Hairspray 2 Spoiler

Hairspray is a 2007 American musical film produced by Zadan/Meron Productions and distributed by New Line Cinema. It was released in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on July 20, 2007. The film is an adaptation of the 2002 Broadway musical of the same name, and loosely based on John Waters's 1988 comedy film of the same name. Set in 1962 Baltimore, Maryland, the film follows the "pleasantly plump" teenager Tracy Turnblad as she simultaneously pursues stardom as a dancer on a local TV show and rallies against racial segregation.

Adapted from both Waters's 1988 script and Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell's book for the stage musical by screenwriter Leslie Dixon, the 2007 film version of Hairspray is directed and choreographed by Adam Shankman. Hairspray features songs from the Broadway musical written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, as well as four new Shaiman/Wittman compositions not present in the original Broadway version.

Opening to positive reviews, Hairspray met with financial success, breaking the record for biggest sales at opening weekend for a movie musical,[3] which the film held until July 2008 when it was surpassed by Mamma Mia![4] and later High School Musical 3: Senior Year in October.[5] Hairspray went on to become the fourth highest grossing musical film in US cinema history, behind the film adaptations of Grease, Chicago, and Mamma Mia!.[4] Available in a variety of formats, Hairspray's Region 1 home video release took place on November 20, 2007.[6] USA Network has purchased the broadcast rights to Hairspray and is scheduled to debut the film on cable television in February 2010, in the end it did not broadcast that month, instead it was broadcast on March 25, 2010.

Plot

May 3, 1962. Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky), a cheerful, rotund high school student living in Baltimore, Maryland steps out of her apartment ("Good Morning Baltimore") and endures a day’s worth of school before she and her best friend Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes) can watch their favorite TV show, The Corny Collins Show, a teen dance show broadcast from Baltimore’s station WYZT ("The Nicest Kids in Town").

The teenagers featured on the show attend Tracy and Penny's school, among them the arrogant and wealthy Amber Von Tussle (Brittany Snow) and her boyfriend Link Larkin (Zac Efron), the lead male dancer on the show. Amber’s mother, Velma (Michelle Pfeiffer) manages WYZT and goes out of her way to make sure Amber is featured and that The Corny Collins Show remains a racially segregated program. Corny Collins (James Marsden) and his Council Members are white; black kids are only allowed on the show on "Negro Day", held the last Tuesday of each month and hosted by R&B disc jockey Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah), who owns a record shop.

Tracy's reclusive mother Edna (John Travolta) and Penny's strict mother Prudy (Allison Janney) disapprove of their daughters' fascination with the program; Tracy's father, Wilbur (Christopher Walken), a joke-shop proprietor, is more lenient. One day, Corny Collins announces that a Council Member is going on a leave of absence, and that auditions for a replacement will be held the next morning during school hours ("It Takes Two"). When Tracy attends, Velma rejects her at the audition for being overweight and supportive of integration ("(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs"). Tracy is sent to detention by Miss Wimsey (Jayne Eastwood) for skipping school, where she learns that the “Negro Day” kids practice their dances in the detention hall. Tracy befriends the students' best dancer, Motormouth Maybelle's son Seaweed (Elijah Kelley), who teaches Tracy several dance moves. As Tracy leaves detention, she accidentally bumps into Link and dreams of a life with him when he winks at her ("I can Hear the Bells"). At a record hop, Tracy’s moves attract the attention of Corny Collins ("Ladies' Choice") and he appoints her to the Council ("The Nicest Kids in Town (Reprise)").

Tracy becomes one of Corny's most popular Council Members. This threatens Amber's chances of winning the show's yearly "Miss Teenage Hairspray" pageant ("The New Girl in Town") and her relationship with Link, as he grows fonder of Tracy. Mr. Pinky (Jerry Stiller), a slightly off-centered salesman, suggests that Tracy be the spokesgirl for his Hefty Hideaway boutique. Tracy convinces Edna to accompany her to the Hefty Hideaway and act as her agent, and in the process ends her mother's agoraphobia ("Welcome to the 60’s").

At school Tracy introduces Seaweed to Penny, where the two are instantly attracted to one another. One afternoon, Amber arranges for Tracy to be sent to detention. Link follows by saying "kiss my ass" to Mr. Flak (George King). Seaweed invites the girls and Link to follow him and his sister Little Inez (Taylor Parks) to a platter party at Motormouth Maybelle's record shop ("Run and Tell That"). When Edna finds Tracy at the shop she tries to take her home, until Maybelle convinces her to stay and makes Edna more proud of her image ("Big, Blonde and Beautiful"). Maybelle informs everyone that Velma has canceled "Negro Day". Tracy suggests that Maybelle and the others stage a protest march (a parody of the march in Alabama led by Malcolm X.), which they plan for the next afternoon, a day before the "Miss Teenage Hairspray" pageant. Realizing that he has a chance at stardom by singing at the pageant, Link does not attend the demonstration, disappointing Tracy. After the party, Edna goes to Wilbur's shop to flirt with him. Velma gets there first and unsuccessfully tries to seduce Wilbur ("Big, Blonde and Beautiful (Reprise)"). Edna arrives and accuses Wilbur of infidelity. Edna, out of hatred for Velma, forbids Tracy from being on the show. Wilbur and Edna reconcile ("(You’re) Timeless to Me").

The next morning, Tracy sneaks out of the house to join the protest ("I Know Where I’ve Been"), which comes to a halt at a police roadblock set up by Velma. The protesters are arrested, but Tracy runs to the Pingletons, where Penny hides her in a fallout shelter. Prudy catches Tracy and calls the police before tying Penny to her bed. Seaweed and his friends, having been bailed out by Wilbur, help Tracy and Penny escape. Meanwhile, Link visits Tracy’s house to look for her and realizes that he loves her. Seaweed and Penny also acknowledge their love during the escape from her house ("Without Love").

With the pageant underway ("(It’s) Hairspray"), Velma places police officers around WYZT to stop Tracy. She also changes the pageant tallies so Amber is guaranteed to win. Penny arrives at the pageant with Edna "incognito", while Wilbur, Seaweed, and the Negro Day kids help Tracy infiltrate the studio in time to participate in the Miss Teenage Hairspray dance contest. Link breaks away from Amber to dance with Tracy; later, he pulls Little Inez, who has just arrived at WYZT with Maybelle, to the stage to dance in the pageant.

Little Inez receives the most votes and wins the pageant, officially integrating The Corny Collins Show. Velma loudly declares her frustration, informing her daughter of the tally-switching scheme. Unknown to Velma, Edna and Wilbur have turned a camera on her, and Velma's outburst is broadcast on the air, causing her to be fired from the program. Meanwhile, The Corny Collins Show set explodes into a celebration as Tracy and Link cement their love with a kiss ("You Can’t Stop the Beat").

Cast

Main characters

* Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad, the film's protagonist. An optimistic, overweight teenage girl who loves to dance, Tracy's racial color-blindness unwittingly leads her to becoming an active supporter for the integration of The Corny Collins Show. Hairspray is newcomer Nikki Blonsky's first time as a professional actress.[8]
* John Travolta as Edna Turnblad, Tracy's mother and agent, an agoraphobe ashamed of her obesity. John Travolta's casting as Edna continues the tradition of having a man in drag portray the character, going back to the original 1988 film, which featured drag queen Divine as Edna and at Hairspray's Broadway version, which featured Harvey Fierstein as Edna.[9] Executives at New Line Cinema originally expected the part to be filled by an actor accustomed to playing comic roles, tossing around names such as Robin Williams, Steve Martin, and Tom Hanks.[9] However, Travolta was aggressively sought after by producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron for this role because he had starred in Grease, the second most successful movie musical to date, beaten only by Mamma Mia!.[10]
* Michelle Pfeiffer as Velma Von Tussle, the film's antagonist. As manager of station WYZT, the racist, former beauty queen, Velma is primarily interested in keeping her daughter Amber in the spotlight and The Corny Collins Show segregated. Hairspray is the first film featuring Michelle Pfeiffer to be released in five years (Stardust, also featuring Pfeiffer, was filmed before Hairspray, but released three weeks afterwards).[11] The peculiarity of Pfeiffer and Travolta appearing onscreen together (Travolta starred in Grease, Pfeiffer in Grease 2) was not lost on the production staff[11]; interestingly enough Travolta actually requested that Pfeiffer play the part of the villainess. Also notable is the appearance together of Pfeiffer and Christopher Walken for the first time since Batman Returns.[9]
* Christopher Walken as Wilbur Turnblad, Tracy's father, the easygoing proprietor of the "Hardy-Har Hut" joke shop below the Turnblad family's loft apartment. John Travolta had asked that Walken be considered for the part[9], and he eventually beat out Billy Crystal[12] and Jim Broadbent[13] for the role of Wilbur.
* Amanda Bynes as Penny Pingleton, Tracy's best friend, a sheltered girl who falls in love with Seaweed, despite the efforts of her racist and stern mother, Prudy. A young actress famous for appearances on Nickelodeon TV shows and in feature films, Bynes was one of the few movie stars cast among the teen roles.[14]
* James Marsden as Corny Collins. As host of The Corny Collins Show, Corny's politically progressive attitudes lead him to fight his show's imposed segregation. Corny Collins is based upon Baltimore TV personality, Buddy Deane, who hosted an eponymous local teen dance show in the late 1950s and early 1960s.[15] James Marsden beat out both Joey McIntyre and X-Men costar Hugh Jackman for the part.[16]
* Queen Latifah as "Motormouth" Maybelle, a Baltimore Rhythm and Blues radio disc jockey who hosts "Negro Day" on The Corny Collins Show. Maybelle also runs a record shop on North Avenue. Queen Latifah appeared in the successful Zadan/Meron movie musical Chicago, and worked under Adam Shankman's direction in Bringing Down the House.[17] She beat out soul legend Aretha Franklin for the role of Maybelle.[12]
* Brittany Snow as Amber Von Tussle, Velma's bratty daughter and the lead female dancer on The Corny Collins Show. Amber becomes Tracy's enemy when Tracy threatens both Amber's chance to win the "Miss Teenage Hairspray" crown and Amber's relationship with her boyfriend, Link. Snow had previously worked with Shankman in The Pacifier.[16] Hayden Panettiere was also considered for the part of Amber, but was decided against in part because of her then upcoming work with the NBC television series Heroes.[16]
* Zac Efron as Link Larkin, Amber's boyfriend and the lead male dancer on The Corny Collins Show. Link is a singer who gradually becomes more attracted to Tracy. The character is based in part upon Elvis Presley.[16] Efron, a popular teen actor from the Disney Channel TV film High School Musical, was initially thought by Adam Shankman to be "too Disney."[16] Shankman's sister, executive producer Jennifer Gibgot, convinced her brother to cast Efron, believing that the teen star would draw a substantial teen crowd.[16]
* Elijah Kelley as Seaweed J. Stubbs, Maybelle's son, a skilled dancer who teaches Tracy some dance moves and falls in love with her friend, Penny. Kelley, a relative newcomer to film, overcame other open call auditioners and several popular R&B stars for the part of Seaweed.[14]
* Allison Janney as Prudy Pingleton, Penny's mother, a zealous Catholic whose strict parenting keeps Penny from experiencing social life, She ties up Penny when she lets Tracy inside their house.

Minor roles

* Paul Dooley as Mr. Harriman F. Spritzer, the owner of the "Ultra Clutch" company and the main sponsor of The Corny Collins Show. Although Mr. Spritzer also prefers to keep The Corny Collins Show segregated, he will follow public opinion if it increases sales.
* Jayne Eastwood as Miss Wimsey, Tracy’s geography teacher; gives Tracy the detention note that first led her to Seaweed.
* Jerry Stiller as Mr. Pinky, who owns a dress shop called Mr. Pinky's Hefty Hideaway. He hires Tracy as his spokesgirl. Stiller played Wilbur Turnblad in the 1988 John Waters film.
* Taylor Parks as Little Inez Stubbs, Maybelle's teenage daughter, Inez is a skilled dancer. She is also Seaweed's sister. Inez is based in part upon Ruby Bridges, the first black child to attend a formerly all-white school in the state of Louisiana.[15]
* George King as Mr. Flak, Amber, Link, and Tracy's history teacher. He gives Tracy detention when Amber frames Tracy of drawing a picture of him with breasts. He gives Link detention as well for saying, “Kiss my ass” in Tracy's defense.

Council members

* Curtis Holbrook as Brad
* Hayley Podschun as Tammy
* Phillip Spaeth as Fender
* Cassie Silva as Brenda
* Nick Baga as Sketch
* Sarah Jayne Jensen as Shelley
* Jesse Weafer as I.Q.
* Kelly Fletcher as Lou Ann
* J.P. Ferreri as Joey
* Spencer Liff as Mikey
* Laura Edwards as Vicky
* Tabitha Lupien as Becky
* Corey Gorewicz as Bix
* Joshua Feldman as Jesse
* Becca Sweitzer as Darla
* Everett Smith as Paulie
* Tiffany Engen as Noreen
* Brooke Engen as Doreen
Production
[edit] Early development

Following the success of the Broadway musical Hairspray, which won eight Tony Awards in 2003, New Line Cinema, who owned the rights to the 1988 John Waters film upon which the stage musical is based, became interested in adapting the stage show as a musical film. Development work began in late 2004, while a similar film-to-Broadway-to-film project, Mel Brooks' The Producers, was in production.[19]

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron's Academy Award-winning film adaptation of the Broadway musical Chicago, were hired as the producers for Hairspray,[20] and began discussing possibly casting John Travolta and Billy Crystal (or Jim Broadbent) as Edna and Wilbur Turnblad, respectively.[19] Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell, authors of the book for the stage musical, wrote the first draft of the film's screenplay, but were replaced by Leslie Dixon, screenwriter for family comedies such as Mrs. Doubtfire and Freaky Friday.[19] After a year's deliberation on who should direct the film, Zadan and Meron finally decided to hire Adam Shankman to both direct and choreograph Hairspray.[21] Upon learning he had been hired, Shankman arranged a meeting with John Waters, who advised him "don't do what I did, don't do what the play did. You've gotta do your own thing."[10] Despite this, Shankman still noted "all roads of Hairspray lead back to John Waters."

Tony Gardner and his company Alterian, Inc.were hired to design and create the look of Edna Turnblad on John Travolta. Costume designer Rita Ryak wanted to put Edna into several revealing outfits, so Travolta ended up being encapsulated in prosthetics. He wore silicone prosthetics on his head and neck, and foam latex arms and legs that connected to a spandex and foam body suit.