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.