Being a fan of musicals and admiring admiration for a lot of the cast, as well as hearing nothing but good things about it, watching 'Hairspray' (which has been on my to see list for a while, having been behind with film watching and reviewing) was a must.After seeing 'Hairspray', it left a huge positive impression on me and is a simply wonderful film all round. One of the better musicals in recent years and the most fun personally had for some time. It filled me with joy and uplifted me, it was such irresistible fun and a few elements left me pleasantly surprised. It is essentially a remake of the 1988 comedy and very much a worthy one.The cast are one of 'Hairspray's' biggest strengths. John Travolta's performance has divided audiences, count me in as someone who found him delightful. Christopher Walken is enormous fun and very likable, have heard him sing before with wildly variable success having been a disaster in 'Peter Pan Live' and rather out of place in the live action remake of 'The Jungle Book' (an excellent film otherwise) but in this regard it's one of his better vocal performances.Michelle Pfeiffer and Amanda Byrnes also enjoy themselves and Nikki Blonsky makes a stunning debut. The teens are also on top form, even Zac Efron is good.'Hairspray' is audaciously designed and film and is buoyantly directed. The musical numbers are catchy and infectious, as well as performed with enormous enthusiasm. They are also slickly choreographed.Script is very funny, sometimes even hilarious, and the story is filled to the brim with energy and easy to follow.Overall, irresistible and joyous fun. Well worth catching, in fact a must. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The opening was great and emerged self-confidence inside me. And the story was good actually. Somehow, something's missing here and I'm not quite sure what that is. Is it because it tells the story of the '60? I don't think so. Chicago's setting is away later than this and I love it so much. Mmm, maybe it's the songs??? Well, I guess they're really not my fave. Yet I'm happy enough to find that this movie is not telling the story of beauty salon as I've predicted from the cover and the title 😋😙 Queen Latifah is here and she's a lot skinnier than in Chicago. But I like her better in Chicago. And I don't see something special in John's acting besides the fact that he acts as an obese woman.

John Waters's classic cult flick, Hairspray, is presented in a third, modernized iteration. This wildly popular movie originally starred Divine as a mother and now has John Travolta reprising Divine's incredible role. Both play tragically overweight mothers that you just want to love back into their own beauty and grace.Travolta won me over, surprisingly, as Edna Turnblad. Her daughter Tracy, played by Nikki Blonksy, is utterly adorable and, damn, can this actress sing! Usually creepy Christopher Walken also surprised me as Tracy's absent-minded, sweet, and kind father, Wilbur Turnblad. I know, I know: Walken, no less! Michelle Pfeiffer plays the powerfully blond and powerfully overbearing boss (and another B-word) that everybody hates and does it flawlessly.Queen Latifah is spectacular (astonishing voice, comedic timing, and awesomeness!) and so are the actors who play her children, Little Inez (Taylor Parks) and Seaweek (Elijah Parks - what a voice!) Zac Efron and James Marsden are oh-so-sexy as they dance, sing, and charm. Amanda Bynes plays Tracy Turnblad's kooky and steadfast BFF. Allison Janney, as always, well plays the hyper-religious Catholic mother of Penny Pingleton (Bynes).Marc Shaiman's music repeatedly tears the roof off throughout this fabulous and ingenious new cult classic of musical theater. I've not seen or heard a musical score in ages so powerfully orchestrated and presented, nor voices so persistently clear and strong, nor lyrics that have meaning and reach across every conceivable division or perceived division in our often blessed and frequently bewildered species.This movie belts out the true meaning of love, inclusion, and diversity. Bravo, a thousand times so!

Hairspray was an overall great movie. The writer used a light-hearted dance show to shed some light on the topic of integration within Baltimore in the 60's. The story revolves around a white teenager who has witnessed the opportunities that were taken away from African-Americans at this time strictly due to the color of their skin. These African- Americans were not allowed to integrate with the white teenagers and dance on The Corny Collins show together. Instead, they were given Negro day to dance and even this right was eventually taken away from them. The main character, Tracy did not believe in this segregation so she joined them in an effort to desegregate. By the end of the movie, the African- Americans were integrated into the TV show. It was interesting to watch the fight for equality in this aspect of life for the African-Americans of the 1960's. It was a powerful example of segregation and the fact that it was shown in the entertainment industry makes the movie and the topic more interesting. All around a highly recommended movie that mixes history with entertainment.