Sooooo much fun!! I am a huge fan of the movie musical genre, and there hasn’t really been a good one since Rob Marshall’s Chicago. Last year’s Dreamgirls was OK but lacked energy, and the new version of The Producers was stagy and flat. I was a little worried about this movie for two major reasons… One, it’s a movie based on a Broadway musical based on a movie (a John Waters movie, at that!). Two, John Travolta plays an overweight mom. All of these worries came to pass, however, when I saw the finished product. And, oh man, is this a great movie!

In 60’s Baltimore, Maryland, High school student Tracy rushes home every day after school to watch the Corny Collons Show, a program that allows kids her age to dance their hearts out. She’s in love with one of the young crooners on the show, Link, and when one of the stars leave, she goes to auditions being held to find the replacement. Tracy makes it on the show, and she uses the little power she has to integrate black people with white people on the show, and she also makes an effort to get her mom Edna out of the house and find herself in this new 60’s world!

A film like this makes it or breaks it based off the actual songs themselves, and there really isn’t a stinker in the bunch. All serve their purpose in the storyline of the movie, and none acts as filler. All the major characters gets his or her own number or more, and there’s truly never a dull moment. My favorites are the big opening Good Morning Baltimore, the fast-moving Ladies Choice, and the absolutely delightful Welcome to the 60’s. As corny as it sounds, I really wanted to get up and dance to some of these songs in the theatre… I can’t wait for the DVD so I can embarrass others around me at home!

The amount of star power in this movie is truly staggering, and all the actors have a lot of fun with this material. John Travolta may have the most fun of all, shedding everything we knew of him in this fearless performance as Edna, who goes through a tremendous arc in the movie. While he doesn’t really change his voice much (probably intentional), he immerses himself into the role, and after awhile, one starts to forget it’s really him. He looks rather unusual, not really a woman, but truly nothing like a man. His dancing is sensational, and his silly facial guesstures ellicits dozens of smiles. Newcomer Nikki Blonsky is infectious, dancing her way into one of the best film acting debuts I’ve seen in awhile. I loved her in this. Michelle Pfeiffer, who hasn’t been in a movie in five years, makes a fine return to form as the villain Velma, icy and seductive. Christopher Walken, who re-unites with Pfeiffer in a scene that reverses a memorable scene in Batman Returns, is a joy to watch sing and dance in a handful of fun sequences. And Zac Efron, the cutest new thang I’ve seen in a movie as of late, makes a big impression. The actors are all terrific!

Hairspray was directed by Adam Shankman, who before this has done mediocre work like Bringing Down the House, The Pacifier, and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. His talent is not in directing but in choreography, as he choreographed all the dance numbers in my favorite episode of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer… the musical episode. Scenes with dialogue in this film are mostly mundane… it’s the dance numbers that make the movie work so well. And don’t worry, I’d say at least 80% of this movie is dance numbers. Shankman knows his weaknesses and keeps the best of his talents at the frontmost and center here. Most of the dance numbers work spectacularly well, and there’s no denying his work as a choreographer has paid off here. The dance scene on the streets as Edna and Tracy dance to Welcome to the 60’s is wonderful!

In a time when summer movies are mostly thoughtless action extravangas, it’s refreshing to be able to have the option to go see a movie like Hairspray. Here’s a movie that’s not trying to do anything but give the audience a fun time. And there’s nothing wrong with that. This movie excited me to the point of ending each paragraph in exclamation points. It’s that much fun!

3 1/2 stars (out of 4)