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I realize it's a tough sell, given the bright, squeaky-clean promotional material, but "Hairspray" is quite a bit of fun, perhaps the most unabashed good time at the movies in some months. This is remarkable for more than a few reasons.
First, director Adam Shankman is responsible for such gems as "The Wedding Planner," "Bringing Down the House," and "Cheaper by the Dozen 2," among others. This is a frightening resume, enough to strike fear in the hearts of reasonable moviegoers and cast any project he becomes involved with under instant suspicion.

Next, the cast, a motley assemblage of minor stars and B-listers. Christopher Walken (great though he is) is in everything, Queen Latifah can be excellent but has made some questionable career choices as of late, and John Travolta well, he's been off lately as well, and from the advertising, his role as an overweight woman seemed to be stunt casting of the highest order. Everyone else, of course, was even more suspicious. Amanda Bynes? The guy from "High School Musical?"
So the movie had a pretty significant battle to win over my dark, prejudiced soul, and as I've said above, it did. The fact that it overcame such seemingly insurmountable obstacles and was not only a good movie but perhaps a very good movie makes it a must-see, more or less. And Shankman proves a more than capable choice for director; having come from a background in choreography, it's obvious where his strengths lie.
The film is an adaptation of the 2002 Broadway musical, which itself was an adaptation of the infamous John Waters' 1988 film. The plot follows young Tracy Turnblad (here played by newcomer Nikki Blonsky), an unflaggingly optimistic, overweight teenager whose sole ambition is to dance on a local music show hosted by TV personality Corny Collins (James Marsden, Cyclops from "X-Men"). Her hours of practice pay off, as her dancing attracts Collins and teenage heartthrob Link Larkin (Zac Efron) enough to allow her on the show in spite of the Nazi-like station manager, Velma von Tussle (a terrific Michelle Pfeiffer), who doesn't want any subversive elements (particularly black people) on her show.
Tracy senses injustice, and becomes something of an inadvertent social activist when she agrees to stand up for integration and her black friends, so one day, she can dance with them on television and perhaps win the Miss Hairspray pageant along the way.
The plot is slightly more complex than that, as every character receives his or her big moment,

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