Hairspray

PG

Released Jul 20, 2007

1 hr. 55 min.

Musical

Comedy

List

92%

219 Reviews

Tomatometer

84%

250,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In 1960s Baltimore, dance-loving teen Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) auditions for a spot on "The Corny Collins Show" and wins. She becomes an overnight celebrity, a trendsetter in dance, fun and fashion. Perhaps her new status as a teen sensation is enough to topple Corny's reigning dance queen and bring racial integration to the show.

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Critics Consensus

Hairspray is an energetic, wholly entertaining musical romp; a fun Summer movie with plenty of heart. Its contagious songs will make you want to get up and start dancing.

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Simon T

Froth, but infectiously performed. The plot could be written on a stamp, and is the least interesting element, but several of Marc Shaiman's numbers - not least the climactic You Can't Stop the Beat - are genuine crowd-pleasers, and to see John Travolta cocooned in prosthetics sending up his Saturday Night Fever and Grease appearances is glorious. Christopher Walken and Michelle Pfeiffer lend terrific support, and if you can park your brain you'll have a good time.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/24

Full Review

CDM 1

I first watched this reluctantly on a plane and discovered then and with countless rewatches that it is the best ever feel-good movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/02/24

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Ashley H

The music, the message, the iconic hair, the dance moves, what an exciting film to watch!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/25/23

Full Review

Montgomery M

Im not a musical person for the most part. But there is just something about this movie that I cant help but enjoy.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/12/23

Full Review

Red T

A Classic Musical The acting, cinematorapgy, and music is all really well done. And the pacing and editing is good too. Some numbers a re a bit catchier than others with the last number being the best one. Really the main issue is this needed a bit more time with the nonmusical sections as 80% of the runtime if not more so is musical numbers and while more do fit with the plot, they can crowd out the nonmusical scenes and make them feel quite rushed to get to the next number. 30 minutes in and were already on song 6-7 which is more than a lot of musicals have in the whole 2 hour runtime. It also does just throw us in very quickly right from the start and doesn't give us much backstory on Tracy though it still works well thanks to the eye popping musical numbers, great dancing, and just infectious fun that raidates from this entire film. I'm able to look past the problems with the nonmusical scenes not given as much time to develop because of how fun, charming, and good natured this is. It does a solid job of integrating Tracy's story with the integration of Baltimore ina fun clever way that had me bopping my head the entire time. Anyone who is a big fan of musicals, any actors in this, or the director will like this a lot.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/24/23

Full Review

Timothy D

Hairspray is decidedly childish, but the movie has enough charm and humor to skate by. And you'll never forget seeing John Travolta in drag.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/22/23

Full Review

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Adam Shankman

Director

John Travolta

Edna Turnblad

Nikki Blonsky

Tracy Turnblad

Amanda Bynes

Penny Pingleton

Christopher Walken

Wilbur Turnblad

Zac Efron

Link Larkin

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

This film leaps at you with such joy and vigour and generosity you cannot reject it.

Aug 23, 2018

Full Review

Bob Mondello

NPR

For a star-studded big-budget musical, Hairspray does a nice job of retaining the funky sweetness of the original.

Oct 18, 2008

Full Review

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Though colorful, cheery and energetic, there's something missing from this song-and-dance routine.

Rated: B-

Nov 30, 2007

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Marc Shaiman and Chris Wittman's score sparkles and the film's production design and appearance remain faithful to Waters' vision of 1960's Baltimore.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 10, 2020

Full Review

Micheal Compton

Bowling Green Daily News

The latest version is just as good, if not better, with an infectious soundtrack and an all-star cast that precisely hits every note. This is easily the most entertaining major studio release of 2007.

Nov 21, 2019

Full Review

Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

Nikki Blonsky is a complete delight.

Rated: A

Jun 18, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

In 1960s Baltimore, dance-loving teen Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) auditions for a spot on "The Corny Collins Show" and wins. She becomes an overnight celebrity, a trendsetter in dance, fun and fashion. Perhaps her new status as a teen sensation is enough to topple Corny's reigning dance queen and bring racial integration to the show.

Director: Adam Shankman
Executive Producer: Adam Shankman, Jennifer Gibgot, Garrett Grant, Toby Emmerich, Mark Kaufman, Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Robert Shaye, Michael Lynne
Screenwriter: Leslie Dixon
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Production Co: New Line Cinema
Rating: PG (Momentary Teen Smoking|Language|Some Suggestive Content)
Genre: Musical, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 20, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 1, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $118.8M
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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