#1
Posted: 7/8/07 at 5:46pm
I had the pleasure of attending a private industry screening of Hairspray on Friday morning, and just wanted to share some of my thoughts. Just to preface them though, I have to profess my obvious love of the stage version, and how much joy it has brought me every time I have seen it.
This movie is great. There is no doubt about that. All the sense of fun from both previous incarnations of this story is there, and yet again a star is born as Tracy in the form of Nikki Blonsky. She is bubbly without being overly cutesy, and she just exudes star power. You can’t help but fall I love with her…and it’s a good thing, because this movie REALLY needs a star in that role more than any other version.
The problem is that the script has changed and much of the balance has shifted from Tracy and her friends to the adult characters. While I understand that both to attract and utilize star power and talent some emphasis of these characters was needed…the pull is a little too far. Michelle Pfeiffer is superb as Velma, but there is FAR too much of her in the movie, especially considering almost all of Penny’s lines are cut from the movie (I swear you will walk away feeling like she had no more than 10 lines the whole movie). All the adult actors are so top notch and do some amazing work, but it is often at the expense of focusing on Tracy’s story and her development. The script changes also cause the structure of the piece to flounder a little and there are times when it seems like there is very little going on…which was NEVER a thought in the stage version.
Having said that, there are a few changes that really work for the screen. One that particularly stands out to me is the placement of I Know Where I’ve Been as the song of the protest march. This works so well cinematically and really packs a punch and adds strong, moving visuals to the lyrics and music. Also Link does something at the end that really signifies his morals and values winning out over his dreams and really redeem him as a character, and connected to this there is a nice surprise regarding the Miss Teenage Hairspray contest (I’m being intentionally vague. I don’t want to give anything away).
The production design and orchestrations are so rich, you just get swept up into the movie. The performances are all top notch (Travolta is brilliant and leaves any inhibitions at the door and totally lets himself become Edna, not caring whether he looks foolish or not). Some of the musical numbers are brilliantly staged (Run and Tell That and Welcome to the 60’s both have great structure and momentum as musical numbers, and because of the added emphasis on the adult characters Timeless To Me pays off in a big way).
All in all I had a great time at the theatre, and I enjoyed the movie immensely. I just wish they had really kept a tighter focus and Tracy, since she seems to get lost in a sea of big names every now and then. But you can bet that I will be there at the theatre seeing it again opening day.
Akiva
This movie is great. There is no doubt about that. All the sense of fun from both previous incarnations of this story is there, and yet again a star is born as Tracy in the form of Nikki Blonsky. She is bubbly without being overly cutesy, and she just exudes star power. You can’t help but fall I love with her…and it’s a good thing, because this movie REALLY needs a star in that role more than any other version.
The problem is that the script has changed and much of the balance has shifted from Tracy and her friends to the adult characters. While I understand that both to attract and utilize star power and talent some emphasis of these characters was needed…the pull is a little too far. Michelle Pfeiffer is superb as Velma, but there is FAR too much of her in the movie, especially considering almost all of Penny’s lines are cut from the movie (I swear you will walk away feeling like she had no more than 10 lines the whole movie). All the adult actors are so top notch and do some amazing work, but it is often at the expense of focusing on Tracy’s story and her development. The script changes also cause the structure of the piece to flounder a little and there are times when it seems like there is very little going on…which was NEVER a thought in the stage version.
Having said that, there are a few changes that really work for the screen. One that particularly stands out to me is the placement of I Know Where I’ve Been as the song of the protest march. This works so well cinematically and really packs a punch and adds strong, moving visuals to the lyrics and music. Also Link does something at the end that really signifies his morals and values winning out over his dreams and really redeem him as a character, and connected to this there is a nice surprise regarding the Miss Teenage Hairspray contest (I’m being intentionally vague. I don’t want to give anything away).
The production design and orchestrations are so rich, you just get swept up into the movie. The performances are all top notch (Travolta is brilliant and leaves any inhibitions at the door and totally lets himself become Edna, not caring whether he looks foolish or not). Some of the musical numbers are brilliantly staged (Run and Tell That and Welcome to the 60’s both have great structure and momentum as musical numbers, and because of the added emphasis on the adult characters Timeless To Me pays off in a big way).
All in all I had a great time at the theatre, and I enjoyed the movie immensely. I just wish they had really kept a tighter focus and Tracy, since she seems to get lost in a sea of big names every now and then. But you can bet that I will be there at the theatre seeing it again opening day.
Akiva
Updated On: 7/8/07 at 05:46 PM
