Hairspray (2007 film)

Hairspray
Film poster
Directed by	Adam Shankman
Written by	John Waters (1988 film screenplay) Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell (stage musical) Leslie Dixon
Produced by	Craig Zadan Neil Meron
Starring	John Travolta Michelle Pfeiffer Christopher Walken Amanda Bynes James Marsden Queen Latifah Brittany Snow Zac Efron Elijah Kelley Allison Janney Nikki Blonsky
Cinematography	Bojan Bazelli
Edited by	Michael Tronick
Music by	Marc Shaiman Scott Wittman
Distributed by	New Line Cinema
Release dates	July 20 2007 September 13, 2007
Running time	117 minutes
Country	USA
Language	English
Budget	$75 million

Hairspray is a 2007 American musical film. Produced by Zadan/Meron Productions and distributed by New Line Cinema, it was released in the United States and the United Kingdom on July 20, 2007.

The film is an adaptation of the Tony Award-winning 2002 Broadway musical of the same name, itself adapted from John Waters' 1988 comedy film. Set in 1962 Baltimore, the film follows a "pleasantly plump" girl named Tracy Turnblad as she simultaneously pursues stardom as a dancer on a local TV show and rallies against racial segregation.

Adapted from both Waters' 1988 script and Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell's book for the stage musical by screenwriter Leslie Dixon, the 2007 version of Hairspray is directed and choreographed by Adam Shankman. Hairspray stars John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, and Queen Latifah. The film also stars Brittany Snow, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley, Allison Janney, and introduces newcomer Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad. Hairspray features songs from the Broadway musical written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, as well as two new Shaiman/Wittman compositions: "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)," and "Ladies' Choice," and a song composed for the broadway show, but not used on broadway. ("The New Girl in Town")

The Motion Picture Association of America rated Hairspray PG for language, some suggestive content, and momentary teen smoking."

Plot Synopsis

It's 1962 Baltimore and teenager Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) sings out into the morning (Good Morning Baltimore) as she is on her way to school. Later, after school, she and her best friend Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes) rush home to watch "The Corny Collins Show" hosted by Corny Collins (James Marsden) (The Nicest Kids in Town). Tracy's mother Edna (John Travolta) comes in and tells them to turn it down because she's ironing and her diet pill is wearing off. Then Penny's paranoid mother Prudy (Allison Janney) arrives to pick up her laundry and Penny dives behind the Turnblad's couch to hide. Tracy tries to tell her mother, without words, not to tell Prudy that Penny is there. Her mother misunderstands this and says it anyway. Prudy then drags Penny out of the house, saying that she's banned from going into the Turnblad's house or watching the show.

After school the next day, Tracy and Penny watch the show outside of a tv shop window, while Link (Zac Efron) sings the song that the other stars are dancing too (It Takes Two). Tracy exclaims that he should be dating her, rather than Amber, as she's a much better dancer. Link than says to cut school to come and audition because one of their council members, Brenda, is leaving the show (When asked for how long, she says only for nine months). Edna does not allow Tracy to attend the auditions because she doesn't want her daughter to get hurt from criticism from others. Tracy's father, Wilbur (Christopher Walken) encourages her to "Go for it! You gotta think big to be big!". The next day Tracy and Penny go to station WYZT and find station manager Velma von Tussle (Michelle Pfeiffer) preparing the council members for the auditions while re-living her pageant days (The Legend of Miss Baltimore Crabs). Tracy is rejected after her answer to, "Would you swim in an integrated pool?" which she replies that of course she would, it's the new frontier. She then walks to school late because of the audition. Her teacher told her "I hope it was something important that you cut my class". Tracey responded, "It should have been."

Tracey is then sent to detention for cutting/lateness to class. When Tracy arrives in detention she meets Seaweed J. Stubbs (Elijah Kelley) and learns a dance called "Peyton Place After Midnight". Link sees Tracy dancing in detention, tells her about the Corny Collins Record Hop, and bumps into her causing Tracy to burst into song (I Can Hear the Bells) which only Penny can hear as she dances her way through the school. The next afternoon, Tracy does the "Peyton Place" dance at the Record Hop as Link sings (Ladies' Choice) and Corny watches.

Later, after Corny puts Tracy on the show, Penny races to the Turnblad's home and shows Edna and Wilbur their daughter as a regular on "The Corny Collins Show". Later, Amber and two council members, Shelley (Sarah Jayne Jensen) and Tammy (Haykey Podschun) sing a song by a popular female African-American trio (The New Girl in Town). On the show's Negro Day the trio, The Dynamites do the song also. Velma threatens Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah) for using the same song, but Motormouth points out to Velma that they originally wrote it. Later that evening, Edna is telephoned by Mr. Pinky (Jerry Stiller) saying that he wants Tracy to be his spokesgirl for his store "Mr. Pinky's Hefty Hideaway", a clothing store for plus-size women. Edna is reluctant to go, but ends up getting a makeover with Tracy (Welcome to the '60s). Soon after, Edna and Tracy are taunted by Velma and Amber at a local restaurant. When Velma says, "You'll stop traffic" to Edna, Edna wants to return the clothes, but Tracy convinces her out of it.

The next day, everybody wants detention to see Tracy. But Tracy ends up going to detention again because Amber, in the same class, told their teacher that Tracy said that he had breasts. As Tracy begins to head out Link stands up. The teacher asks Link if he would also like to go to detention. He doesn't answer. The teacher then asks Link if he knew the last words of Patrick Henry. Link replies, "Kiss my ass." earning himself a trip to the detention room. Seaweed leads Link, Tracy, and Penny out of the school in song (Run and Tell That) to a platter party at his mother Motormouth Maybelle's record shop (Big, Blonde and Beautiful). Edna comes in after Amber calls her as "Mike" as Velma goes to seduce Wilbur (Big, Blonde and Beautiful (Reprise)) and Edna finds them and Velma tricks Edna into thinking Wilbur is in it with her. Edna is really upset and goes to cry upstairs and Wilbur returns to apologize ((You're) Timeless to Me) and they have a fun time dancing outside.

While at the record shop, Motormouth says that everybody meet at 4pm on Friday morning to lead a march to get on the 11:00 news to protest segregration (I Know Where I've Been), stemming from Velma's scheming decision to drop "Negro Day" from the show, and partially because of Tracy's popularity as well as Velma controlling Link's music career. Apparently, they are halted at the WYZT TV station, where Tracy tries to talk to an officer, but her tap with the integration protest sign is said as an extreme strike to a police officer and Tracy runs away to hide in Penny's basement. Prudy finds her and calls the cops. Tracy's now stuck in Penny's basement as Link sings to her picture, while Penny and Seaweed sing their hearts out about it doesn't matter what color you are and love matters no matter what (Without Love).

The next day, it's the Miss Teenage Hairspray pageant (It's Hairspray) and Amber's in the lead due to Velma rigging the voting. Tracy and her friends try to break into the station as there are police officers all around, with Tracy sneaking in via a empty hairspray can prop the cops used as a battery ram to get the stations' doors open as they thought she was in the place and had it jammed, not knowing it was a diversion. The pageant starts and there are talent agents there (including Ricki Lake). Tracy arrives coming down from a stage and she begins to sing (You Can't Stop the Beat) and when Link jumps in with Tracy, Amber becomes stuck in the opening where Tracy entered from. Seaweed also pulled in a shy Penny onto the screen and she starts bursting into energy, then before she kisses Seaweed she declares "I am now a checkerboard chick!" (Causing Prudy to fall over the coffee table when she sees this on TV). Little Inez (Taylor Parks), Seaweed's little sister, wins the pageant as she dances up a storm and gets everybody's vote. The movie ends as Velma is fired by Mr. Spritzer (Paul Dooley) after she is caught on camera by Enda and Wilbur telling Amber how she rigged the voting and everybody joins in the song. At the end of the movie, Link and Tracy share a kiss.

The end credits have character images with the actor's name and show little televisions and hair spray cans as "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)" and two songs from the stage musical - "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now" and "Cooties" - are heard. "Mama" is performed by the original film's Tracy (Ricki Lake), the original Broadway Tracy (Marissa Jaret Winokur), and this version's Tracy, Nikki Blonsky.

Cast

• John Travolta as Edna Turnblad
• Michelle Pfeiffer as Velma von Tussle
• Christopher Walken as Wilbur Turnblad
• Amanda Bynes as Penny Pingleton
• James Marsden as Corny Collins
• Queen Latifah as Motormouth Maybelle
• Brittany Snow as Amber von Tussle
• Zac Efron as Link Larkin
• Elijah Kelley as Seaweed J. Stubbs
• Allison Janney as Prudy Pingleton
• Jerry Stiller as Mr. Pinky
• Paul Dooley as Mr. Spritzer
• Taylor Parks as Little Inez

And introducing

• Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad

Council Members

(in Roll Call order)

• Brittany Snow as Amber
• Curtis Holbrook as Brad
• Hayley Podschun as Tammy
• Philip Spaeth as Fender
• Cassie Silva as Brenda
• Nick Baga as Sketch
• Sarah Jayne Jensen as Shelley
• Jesse Weafer as IQ
• Kelly Fletcher as LuAnne
• J.P. Ferreri as Joey
• Spencer Liff as Mikey
• Laura Edwards as Vicki
• Tabitha Lupien as Becky
• Corey Gorewicz as Bix
• Josh Feldman as Jessie
• Becca Sweitzer as Darla
• Everett Smith as Paulie
• Tiffany Engen as Noreen
• Brooke Engen as Doreen
• Zac Efron as Link
• Nikki Blonsky as Tracy

The Dynamites

Dancers:

• Nadine Ellis
• Tanee McCall
• Terita R. Redd

Vocals:

• Shayna Steele
• Kamilah Marshall
• Terita R. Redd

Production

Hairspray was produced on a budget of $75 million. An open casting call was announced to cast unknowns in Atlanta, New York City, and Chicago. Parks was chosen for the role of Lil' Inez, and Blonsky and Kelley were chosen to play Tracy and Seaweed.

Filming took place in Toronto, and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada from September 5 to December 8, 2006, with the rest of the production and location settings done in Baltimore (the film's setting) in-between and after the Canadian scenes. The majority of the filming was done in Canada rather than Baltimore because of lower costs in Canada and because Toronto was better equipped with the soundstages needed to film a musical. They also did some of the post-production, including several of the musical numbers, in Los Angeles. Lord Lansdowne P.S. was a location where the movie was filmed. Scenes in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada were shot between November 22 to December 2 at the old Queen Victoria School. The school was scheduled to be demolished after film production was completed.

The Hairspray cast guest-starred on The Oprah Winfrey Show on May 16, 2007. During this program, host Oprah Winfrey debuted some of the new Hairspray songs including, "The New Girl in Town" and a song that was in the orignal broadway musical, "Big, Blonde and Beautiful."

File:W2T60s.jpg

Edna (John Travolta) and Tracy (Nikki Blonsky) during the musical number "Welcome to the 60's"

Movie Connections

• John Travolta starred in the original Grease, and Michelle Pfeiffer starred in the sequel Grease 2. This is their first movie together. Also, Zac Efron starred in High School Musical, which has a plotline similar to Grease.
• Christopher Walken and Michelle Pfeiffer starred together in Batman Returns as Max Shreck and Selena Kyle (and her alter ego Catwoman), respectively. However, this time Pfieffer's character victimizes Walken's and their staging and behavior is reversed. Catwoman similarly kills Max the way Mrs. Von Tussle kisses Mr. Turnblad to ruin his marriage.
• In an ode to Pulp Fiction, Travolta does a similar move to the one he gave Uma Thurman when they are dancing, two fingers across the eyes, in one scene while looking at Pfeiffer.
• Hairspray director, Adam Shankman, worked with Queen Latifah on the hit comedy film, Bringing Down the House.
• Brittany Snow and Adam Shankman both worked on Disney's 2005 action-comedy film The Pacifier, starring Vin Diesel.

Cameos

• Ricki Lake, who originated the role of Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film, appears in the 2007 version as a William Morris talent agent at Miss Teenage Hairspray 1963.
• Jerry Stiller appears as Mr. Pinky in the 2007 version; he played the original Wilbur Turnblad in 1988.
• Viewers paying close attention to the TV newsman reporting the protest outside the studios during "Miss Hairspray" in the 2007 film can catch a glimpse of actor Shawn Thompson, who originated the role of Corny Collins in the 1988 film.
• Mink Stole, who has appeared in all of Waters' films, appears in the 2007 film as a woman smoking on the street just before the flasher opens his trenchcoat to expose himself to a group of older women.
• John Waters, who wrote and directed the original 1988 film, and also played the role of Dr. Fredrickson in that film, cameos as the flasher who lives next door in the 2007 version.

Musical Numbers

See also: Hairspray (2007 soundtrack)

1. Good Morning Baltimore - Tracy
2. The Nicest Kids in Town - Corny, Council Kids
3. It Takes Two - Link (only end is heard in film)
4. (The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs - Velma, Council Kids**
5. I Can Hear the Bells - Tracy, Penny (talking)
6. Ladies' Choice - Link*
7. The Nicest Kids in Town (Reprise) - Corny, Council Kids, Tracy, Edna, Wilbur, Penny** (not on soundtrack)
8. The New Girl in Town - Amber, Tammy, Shelley, The Dynamites****
9. Welcome to the '60s - Tracy, Edna, Mr. Pinky, The Dynamites, Hefty Hideaway Customers**
10. Run and Tell That - Seaweed, Little Inez, Company
11. Big, Blonde and Beautiful - Motormouth, Company**
12. Big, Blonde and Beautiful (Reprise) - Edna, Velma*
13. (You're) Timeless to Me - Edna, Wilbur
14. I Know Where I've Been - Motormouth, Company
15. Without Love - Link, Tracy, Seaweed, Penny, Company**
16. (It's) Hairspray - Corny, Council Kids**
17. You Can't Stop the Beat - Tracy, Link, Penny, Seaweed, Edna, Motormouth***
18. Come So Far (Got So Far to Go) - Motormouth, Tracy, Link, Seaweed* (end credits song)
19. Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now - Nikki Blonsky, Ricki Lake, Marissa Jaret Winokur** (end credits song)
20. Cooties - Aimee Allen** (end credits song)

* denotes new songs written specifically for this film.

**denotes songs originating from the stage musical but with new verses or altered lyrics.
***Amber and Velma's verses from the stage musical version of "You Can't Stop the Beat" were cut from the film version

****written for the play, but discarded, and used in this film

"Ladies' Choice" and "Come So Far" were composed especially for this film. "The New Girl in Town" was originally composed for the Broadway musical, but was deemed unnecessary and discarded.

Two songs present in the stage musical were not included in the film proper, but are played over the end credits. "Cooties", performed by Amber in the stage version, is performed in a contemporary pop rendition by Aimee Allen, though the song is heard as instrumental music during the Miss Hairspray Dance Competition. "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now" was removed from the film's script when screenwriter Leslie Dixon found it unadaptable for film. A third song, "It Takes Two," is heard only in a fragment, with less than a full verse sung. The performance of The Madison, present in both the 1988 film and the stage musical, was replaced for this version by "Ladies' Choice." "The Big Dollhouse" was removed from the film entirely.

One additional Shaiman/Wittman song, "I Can Wait," was composed for the film as a solo for Tracy, meant to replace the stage musical's reprise of "Good Morning Baltimore". Neither "I Can Wait" nor "Good Morning Baltimore (Reprise)" is present in the final release print of Hairspray, but the recording of "I Can Wait" was made available as a special bonus track for customers who pre-ordered the film's soundtrack on iTunes.

Differences Between the Original Versions

• One notable difference between the stage musical, the original movie and the 2007 film version of Hairspray is that Tracy does not go to jail in the 2007 incarnation. Instead, she is locked up by Prudy Pingleton in the family's bomb shelter. In both the original film and the Broadway musical, Tracy goes to jail and is held in solitary confinement, but is broken out by Link during the song Without Love. Link uses a can of hairspray and a Zippo lighter to burn through the bars.
• The ordering of songs also differs between the 2007 film and the Broadway production (the 1988 film version songs did not carry over to the Broadway version):
  • In the Broadway musical, Link sings It Takes Two to Tracy on her first day on The Corny Collins Show, but in the film, he sings it on the show before she hears about the auditions.
  • In the Broadway musical, I Can Hear the Bells was sung by Tracy after she saw Link at the studio, but in the 2007 film, she sings it after she meets him in school.
  • In the Broadway musical, I Know Where I've Been was sung after Tracy broke out of jail, and in the 2007 film, it is sung during the march.
  • In the Broadway musical, Without Love was sung with Link singing directly to Tracy while she was in jail. In the film, since Tracy does not go to jail, Link sings it to an imaginary Tracy.
• The roles of the Gym Teacher and the Matron, usually played on Broadway by the actress who portrays Prudy Pingleton, have been eliminated.
• At the end of the stage musical, Edna was in the giant Ultra Clutch Hairspray can, but in the film, Tracy was in it.
• At the end of the Broadway version and the 1988 film, Tracy was declared the pageant winner (the names of the pageant differ in the 1988 and the Broadway incarnation). But in the 2007 version, Little Inez was declared the winner, thus integrating The Corny Collins Show.
• Velma does not seduce Wilbur in either previous version, as she does in the 2007 film, and (You're) Timeless to Me is sung after Tracy's arrest in the Broadway show.
• Also in the previous versions, Motormouth Maybelle mostly speaks in rhyme; in the 2007 version, she rarely does.
• Subplots concerning Tracy's hair throughout the story is different in each incarnation:
  • In the 1988 film, while Tracy was in jail, some inmates ironed her hair.
  • In the Broadway musical, her hair was deflating, but did not deflate completely.
  • In this film, Tracy's hair still deflates, but does deflate completely.

Box Office & Reception

Hairspray was originally predicted to open at the box office with $21 million . It earned $27.8 million in its opening weekend, behind I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.Hairspray opened to excellent reviews, establishing a rating on Rottentomatoes of 94%.

Merchandising

Hairspray-related books available for purchase includes Hairspray: The Movie Musical, a photo/essay collection, the Hairspray Movie Photobook, a similar collection for younger readers, and a junior novelization of Hairspray by Tracey West. The later two books were published on June 21, 2007; Hairspray - The Movie Musical is set for publication on August 7. Other Hairspray products include fashion and singing dolls (out July 30), calendars (out August 6), and "Ultra Clutch" brand hair spray (a fictitious brand from the film) created by Sebastian Professional. Also planned is a line of Halloween costumes based on some of the main characters.

Awards

• MTV Movie Awards
  • Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet - Nomination

Release Dates

• - July 19 2007
• - July 20 2007
• - July 20, 2007
• - July 20, 2007
• - July 20, 2007
• - August 2, 2007
• - August 22, 2007
• - August 23, 2007
• - August 24, 2007
• - August 24, 2007
• - August 24, 2007
• - August 30, 2007
• - September 5, 2007
• - September 6, 2007
• - September 6, 2007
• - September 13, 2007
• - September 14 2007
• - September 28, 2007
• - October 26, 2007

See also

• Cross-dressing in film and television

External Links

• Official Hairspray site
• Hairspray trailers at Apple.com
• Hairspray official Myspace page
• Hairspray at Rotten Tomatoes
• DVD Talk on Hairspray
• Hairspray Review