Hairspray (2007)

Once again Tracy Turnblad lights up the screen with her bubbly personality except this time the film comes with a catchy soundtrack. The 2007 version of Hairspray has reflects similarities between the 1988 version while still having new elements. This film sticks to its somewhat cheesy roots while at the same time making a more substantial and interesting storyline.

For the most part, these two films are quite similar. The beginning of the movies are very similar but it is in the end where the differences show. One big difference is the conflict which addresses race and integration. In the 1988 version a fight breaks out at the carnival which was completely unplanned. In the 2007 version it was a planned protest that people organized. Along with that, in the original film Tracy goes to jail and in the 2007 version she is a runaway the police are searching for. There was no need to go to the government in the second movie but in order to get Tracy out of jail they had to. I think these differences put a different spin on how race is portrayed in the film. The first film reveals an unorganized type of riot to bring peoples attention to the matter but in the 2007 version they organize a walk through the streets. These are two different ways to handle a situation like this and I think it is an interesting difference to look at.

Since other aspects of this film are so similar, I would argue that this is a part of the camp genre. Maybe things are as "campy" as in the first one but there are still a lot of things that are exaggerated. One thing which makes everything seem exaggerated is the fact that this is a musical. People look at musicals as already being pretty cheesy and to add the camp attributes of the first film make it that much more unnatural. Also, the characters in the first film are pretty similar to the ones in the 2007 version which makes the campy traits carry over to the newest version. The male characters in the new version are still take a backseat to the female characters and are still pretty effeminate.

In Tom Charity's review, he sums up the movie pretty well when he says "Bright, campy and wonderfully light, "Hairspray" reminds us that fun comes in all shapes and sizes. It's also one of the few "event" movies this summer that doesn't outstay its welcome. That's worth singing about, no matter what your name is". Both Hairspray films are light-hearted and perhaps a little out there but if the viewer does not take them too seriously, they are pretty entertaining.

Hairspray (1988)

Hairspray is a light-hearted film which addresses ideas about different social issues while at the same time making its audience laugh. It focuses mainly on the issue of integration but other issues such as gender roles and personal appearance are also present throughout the film. The main character, Tracy Turnblad, is the center around which all of these different issues are formed.

This movie touches on race in a much lighter way than what we have seen in other movies this semester. At the beginning of the film it seems as though it is just a fun movie without much depth but as it nears the end the viewers can see how it makes more of a statement about race and more specifically integration. Of course it is not a deep story line about race like we may have seen in Do the Right Thing, but it does comment on race in a different way. This movie also touches on appearance. There are many times where the barbie doll Amber Van Tussle comments on the way Tracy looks and how she is too fat to be dancing. This theme may not be as strong as the idea about integration but it is definitely a main conflict throughout the film. Tracy Turnblad receives the brunt of all these issues and I would say she is the center of it all. What makes her a likeable character is that she can handle anything that people throw at her and she still remains the bubbly character throughout the entire film.

Engaging Cinema  talks about the social symbolic which is "a distinct realm comprised of symbolic acts of understanding and empathy that shine a light on cultural ideals, which otherwise often disappear within the darkness of prejudicial social practices(356)" In this case, the idea of the Corny Collins show is an example of the social symbolic. It is the place where, in the end, people of any color, shape, gender, or background can join in on the celebration. Like what the book talks about, this idea of music and dancing creates a common place for all types of people where there differences do not stand out or even matter.

In Robert Ebert's review, he describes the movie as "a bubble-headed series of teenage crises and crushes, alternating with historically accurate choreography of such forgotten dances as the Madison and the Roach". This may be what the movie comes off as to a lot of people. Maybe the purpose of it was just to simply entertain people or perhaps it was supposed to be a commentary on life in the 60's in a way that is both relatable and appealing.