HAIRSPRAY - - - A Bonafide Crowd Pleaser- Page 2

[JudasIscariot]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 12:32pm

I really wanted to hate Zac Efron, but I really really like him after seeing this movie. I despise High School Musical, but it's apparent that he should have done all of his own singing in that movie, because he rocked in this.

John Travolta really suprised me. I remember being sour when they first announced him as Edna, but I was going to wait until I saw the movie to decide if I liked him or not - AND I LOVE HIM! Wow, he was great! I laughed so hard during, "You Can't Stop The Beat."

Nikki Blonsky is so amazing, I love that girl! She seems like such a nice person, and she blew everyone else out of the water. I really hope she goes on to do Broadway, I would flip if I got to see her live in the role!

[mateo]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 12:36pm

Weez,

Barking Dog...hm.. I dont remember a Dog let alone a barking one... unless its in Good Morning Baltimore- but I just dont recall Walli.


Lines like "your pork's ready!" were swallowed by the thunderous applause of "Without Love" at the premiere. Which is a good thing and a bad thing - bad, cause its such a funny moment.

Posted: 7/20/07 at 12:39pm

Liked it. didn;t LOVE it.
I couldnt get past knowing it was John Travolta in heavy makeup.
and
Amanda Bynes was the weakest link.
she had no character growth from start to end. just sucked on a lollipop..looking sexy from the start.

john travolta and amanda bynes were the weakest links.

even john travolta's lines were bad.

they shouldve just kept the jokes from the show.....
or the first movie.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 12:41pm

Can I just saw that I loved LOVED "kiss my @$$"... not to mention the bomb shelter, jump-rope, "Lord's Prayer" record, rosary and callings of "Demon child, demon child"
The one thing that felt 'off' to me was the cut from the protest march to Edna and Wilbur returning home. It felt like there was something missing.. and no, I don't mean a jailhouse scene.
Once again, I also really loved and appreciated that even with so much having been cut, they took the time to honor a LOT of those moments and use music from the cut numbers throughout the movie.

[mateo]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 12:44pm

^ There was a cut scene.

Edna tells off a cop after she is let go while the black protesters are arrested.

They are all taken to Jail. Wilbur bails them all out, They come home.

I really wish that scene was in there- cause I want to see Edna stand up! But I understand they need to movie the film along.

Hopefully it will be on the DVD.

Updated On: 7/20/07 at 12:44 PM

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 12:45pm

Haha Demon Child, Demon Child splash splash.!

Posted: 7/20/07 at 12:46pm

too many winks from Zac Efron. I was winked out by the middle of the film.

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 12:51pm

Its that kind of movie 'wink'
Sorry you didnt like it.

Posted: 7/20/07 at 12:56pm

i liked it,..just not loving it as much as everyone is RAVING. there are defenite flaws.
And i think people are overhyping it on these boards. It defenitely was fun and had me smiling. But John Travolta looked like John Travolta in a fatsuit and bad makeup...and he wasn't believable as a woman. ANd the accent in the begining was horrid...and lost somewhere in the middle. He was truly dissapointing to me..and after watching DIvine do the role this morning on cable in the original film...I realized also that this new film incarnation lost all of the 'JOhn Watersesque' feel.
Amanda Bynes to me was ridic..and as she tried to impress the camera with her looks...she didn;t know what this character was all about..it was almost as if..there was nothing there beter for her to do than to suck. and she did.

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 12:59pm

Fair enough Taboo

[Pippin]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 1:02pm

I understand what you are saying. at times Travolta sounded like Dr. Evil in a higher key, and the whole time we all knew it was Travolta in a fat suit, but I got over it, and accepted it as is.

I liked Bynes. I don't think her character needs to have a huge transformation, it's not like she hated african americans and loves them by the end. she is just a silly girl hounded by her mother the whole movie, and she finally escapes and is liberated, and I thought she showed that. her line when they went to meet Motermouth, "I'm very pleased and scared to be here" was so hilarious.

no, it's not a perfect film, by filmaking standards. No, it won't be nominated for best picture by a long shot, but it was just a fun, fun movie that didn't try to take itself too seriously, which is why I fell in love with it. It could have been pretentious, and ended up being anything but.

Updated On: 7/20/07 at 01:02 PM

[HughE2030]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 1:02pm

After reading a reviewer this morning in Philly, I can now put my finger on it. Travolta is channeling Miss Piggy. mean that I don’t like him, and I love the movie, but his character’s face is so distorted from a real persons.
Philly Chit Chat

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 1:04pm

To be fair, the Penny in the original movie did nothing but smile and suck on the fireball candy. The Broadway show beefed up her character BIG TIME!!!

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 1:07pm

I go along with Pippins final paragraph there on his last post. Its great fun. Just go with an open mind and prepare to enjoy. Dont analize it too much and you'll enjoy it.

[WickedBoy2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 1:08pm

I go along with Pippins final paragraph there on his last post. Its great fun. Just go with an open mind and prepare to enjoy. Dont analize it too much and you'll enjoy it.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 1:33pm

mateo,
the cut scene is in the novelization, which i had read, so i guess that is why it seemed so chopped to me.

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 2:16pm

Just saw it and I loved it I need to go see it again SOON!

Just so I know I didn't miss it, the cut scene included the part where Motormouth Maybelle turned around and winked (at somebody, implying it would be all right or something), correct?

[mateo]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 2:20pm

tws- yes, that is her going in to the police car, truck, whatever you call that thing.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 2:21pm

paddy wagon.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 2:37pm

one of the best lines in the entire movie for ne was from Allison Janey... i seriously could not stop laughing when she goes "devil child, devil child"... she was horribly underused in the movie but damn whenever she was on screen she owned it!

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 2:44pm

I have a question: When they refer to "Welcome to the '60s", do they mean the 1960s or the 1860s? The clothing and whatnot could come from either time period.

[sidneybruhl]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 2:48pm

Just got back from seeing the film. First let me say that I saw the stage production three times and loved it, so I have been anticipating this film for a long time. I'm happy to report that I loved it. Though I enjoyed the stage-to-screen transitions of "Chicago," "Rent," and "Dreamgirls," I must say that "Hairspray" does it better than all of these. Unlike the aforementioned films, "Hairspray" really seems to revel in being a musical instead of trying to find a way to make the film palatable to an audience who may be turned off by musicals. In the process, it scores big!

I loved Shankman's aerial shot of Baltimore at the beginning of the film--a nod to both "West Side Story" and "The Sound of Music." I'm probably going to get slammed for this next comment, but I have to say that "Good Morning Baltimore" ranks with "Singin' in the Rain" and "The Sound of Music" as one of the most joyous musical numbers commmitted to film. This is due in large (no pun intended) part to the amazing Nikki Blonsky. I know Oscar tends to forget movies released in the summer, but I think Blonsky's Tracy is every bit as worthy of an Oscar as Hudson's Effie.

I'm so glad that all those involved were not afraid to reinvent the material for the screen. I loved how "(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs" became an even bigger showcase for Velma in the film than it was on stage. It's good to see Michelle Pfeiffer back on screen and relishing every moment of her screen time.

I also like how Shankman used the high school setting in "I Can Hear the Bells." Different from the stage show, but no less effective.

I was a bit scared of Travolta playing Edna, but have to say I found his performance to be very endearing. Much like Divine, Travolta creates a full-fledged character that makes you forget he's a man in a dress. Travolta also scores big in his musical numbers. I especially liked his costume and choreography in "You Can't Stop the Beat." Travolta and Walken are charming together in "(You're) Timeless to Me."

Though a bit too young, Queen Latifah makes a great Motormouth Maybelle and Ellijah Kelley sets the screen on fire as Seaweed, especially in "Run and Tell That."

If I had to quibble about anything, I hated the fact that we only got a snippet of "It Takes Two." I'm guessing the whole number was shot (Marc?) and edited because of the running time. Maybe on the DVD....

Anyway, I think "Hairspray" is just about as perfect as a musical film can be. Kudos to Shankman, Shaiman, Wittman, and everyone involved in this project! Needless to say, I'll be seeing the film several times during its run and can't wait for the DVD!

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 2:54pm

I just saw it, and I think it is the perfect film.

Kudos and thanks to Marc Shaiman and everyone else involved. This will be remembered as one of the all time great movie musicals, and I can't wait to get the DVD.

The way Travolta handled Edna was an artistic decision that I think works.
If he had done a camped-up "drag queen" performance, the moment when Edna starts crying because Velma insulted her wouldn't have worked. As it is that's an amazing, touching scene. At the same time there is an unavoidable comic element because, hey - that's John Travolta in a fat suit! They got the best of both approaches to the role.

Updated On: 7/20/07 at 02:54 PM

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 2:57pm

amen. the role is written so vastly different here that the approach used in the stage version would have robbed it of a LOT of heart and a big arch.

[JP2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:02pm

I thought the film was flawless. I loved every moment of it, ESPECIALLY John and Amanda.