by Ginger Voight

Created on: March 29, 2008   Last Updated: April 27, 2010

"Do it now, or forever wish you had!" - Wilbur Turnblad

I went into this film not a fan of musicals, the original Hairspray or John Travolta. In fact, the only real reason I made it a point to see it was the message that it sent.

As a "big girl" myself, I could get behind a movie where the plus sized girl got the spotlight - and her man.

Plus the behind the scenes stuff looked like it would be a lot of fun.

But it was a wary kind of optimism. Despite the possibilities, it was a musical. If they aren't starring animated animals, I generally avoid them like the plague.

Needless to say, I had pretty low expectations.

No one was more surprised than I when "Hairspray" vaulted to the top of my list of Favorite. Movies. Ever.

This is the story of plump and plucky Tracy Turnblad, a teenager determined to take 1962 Baltimore by storm. Our story starts with the toe tapping "Good Morning Baltimore", where Tracy belts out her ambitions on her way to school.

This sets the scene of the colorful, bright world as seen through her eyes; from the rats in the street to the flasher (a genius guest cameo by John Waters himself). To her the world is a magical place full of possibilities.

Her goals are clear: she wants to dance on the local daytime show "The Corny Collins Show", with the "nicest kids in town".

And she wants to land Link, as played by teen heartthrob Zac Efron, a pseudo Elvis type character right down to his hip swivel.

When the opportunity arrives to audition for the show, there are a couple of things that stand in her way. Her mother, the shy and sheltered Edna, as played brilliantly by John Travolta, is determined that the powers that be will hurt her daughter because she doesn't "fit in".

Sadly her concerns are quite valid. Mother of teen dream Amber, Velma Von Tussle (a role Michelle Pfeiffer gleefully sinks her teeth into), is a repugnant producer who doesn't bother with pesky little things like politeness, ethics or morals. She makes mincemeat of our heroine in quick order.

It's bad enough she's unapologetically overweight, but she has the audacity to believe in segregation? Both are big no-nos in Velma's world.

In fact Velma makes sure that "The Corny Collins Show" maintains that status quo and steers kids in the "white direction" by delegating all the African Americans to a show all to themselves once a week - dubbed "Negro Day".

The movie tackles this sensitive issue in our ultra PC environment by making sure we know that the whole idea of segregation is

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>