Hairspray (2007): Pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad teaches 1962 Baltimore a thing or two about integration after landing a spot on a local TV dance show.With this film and the future release Sweeny Todd I think I’ve had enough of musicals. Especially considering that they all have to compare to Once, which I adore.

This is a more traditional musical, which is really not my favorite genre at all. The musical performances are all very well done. Nikki Blonsky has a great voice, and she obviously moves very well. She really is the definition of cute, without being pretty.

John Travolta is fun in the role of the mother, his movements are a bit exaggerated, but I guess they should be. I don’t really care for the other characters.

The dance numbers are fine, though I am generally not too interested in them. I should probably stop reviewing this movie, because no matter how good it is, it’s just not for me.

The big final dance at the end was fun, though it wasn’t the best of the movie. I thought they should not have changed Tracy’s look for it. They made her look almost conventional, as if for her to win she had to conform to the standard look, which defeats the battle she was fighting for. Also I just didn’t think she performed that well.

I’ve probably already written about this previously, but it’s worth repeating. My problem with musicals is the fact that out of the blue the characters just start to sing and dance. I can see it working if it were a dream or something like that, and there is sequence like that in Hairspray. But otherwise I can’t get into it. Another big problem is that I don’t care for dancing, it just doesn’t excite me. And finally the music itself doesn’t appeal to me.

Which is exactly why Once worked so well for me. There is no dance, the characters are singing/playing for a reason, and the music is great. All this on top of a great story.

So back to Hairspray, it is well done and even presents some interesting social commentary, but in the end it’s not for me.

Rating: 2 Stars