Run Time: 1 hr. 47 min.
Rating: PG - For language, some
suggestive content and momentary teen smoking.
Cast: John
Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden,
Queen Latifah, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron, Nikki Blonsky
Director: Adam Shankman
Genre: Comedy, Musical
Somewhere inside of me I think there is a gay man residing.
HOLD ON! I HAVE NO DESIRE FOR THE TOUCH OF A MAN OR THE SIGHT OF A PENIS OTHER
THAN MY OWN.
I love women. Boobs. Legs…the whole nine yards.
But I do also happen to like a good musical! I even collect
soundtracks and showtunes. There, it’s out in the open.
And I admit I have a soft spot for Hair Spray. The Broadway
show producer, Adam Epstein, was the first of many to option my horror script,
Bedbugs. So when I heard the show – which I was at the premiere of the Broadway
version – was being turned into a feature, I couldn’t wait.
I did become slightly skeptical when I heard John Travolta
was going to don the fat suit as Edna Turnblad, played in the first film by
John Waters favorite - Divine and then on stage by Harvey Fierstein.
But I still couldn’t wait to see it.
And I was right. In a summer of Spider-man 3, Transformers,
Die Hard and Harry Potter - not to
mention Bourne and Shrek – my favorite geek movie might actually be the story
of fat girl in Baltimore trying to break the color barrier.
From the moment Tracy Turnblad (newcomer Nikki Blonsky)
throws off the blanket in bedroom, singing “Good Morning Baltimore, “ we know
we are in for a bouncy, fun romp. John Waters has a great cameo here as well.
And the romp never stops. Everybody in the cast is top
notch. The number, “You’re Timeless to Me” sung by Christopher Walken and John
Travolta is outstanding. And like I said I was skeptical about Travolta in a
fat suit (did he really need one? Ha!), but I do buy him as Edna. The big
number “Welcome to the 60’s” is – sung by he and Blonsky - sweet and engaging. And he can dance
his ass off as a fat woman!
Queen Latifah rocks the shiznit with “Big, Blonde and
Beautiful” as well. James Marsden, Michelle Pfeiffer and Zac Efron are all
really good, too. If you have little girls like I do, then they will be
screaming over Zac Effron, better known from his High School Musical movies. If
you don’t have kids, don’t even ask what High School Musical is.
So all in all, I don’t think you’ll have a better time at
the movies. Nikki Blonsky should get lots of roles and, hopefully, a few
nominations out of this. And damn, Amanda Bynes is tall and hot! And the final
number, “You Can’t Stop the Beat” is infectious…aw hell it kicks the door in
and brings down the house!
One complaint – two of my favorite songs from the show that
I couldn’t wait to see on film – “Mama I’m a Big Girl Now” and “The Big
Dollhouse” – were omitted. What the hell, producers!?! Oh I just answered my
own question…producers!
Ha.
Pardon me now, while I go watch something manly, with lots
of scantily clad girls in it.
FIVE BALL POINT PENS