One of the films that I have not been looking forward to in the least this summer is the musical adaptation “Hairspray”. No, I didn’t see the stage show, and that shouldn’t matter or weigh in on if the movie is any good or not. But wow… I think the trailers have looked just horrible, nothing interesting, and the film’s synopsis does nothing to capture me either:
“Sixteen years after the release of the original film, New Line Cinema is bringing a feature film adaptation of the Tony award-winning Broadway production ‘Hairspray’ to life. Featuring new and original material based on John Waters’ 1988 cult classic about star-struck teenagers on a local Baltimore dance show, the comedy features a remarkable collection of talent including John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, Allison Janney, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley, producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Chicago), and director Adam Shankman (Bringing Down The House).”
But wait a second… a lot of reviews have already come in for the film… and look at this… right now it’s holding a 94% over at Rotten Tomates with a 100% amongst the significant critics. Here’s what some of them are saying:
“Hairspray is a fizzy and delirious high-camp message-movie musical that may just turn out to be the happiest movie of the summer.”
Owen Gleiberman – Entertainment Weekly
“It’s one of the best Broadway-tuner adaptations in recent years — yes, arguably even better than those Oscar-winning ones. Unpretentious, feel-good pic is low on histrionic diva wailing and MTV-style editing, high on retro movie-musical craftsmanship.”
Dennis Harvey – Variety
“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 so far this century.”
Lou Lumenick – New York Post
Well wow. Everyone right across the board seems to be just glowing about this flick that I think looks like total crap. That’s encouraging. I’ll be honest with you… I was thinking about just skipping this flick altogether… but now I think I’ll add it to my schedule tomorrow afternoon. I’ll let you know what I think of it later.
Out of curiosity… does this overwhelming positive reaction to the film make you even a little interested in seeing it?
