Hairspray

In its third incarnation, John Waters' Hairspray has its smoothest edges yet with most if not all of the original Waters camp reduced to some poofy hair and a cross dressing John Travolta as its lead. Still, the movie, adapted from the musical based on the 1982 Waters' film, has much of the original's spark of rebellious spirit and a much more universally palatable, sugary delivery. It's a toe tapping, silly fun film about outsiders and the pains of prejudicial hierarchy, a treat in the sense that it manages to be a feel good summer flick at the same time that it's sticking in Waters' worthy jabs of social commentary and luring audiences into something whose message they may not have anticipated. Call it a surreptitious lecture or a pop culture ambush if you like, but it's obvious that more people are going to see this version of Hairspray than ever saw the original.

Newcomer Nikki Blonsky recreates the role of Tracy Turnblad here with extra spunk and great warmth. Tracy's defined by a certain naivete and unabashed joy for music and dance and Blonsky as a hand picked unknown exudes the same sense of triumph for being in this film that Tracy must for her success in getting herself a spot dancing on TV despite being atypically overweight for the medium. The joy of her performance, and most of the film for that matter, is that she actually seems to be having fun in the part. The movie is infectious and enjoyable from end to end with a collection of somewhat forgetable but never dull bouncy pop tunes and a few true standout showstoppers that solidify the unexpected power of the otherwise not much more than generally pleasant film. Count Queen Latifah among the scene stealers as Motormouth Maybelle, the host of "negro day" on the local American Bandstand-esque teen music show, The Corny Collins Show. Latifah nails the searing "I Know Where I've Been" which plays brilliantly here as a march anthem for an equal rights protest. Also standing out is the ice queen performance by Michelle Pfeiffer who makes her first return to the movie musical since the disastrous Grease 2 and delivers a thoroughly riotous performance as the self-righteous bitch Velma Von Tussle. Travolta too is making a big musical return with a funny, joke within a joke within a joke kind of performance as Tracy's mother Edna, a role originated by Waters' staple Divine and reprised by Harvey Fierstein on the stage.

Until now, director Adam Shankman has been best known for truly forgettable comedies like Cheaper by the Dozen (yes, parts 1 and 2), but here he's coming into his own as a able handler of a big screen comedy of note. His style is more competent than revelatory which gives the film a sadly serviceable and not exactly breathtaking sheen but as I discussed before such a tone has its uses. This Hairspray may not exactly rewrite the book on musical comedies but it's sure to sell tickets to a fun spectacle that's actually worth seeing, a fate that's perhaps better than the certain arthouse invisibility of a film tailored toward satisfying fans of Waters' more controversial attributes.

Grade: B+