Sorry, that is by far my favorite quote from Hairspray.  And, oddly enough, I’m way more excited about it than I ever imagined I’d be.  In the days before it was a musical, I saw John Waters’ original 1988 film, and was unimpressed.  Ricki Lake’s acting was stiff and the tone of the movie seemed off.  I later came to realize that’s how all of Waters’ films are, and I have done my best to avoid them ever since.  So back in the days when my parents and I would go to New York City every year for Thanksgiving, my dad and I were surprised when my mother suggested we see the new Broadway musical version of Hairspray as one of the typically 3 plays we would see each trip.  I knew it had garnered acclaim, and at that point it had probably won it’s massive amount of incredibly well deserved Tony Awards, but I wasn’t thrilled by the prospect.

So here I am, years later, finding it hard to sleep in anticipation for the new film adaptation.  I’ve seen it twice on stage (the original Broadway cast and the touring version), and I have my midnight screening ticket sitting on my desk.  I’ve been listening to the soundtrack constantly for months (both the stage and new screen versions).  I’ve almost been in at least one wreck from becoming too involved while singing in my car (not kidding).  Never did I think that something would match my Harry Potter enthusiasm, but Hairspray is coming mighty close.

For those who don’t know much about Hairspray, here’s what it’s about.  Music, big hair, optimism, segregation, prejudice, love, tolerance, sex, and dance.  And that’s just the obvious bits.  You take all of that, and you wrap it up in the most enjoyable package ever created, with by far the greatest final number of any musical I’ve ever seen in any media.  This is something with great messages, and a great story, that is deep but not ponderous, fun but not silly, heartfelt but not sappy or cheesy, and positive but not preachy.  This is something even the most hardened, cynical pessimist (or conspiracy theorist 🙂 ) can enjoy.  If there ever was a movie that everyone can enjoy, it is this.  It might have the greatest casting of all time, I can vouch for the music being top notch (especially Zac Efron, Nikki Blonsky, Amanda Bynes and Elijah Kelly), and is coming at the perfect time.

Now, it may sound like I’ve already made up my mind on this film, and that I’m making assumptions and am pitching something as a fan and not a critic.  That may be partly true, but it’s also partly 100% wrong.  This all adds up to me having the highest expectations of any film this year.  I can say that the music is perfect on the soundtrack, and that is one of the biggest indicators that I have as to the quality of the film.  And since I doubt I’ll get to write a review since I’ll be trying to get some sleep before Harry Potter (see my last post) this is more of a pre-review.  But it’s also a plea.

PLEASE GO SEE HAIRSPRAY THIS WEEKEND!  Go with your friends, your parents, your significant other, your children, and anyone you can grab off the street.  This is what movie musicals are supposed to be: entertainment.  And if we go out in droves and show them that this sells, as it should, even better than the Dreamgirls and Chicago type movies then we can bring back one of the greatest film genres of all time (Westerns are next) in a way that the makers of Moulin Rouge! never even dreamed would happen.  (I’m hoping that all the kids who know Zac Efron from High School Musical will drag everyone they know along just to see Zac Efron, and then realize that it wasn’t the high school drama part of HSM that they liked but the musical part (if you’ve seen it, “Stick to the Status Quo” is like something that could be directly out of Hairspray).)