Of Hairspray

of all the movies this year, hairspray is probably one of the best the 2007 has to offer. based on the 1988 screenplay and 2002 broadway musical of the same name, this extremely joyous and easy to follow movie is a must-watch!

it tells the story of a high school girl, tracy turnblad, who lives in a small town and aspires to be a tv star on local television. it's a much rehashed tale, so obviously what makes the film enjoyable is the music and energetic dancing. eye candy and slick dance moves are in the form of james marsden, high school musical's zac effron and elijah kelly, while john travolta dons on a fat suit and cross dresses as mrs turnblad.

the rest of the ensemble cast fairs pretty well too - amanda bynes as tracy's loyal but bimbotic friend penny pingleton, queen latifah as the face of the local negro tv scene, and allison janney as penny's uber-religious mom. michelle pfeiffer is a surprising choice for velma von tussle, the show's resident villain whose goal is to ensure her daughter wins the beauty pageant for the fourth time running. she plays the role with relish, but her voice and lack of theatre training is apparent with the similarity with which she sings and says her lines. still, it's a brave effort, and evil enough, very much like cruella de vil in 101 dalmations, and it works.

christopher walken is awesome in his supporting role as tracy's father. i love his portrayal of a simple man who's content with the small things in life, and his touching rendition of the song (you're) timeless to me. what a revelation is newbie nikki blonsky, who makes her film debut in this movie, and who carries the show with her bubbly personality and spunk. it's a fantastic show, and don't miss it! i've bought the soundtrack and it's worth every cent. my all-time favourites are you can't stop the beat, good morning baltimore and big, blonde and beautiful. the music stays in your head, and makes you want to stick your head into the quiet hdb night and sing:

Good morning Baltimore

Every day's like an open door

Every night is a fantasy

Every sound's like a symphony


And I promise Baltimore

That some day when I take to the floor

The world's gonna wake up and see

Baltimore and me!