Hairspray (1988)
Country: US
Technical: col 90m
Director: John Waters
Cast: Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown, Ricki Lake
Synopsis:
In 1962 Baltimore, a plump teenager uses her success as a TV dance queen to speak out in favour of integration, and earns the enmity of the former contest winner and her racist parents.
Review:
The director's gross-out humour is slightly toned down for this PG outing, later to spawn an extraordinarily successful musical version and stage show. However, his presentation of asinine people without the support of undermining offensiveness becomes a little wearing, as does the number of dance-floor sequences. That said, there is enough 'off-the-wallness' to get some laughs, and a welcomely unconventional message: looks and goodness do not necessarily go together, and the fat girl can still get the best-looking lad.
Country: US
Technical: col 90m
Director: John Waters
Cast: Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown, Ricki Lake
Synopsis:
In 1962 Baltimore, a plump teenager uses her success as a TV dance queen to speak out in favour of integration, and earns the enmity of the former contest winner and her racist parents.
Review:
The director's gross-out humour is slightly toned down for this PG outing, later to spawn an extraordinarily successful musical version and stage show. However, his presentation of asinine people without the support of undermining offensiveness becomes a little wearing, as does the number of dance-floor sequences. That said, there is enough 'off-the-wallness' to get some laughs, and a welcomely unconventional message: looks and goodness do not necessarily go together, and the fat girl can still get the best-looking lad.
Country: US
Technical: col 90m
Director: John Waters
Cast: Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown, Ricki Lake
Synopsis:
In 1962 Baltimore, a plump teenager uses her success as a TV dance queen to speak out in favour of integration, and earns the enmity of the former contest winner and her racist parents.
Review:
The director's gross-out humour is slightly toned down for this PG outing, later to spawn an extraordinarily successful musical version and stage show. However, his presentation of asinine people without the support of undermining offensiveness becomes a little wearing, as does the number of dance-floor sequences. That said, there is enough 'off-the-wallness' to get some laughs, and a welcomely unconventional message: looks and goodness do not necessarily go together, and the fat girl can still get the best-looking lad.