|
|
|
|
A Slice of Life
by Francine Brokaw
Hairspray
This is a fun musical romp through the streets of Baltimore circa the early 1960s. Tracy Turnblad is an idealistic and plump high school student who sees the world through rose colored glasses. To her everything is wonderful. Tracy’s favorite thing to do is dance. She was born to dance and dreams about being on the local TV’s teen dance show. She knows all the steps and can even teach the regulars a thing or two. But her appearance is something she doesn’t realize is a detriment to her. This naive young girl loves everyone and everything, and cannot fathom anyone believing differently. The station has a “Negro Day” when the regular “white” kids are replaced by the “Negro” kids for that day, and Tracy naively says “everyday should be Negro day” because she loves the way they dance.
When one of the regulars takes a 9-month leave of absence (ahem), Tracy auditions for the empty spot. Unfortunately, the head of the station, Velma Von Tussle (Michelle Pfeiffer), turns her away due to her size. Tracy is short and plump, and she doesn’t feel the girl would fit in. Velma wants to keep the status quo and the feeling and spirit of the show the same, with the same look. And, she also wants to highlight her own daughter Amber (Brittany Snow).
But the star of the show sees Tracy dance and hires her on the spot, against Velma’s wishes. Tracy is a good dancer and brings vitality and a special spirit to the show. Tracy’s secret heartthrob Link (Zac Efron) is the head male dancer in the show and once he sees Tracy dance he is drawn to her, even though Amber has him in her sights. This sets up another rivalry between Amber and Tracy.
Tracy’s mother Edna (John Travolta, who is wonderful in this role) at first discourages her daughter from auditioning, but once she sees her on TV she is Tracy’s biggest supporter, along with her husband (Christopher Walken).
When Negro Day gets cancelled, integration of the dance show is on Tracy’s mind. But in those days blacks and whites didn’t appear together, at least in Baltimore or on that station.
With toe-tapping songs and an adorable script, this is the musical highlight of the summer. It could be the musical event of the year. Tracy, with her big hair (thanks to ratting and hairspray) and her never-ending smile is a sweet girl who will win your heart. Tracy’s father tells her to follow her dream, and that’s what she does. Her innocence and pep make her one of the most delightful characters to grace the big screen in a long time. She’s a big girl with big hair and big dreams.
© 2007 Francine Brokaw
Photos © David James/New Line Cinema. All Rights Reserved.
Let's Talk About It!
Issues newsgroup
Join us to talk about this article!
|
|
|
