# Anyone seen Hairspray? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 20, 2007, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527 "2007-07-20T12:18:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/1 "2007-07-20T12:18:59Z")
Is this film as fun as the [Daily Telegraph](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/07/20/bfhairspray1.xml&DCMP=ILC-traffdrv07053100) says it is? And Christopher Walken as a joke shop owner? The mind boggles. ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/2 "2007-07-20T12:40:25Z")
[Christopher Walken] This joke needs more COWBELL! [/CW] ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2007, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/3 "2007-07-21T23:35:37Z")
it was **AWESOME** ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2007, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/4 "2007-07-22T01:04:44Z")
oh, and I just downloaded the movie soundtrack (and paid for it! :eek: ), and I’m thinking about getting the Broadway recording as well ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/5 "2007-07-23T03:46:27Z")
IT WAS FANTASTIC!!! It is funny AND witty, loaded with double entendres, some sharp social commentary and just good fun. I smiled through the whole picture. I can’t stand John Travolta, but I liked him/her in this film. Go see it. Now. You won’t regret it. It’ll make you feel good. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/6 "2007-07-23T04:03:48Z")
[QUOTE=eleanorigby] Go see it. Now. You won’t regret it. It’ll make you feel good. [/QUOTE] Definitely a feel-good movie, and as has been said, just good fun. I don’t often go to the movies, but I’m glad I went to this one; I had a great time. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2007, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/7 "2007-07-25T04:08:41Z")
We saw this last night, and it was a lot of fun. Bouncy music, outstanding dancing, never a dull moment, didn’t slow down at all. Two big thumbs up. A grand night out. John Travolta never stopped being John Travolta In A Fat Suit With Nylons, but it still worked somehow, very enjoyable to watch. Christopher Walken as the joke-shop-owning dad I didn’t think would work, but it did. It was a little weird hearing “Loving Daddy” dialogue being delivered out of that patented Walken face, but it worked, somehow. Queen Latifah as usual _owns_ the screen every time she appears. It took me a while, but I finally picked up on the fact that when she’s appearing on the Corny Collins Show, she’s wearing a _blonde_ beehive–just like Amber’s. Cameos: That’s Shankman, Shaiman, and Wittman, plus Ricki Lake, as the talent scouts at the end. And John Waters as the Flasher during the opening “Good Morning Baltimore” sequence. There is no “popcorn interval” in this movie. Go in there with everything you’re gonna want to eat or drink. And with an empty bladder, too. If you leave, you’ll miss a fun bit. Like the quick shot of two pregnant women sitting in a bar–drinking. Ah, 1962, before anyone had heard of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2007, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/8 "2007-07-25T04:12:21Z")
And I never really realized (even after Chicago) what a gorgeous voice Queen Latifah has. Loved her “protest ballad” (dunno what to call it, but it was great). Loved the trio seen singing and dancing in wall ads, on bus benches etc. And that Tracy sang out of her portrait–it made me think of Hogwarts (HP on the brain)! Want to go again–and yes, you won’t want to leave the theater for a moment. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2007, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/9 "2007-07-25T06:54:59Z")
It’s a fun, feel-good movie. I was less than impressed with John Travolta, but seeing Christopher Walken doing a song and dance number was wonderful. If you’re a fan of the Broadway version, you’ll notice a couple changes and one dropped song (Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now), but the movie is good nevertheless. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2007, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/10 "2007-07-25T07:08:34Z")
[QUOTE=eleanorigby] And I never really realized (even after Chicago) what a gorgeous voice Queen Latifah has. Loved her “protest ballad” (dunno what to call it, but it was great).\ [/QUOTE] The ballad is called “I Know Where I’ve Been” and if you really like her voice, you should listen to/buy her “The Dana Owens Album” (that’s her real name) I’m going to see it again this weekend. (Damn, I wish I’d been young enough to audition for Tracey - I’m too tall for it, but I could have nailed the singing and dancing\*) \*that is, I could have nailed the dancing when I _was_ that age 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2007, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/11 "2007-07-25T12:34:22Z")
I want to see it again. It was good. Travolta was probably the weakest part, but he wasn’t horrible. Most of the problems I had with his portrayal had more to do with trying to act from inside all that makeup and a fat suit. He was almost believable - the fat suit wasn’t. And I was primed for “horrible choice.” Every store that sells CDs I’ve been in for the past week is out of the soundtrack. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2007, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/12 "2007-07-25T12:44:56Z")
I will say that Walken can’t dance to save his life. Perhaps I’ve seen too many Fred Astaire movies, but Travolta carried Walken through that whole sequence. Oh, for the time when all stars knew how to softshoe at least a bit… Soundtrack is sold out, eh? I can wait a bit, but I will be buying the DVD–this one’s a keeper. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2007, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/13 "2007-07-25T13:26:39Z")
[QUOTE=eleanorigby] I will say that Walken can’t dance to save his life. Perhaps I’ve seen too many Fred Astaire movies, but Travolta carried Walken through that whole sequence. Oh, for the time when all stars knew how to softshoe at least a bit… [/QUOTE] Actually, Walken started his career as a dancer and was attending Hofstra University which has a Bacherlor’s degree in dance (note his major was Enlgish lit). He dropped out when he got a gig in a broadway musical. If he looked a little stiff, it’s probably because he doens’t dance professionally anymore and it’s hard to get in great shape when you’re 64. ETA: He also did a lot of graceful dancing in _Pennies from Heaven_. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2007, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/14 "2007-07-25T13:37:25Z")
Missed the edit window: There’s a pciture of him rehearsing with a very young Liza Minelli [here](http://www.ojaiwan.net/cwimages/bestfoot.jpg). He spent three years as a broadway dancer in musicals before being offered an acting role. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2007, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/15 "2007-07-25T15:36:25Z")
[QUOTE=eleanorigby] Want to go again–and yes, you won’t want to leave the theater for a moment. [/QUOTE] My wife told me last night that she wants to go see it again. We probably will. > [@anyrose](#): > > Damn, I wish I’d been young enough to audition for Tracey… I’m neither female nor young, but I have done some musical theatre in my life, and I was wishing the same thing when I left the cinema (well, that I could audition, but not for Tracy’s part). Though perhaps nowadays, I could audition for the part of Tracy’s father. Hmmm… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2007, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/16 "2007-07-25T17:14:20Z")
I love, love, LOVED it. I just finished writing a little review of it on my blog and I thought I’d come over here to see if everyone else loved it as much as I did. I can’t remember a single movie I’ve seen in two years where there wasn’t at least one chunk where I was bored to tears and wishing for the end, but this movie kept me entertained all the way through. I’ll admit that I was totally worried about Travolta, but I think even with the obvious fat suit, he did a great job. Edna had a lot of depth and still was cute. I will say though that his accent kept making me think of Dr. Evil though heh. And Zac Efron was totally dreamy. I no longer think of him as that short, sweet kid that I knew from debate, but rather that hot guy I should have molested when I had some semblance of a chance. 🙂 I definitely want to go see this movie again, I want to buy the soundtrack, and I’ll totally buy the dvd when it’s out. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/17 "2007-07-25T18:00:48Z")
eleanor? You’ve never seen Walken dance before, have you? Hit Youtube for ‘Weapon of Choice’. The man can dance. Therefore, this was acting. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2007, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/18 "2007-07-25T22:23:05Z")
The soundtrack is available for donwload on iTunes if you have that. (probably on Limewire by now, too) I thought Travolta/Edna looked best in the pink sequin dress and cute pink MaryJanes ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2007, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/19 "2007-07-26T19:18:10Z")
[QUOTE=Spoons] I’m neither female nor young, but I have done some musical theatre in my life, and I was wishing the same thing when I left the cinema [/QUOTE] I was also thinking the same thing (it was in Seattle pre-broadway. I was in Seattle. I was even the right age to have been one of the negro day dancers. Why didn’t I drop everything and try to do that?) The songs were great. It was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2007, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527/20 "2007-07-26T20:43:21Z")
So is this a totally different experience than the original movie? Or is this just fun and exciting for people not familiar with the old one? I’m thinking about seeing it but I might need to put it in the 'ol Netflix queue (for whenever it comes out) because I’m not sure that I know anyone who’d see it with me 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-hairspray/412527.md?page=2)