Hairspray.

Review #1487: Hairspray.

Cast:
Ricki Lake (Tracy Turnblad), Divine (Edna Turnblad / Arvin Hodgepile), Debbie Harry (Velma Von Tussle), Sonny Bono (Franklin Von Tussle), Jerry Stiller (Wilbur Turnblad), Leslie Ann Powers (Penelope "Penny" Pingleton), Colleen Fitzpatrick (Amber Von Tussle), Michael St. Gerard (Lincoln "Link" Larkin), Clayton Prince (Seaweed J. Stubbs), Cyrkle Milbourne (L'il Inez Stubbs), Ruth Brown (Motormouth Maybelle Stubbs), Shawn Thompson (Corny Collins), Mink Stole (Tammy), Joann Havrilla (Prudence Pingleton), with special appearances by Toussaint McCall (Himself), Rick Ocasek (Beatnik cat), and Pia Zadora (Beatnik chick) Directed by John Waters.

Review:
"I pride myself on the fact that my work has no socially redeeming value."

Sometimes you can tell about a director from their influences, which for John Waters ranged from Jonas Mekas to Russ Meyer to Liberace to William Castle. Some directors might squirm at their films being labeled trash in some way but not in the case of Waters (labeled the "Pope of Trash"), who most certainly has had an interesting career worth looking at. He had an interest in taboo stuff from the very beginning, ranging from youth staging of violent puppet shows for birthday parties to hanging out near a beatnik bar while growing up in Baltimore, Maryland; numerous people that he grew up with would later participate in his films (known as the Dreamlanders), which included actors/crew such as Mary Vivian Pearce and Divine (stage name for Harris Milstead, drag queen/singer and counterculture icon) that started doing short films in 1964 and then features with Mondo Trasho (1969). The film he is likely most famous for is the exploitation comedy Pink Flamingos (1972), which is best described by its tagline as an "exercise in poor taste", which featured Divine in a film most infamous for having her actually eat excrement, among other moments. Although Waters has not directed a film since A Dirty Shame (2004), he has kept himself busy in various ways, ranging from a one-man show This Filthy World to acting appearances to artistry in a variety of mediums.

This was his seventh film as director, while being his sixth and last collaboration with Divine, who died just weeks after the release of the film. It would later be turned into a musical in 2003 (winning several Tony Awards) and a film based on the musical was done in 2007. It might seem like a strange duck when compared to some of Waters' other films (it is the only film of his to be PG rated), but then I realize it makes perfect sense because it's a movie of kitsch near his heart, since it is inspired by The Buddy Deane Show, a dance party show from 1957 to 1964 that aired in Baltimore when Waters was a child that featured teenagers as part of "The Committee" that would dance on the show to the hit songs and artists of the time that could range from country to rhythm to rock and roll, which ended not because of a loss of popularity but because of management refusal to integrate. There is something warm and weird about its approach that makes a curious charmer of an experience, benefitting from a cast with a good sense of subtlety and charm and some interesting tunes and turn with jokes that embraces its surroundings with slyness and enjoyment. Lake (in her film debut) proves capable in the lead with awareness and fine timing, worthy of our attention in making humor or rolling to the beat without being a target for cheap plump jokes. Divine, playing roles in each gender, is quite captivating, doing a fair job in enriching deadpan humor without needing to clown for it with hammy-ness, whether that means playing a free-spirited wife or a narrow-minded jerk (believe it or not, the original idea was to have Divine play both the lead and the on-screen mother). Harry makes a good laugh in conceitedness, with Bono and Fitzpatrick being appropriate contrasts to Divine and Stiller in family values to poke and look at. Others like Powers, Brown do just fine with giving perspective to what matters most: a changing time not just for kids but also for adults as well, while the Beatnik scene with Ocasek and Zadora is fairly amusing. It holds the attention for 92 minutes because it has its heart in the right places that can be enjoyed by anyone without getting a feeling of gooey sentiment or general gooeyness. It is a lively and well-crafted look upon the times with an eye looking upon issues involving racial prejudice or what it means to be a teen in 1962 like no other.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.