspected that John Waters made the original Hairspray in order to trick suburbanites into renting Pink Flamingos. It explains how he could tone down his trademark subversion with such a sweet (and eminently mainstream) story... which makes ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Flipside Movie Emporium (Rob Vaux)
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 New York Times (A.O. Scott)
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 (A.O. Scott)
Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
That's not aerosol in those cans of coif product. It must be helium. What else accounts for Hairspray, so bouncy, so bubbly, so ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
Blackfilm.com
For all those folks who thought that the musical genre would start to fade out slowly because the last few big pictures haven’t produced the numbers that studios were looking for, think again. With “Chicago” going all the way to win Best Picture at the ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Blackfilm.com
Film Ireland
Sixteen years after the release of the original film, New Line Cinema has brought a feature film adaptation of the Tony award-winning Broadway production Hairspray. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Film Ireland
Three Movie Buffs (Eric Nash)
My son and I were practically dancing in our seats during You Can't Stop the Beat, at the end of Hairspray. Neither of us knew any of the songs prior to seeing this movie but so many of them are ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Three Movie Buffs (Eric Nash)
Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
“Hairspray” is a film of pure entertainment. Set in 1962, the film features lots of singing and dancing and silly jokes strung around a thin story. The singing and dancing numbers are good, but there isn't much variety to them and they wear a bit thin ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
Wow, musicals sure can be a lot of fun. Okay, so our last trip to the musicals, the dismal DREAMGIRLS, was anything but enjoyable, as the songs were more like loud screaming than actual singing. HAIRSPRAY, on the other hand, is more like CHICAGO, another ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at
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
Movie Picture Film (Scott Hoffman)
Alluded by controversy (what film isn't these days?) Adam Shankman's near perfect musical adaptation of the Tony award winning musical "Hairspray" opens today and already has people bitching about Travolta's recent comments that the film 'isn't gay' (it ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Movie Picture Film (Scott Hoffman)
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Like a bowler rolling a 300 game, like a baseball player pitching a no-hitter, when a filmmaker is in a groove it must feel like everything is working right.
Take ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Richmond Times-Dispatch
Do you ever feel gloomy or that your life is a constant series of failures and setbacks? Well, you can cure that feeling rather quickly if you just hang out for 1 hour with the ever-cheery Tracy Turnblad (Nikky Blonsky). She is an endearing Energizer ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at
MovieWeb (Francine Brokaw)
This is a fun musical romp through the streets of Baltimore circa the early 1960s. Tracy Turnblad is an idealistic and plump high school student who sees the world through rose colored glasses. To her everything is wonderful. Tracy's favorite thing to do ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at MovieWeb (Francine Brokaw)
Wow, musicals sure can be a lot of fun. Okay, so our last trip to the
musicals, the dismal DREAMGIRLS, was anything but enjoyable, as the songs
were more like loud screaming than actual singing. HAIRSPRAY, on the other
hand, is more like CHICAGO, ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at
The Kansas City Star (Robert W. Butler)
Exploding with energy, laughter, great dancing, knockout music and (mostly) breakneck pacing, “Hairspray” is the most enjoyable treatise on race in America since The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The Kansas City Star (Robert W. Butler)
Entertainment Insiders (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 classic directed by John Waters, ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Entertainment Insiders (Scott Mantz)
Boston Globe
To answer your first question: He looks like Barney. A huge, flesh-colored Barney. Or maybe like Barbra Streisand after a Botox overdose. Actually, there are times in "Hairspray " when John Travolta seems on the verge of being eaten by his fat suit, so ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Boston Globe
One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
What didn’t work for “The Producers” does for “Hairspray.” For Mel Brooks the movie-to-Broadway musical-to-movie ended with a bomb. For John Waters the trajectory is all uphill. His 1988 “Hairspray” was a probably his most mainstream picture, but it was ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
It's a gay thing. That seems to be the excuse most guys use to avoid musicals. Chicago? Gay. Dreamgirls? Supergay. Phantom of the Opera? Don't start. No way is Hairspray going to turn the dudes brokeback. For starters, it stars John Travolta in a dress. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
In the opening moments of "Hairspray," bubbly Tracy Turnblad bounces down the mean streets of her hometown belting out "Good Morning, Baltimore." Pausing at a trash can, she sings to ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)
I haven’t seen the 1988 John Waters film of the same name upon which Hairspray is based. Or, perhaps I should say that I haven’t seen the Broadway adaptation of the Waters movie that debuted in 2002 and is still going strong with the tourist crowd. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)
Do you ever feel gloomy or that your life is a
constant series of failures and setbacks? Well,
you can cure that feeling rather quickly if you
just hang out for 1 hour with the ever-cheery
Tracy Turnblad (Nikky Blonsky). She is an
endearing ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The evolution (or intelligent design) of "Hairspray" has its genesis with John Waters' 1988 camp-film satire about a heavyweight championship for the coveted title of Miss Teenage Hairspray 1962. Its exodus -- from talking about the mysteries of ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Reel.com
Hairspray is a lively and enjoyable adaptation (or as director Adam Shankman calls it, a "re-invention") of the Tony-winning Broadway musical, itself a singing-dancing remake of the 1988 John Waters film. While the source material has always seemed like ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Reel.com
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Traditionally, movie musicals are released in the "serious" fall season. But the shamelessly exuberant "Hairspray" is a summer film and proud of it. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
The Hollywood Reporter
John Travolta takes on John Waters in "Hairspray," and the result is anything but a drag in this appealingly goofy, all-singing, all-dancing screen adaptation of the Broadway musical based on the 1988 ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The Hollywood Reporter
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
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)
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)
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)
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)
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 (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)
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]
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
Just Press Play
That’s what Bob Dylan said back in the 60s, and it’s also the underlying message of Hairspray, which is set in the same era. Christopher Walken’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)
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)
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)
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
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
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)
Ruthless Reviews
It’s good to see that after all of these years, the Negroes can still sing and dance. I’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
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)
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
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)
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
Cineclub-Filmkritik
Es ist noch früh am morgen in Baltimore am 3. Mai 1962, in einem der vielen typisch amerikanischen Reihenhäuser 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
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
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)
Cinema in Focus (Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin)
“Hairspray” 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). Tracy’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)
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? It’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
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
El Criticon (Antonio Méndez Casanova)
Lo que alguna vez fue la vaselina en los años cincuenta, es ahora en los sesenta la laca para el cabello, ¿en un futuro será la crema moldeadora?
“Hairspray”, producción musical basada en la pelÃcula homónima de los años ochenta de John Waters ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at El Criticon (Antonio Méndez Casanova)
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
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)
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)
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)
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
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)
reVision
Fa un certo effetto dover considerare l’indipendente John Waters un classico del secolo scorso. L’acido corrosivo spruzzato, con volontà iconoclasta, dal beffardo autore di commedie bizzarre, sporche, volutamente volgari e trasgressive come Pink ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at reVision
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)
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
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)
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)
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)
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 — some of the most powerful, the most moving, the most evocative — I've onl ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Mutant Reviewers From Hell
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)
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
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)
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.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)
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)
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
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)
Mediasearch, Australia
An adaptation of the popular Broadway play (which was an adaptation of the 1988 John Waters cult film), “Hairspray” 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
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 möchte unbedingt Tänzerin in der populären "Corny Collins Show" werden. Obwohl sie in ihrer Kindheit schon öfter Nachteile wegen ihrer Fülle hatte und auch von ihrer Mutter nicht wirklich unterstützt ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at MovieMaze.de (Julia Stache)
filmdeculte.com (Nicolas Bardot)
A l'aube des années 60, Tracy, jeune fille rondelette et bien dans sa peau, n'a qu'un rêve: celui de danser dans son show télé favori, l'émission de Corny Collins. Sa route sera semée d'embûches et d'apprentissages. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at filmdeculte.com (Nicolas Bardot)
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
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
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 Waters’ 1988 film and the Broadway musical of 2002. It’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)
Time Out Chicago (Hank Sartin)
There’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, she’s like a walking exclamati ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Time Out Chicago (Hank Sartin)
Film e Dvd
Remake di un film di John Waters intitolato “Grasso è bello”, ripulito ed educato per l’occasione dal regista Adam Shankman, il musical, passato anche da Broadway nel 2002, come il titolo originale recita, è un inno all’emancipazione dei brutti ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Film e Dvd
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
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 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)
Off-screen
Chi l’avrebbe mai detto che la tranquilla Baltimora, ripresa dall’alto con i suoi quartieri tutti uguali, sarebbe stata scossa da un dirompente terremoto che avrebbe cambiato la vita e la mentalità dei suoi abitanti? Il sisma ha nome e cognome: si ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Off-screen
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 Christ’s onstage interview with Mink Stole for the 9th season of Midnight Mass, she called for a national boycott of Adam Shankman’s Hairspray. Granted, she enthusiastically—if not hastily—proposed said boycott as an indirect compl ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Twitch (Michael Guillen)
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)
Slate (Dana Stevens)
Hairspray (New Line Cinema) isn't quite Grease—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 Dreamgirls—a bland, high-minded slog that serv ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Slate (Dana Stevens)
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
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)
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
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
My experience with “Hairspray” is limited to a single viewing of the original John Waters film during its theatrical run in 1988. My initial impressions, as well as can be remembered through a couple decades worth of alcohol abuse and (secondhand) bong ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Haro Online
When Hairspray originally debuted on screens in 1988, people thought it was weird for a John Waters film. That is saying a lot. Waters (A Dirty Shame, Cecil B. Demented), was notorious for outrageous, lowbrow, boundary pushing movies (he has since ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Haro Online
Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
There's nothing Divine about this tame Hairspray. Though it opens and closes on a high note, as we start with the lively song of "Good Morning, Baltimore" and it closes with the cross-dressing Travolta revisiting the dance floor from his earlier days to ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Salon (Stephanie Zacharek)
I occasionally receive scolding letters from readers when I compare, unfavorably or otherwise, a recent movie with an older one, particularly if the earlier one isn't a picture they've seen or even heard of. Some people believe critics ought to go into ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Salon (Stephanie Zacharek)
Cinopsis
Baltimore. Tracy, jeune fille enrobée et à la chevelure imposante, se réveille comme chaque matin et se rend joyeusement à l'école. Malheureusement sa journée de classe est moins enthousiasmante et elle attend avec impatience la fin des cours pour a ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Cinopsis
Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)
In 1962 Baltimore, Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) a chubby teenager who suffers through every school day awaiting impatiently the end of class to run home and watch The Corny Collins Show, where nice white kids sing and dance every afternoon. Colored ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Michael Machosky)
There is no good reason for this movie to exist. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Michael Machosky)
Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
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 ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
Box Office Mojo (Scott Holleran)
Light as a feather, unrelenting and infectious, Hairspray is an exhausting ensemble vehicle with ample rewards. Great tunes and emotional depth are not among them, but this remake (I did not see previous incarnations) has enough highly charged numbers ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Box Office Mojo (Scott Holleran)
eFilmCritic.com (Brian Orndorf)
When John Waters assembled his first mainstream feature with 1988’s “Hairspray,” the world took notice. Setting aside the extremities of his Dreamland motley crew for a brief moment while he romanticized the dance fever of his youth, the film was not ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Brian Orndorf)
Filmjerk.com (Brian Orndorf)
When John Waters assembled his first mainstream feature with 1988's "Hairspray," the world took notice. ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Filmjerk.com (Brian Orndorf)
The Guardian (Peter Bradshaw)
Michelle Pfeiffer has been away from the screen long enough to rate a mention in the Whatever Happened To? chart, though on this score she's still behind Joe Pesci, and a long way below that ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at The Guardian (Peter Bradshaw)
If you want to see an entertaining musical, one with pretty girls and tuneful songs and great dancing, avoid Hairspray. While this is supposed to be a simple story of a fat girl, Tracy Turnblad (4-foot, 10-inch Nikki Blonsky), who wants to dance on The ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at
Orlando Weekly (John Thomason)
The pillaging and plundering of classic cinema for hollow Hollywood rehashes is nothing new, but there are few recent examples as execrable as Hairspray. This screen-to-stage-to-screen disaster spits in the face of John Waters’ decade-defining pop ...read the complete Hairspray movie review at Orlando Weekly (John Thomason)
from $2.00 (28 sellers)
User Reviews
User Review Summary
based on (2) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Excellent
4
(0)
Fair
1
(0)
Poor
0
(0)
by tiffany on January 30, 2009 Ogden, Utah
A fun remake! Of course nothing will ever be better then an original John Waters film. But this was entertaining to watch from start to finish. And would be a good soundtrack to own. ...
by darin on April 06, 2009 North Salt Lake, Utah
I believe Tiffany is correct, this movie was very good, but nothing can every match the original. This musical has catchy songs. After watching this show you will find yourself really thinking about the past and how it has really changed to today. Very ...
User Comments
del.icio.us
Digg
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! My Web
Facebook
Google Bookmarks
ma.gnolia
Newsvine
reddit
Windows Live
