Director: John Waters
Screenplay: John Waters
Starring: Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown
Divine, Debbie Harry, Ricki Lake, Jerry Stiller, Ric Ocasek, Pia Zadora
Country: US
Running Time: 92m
Year: 1988
I don’t typically like musicals so it’s a good job John Waters’ Hairspray is not a typical musical. It slips by as a ‘music drama’ on a technicality. There’s a ton of fantastic music and dancing throughout, but none of the flash-mob nonsense, or characters singing dialogue for no good reason. The 2007 remake is one of those and so if that’s the version you know, expect something a little different from this.
I’m not sure what I expected. The very concept is initially utterly bizarre considering writer/director John Waters, the Pope of Trash, never made mainstream films for regular folk. Especially not with his sometime muse Divine. Notoriety has followed them with Waters eagerly teasing such attention. That his Hairspray is a feelgood delight gives it an immediate edge.
Hairspray followed Dirty Dancing’s splash of nostalgia for yesteryear teen angst. The Mars Attacks and Independence Day of dance competitions if you will. Released in 1988 about a 1962 TV show, if made today, Hairspray would be set in the year 2000. Sorry if that’s a bit depressing. Where Dirty Dancing is a fairly straightforward drama, Hairspray has more in common with The Rocky Horror Picture Show with an admirable lack of discipline.
Overall, it feels authentic and raw, despite being a bubblegum picture on the surface. Baltimore is in the middle of a potential civil rights crisis which is handled by simply poking fun at the racists. It lacks the remake’s studio polish, so there’s no effort in Waters’ clever and subversive version to sanitise or legitimise anyone’s opinion. It’s not Springtime for Hitler but a similar vibe in that it’s a postmodern fable that already knows racists are stupid.
With a really great cast, sharp writing and a lean 90 minute-ish run-time, it’s solid fun. The last act lets it down with confused zaniness and it finally gives in to some of its roots. Hairspray? Roots? Anyone? Never mind. Still, it’s weird that even during the last act, this is just about PG enough to be a family film, yet the edge is so expertly sown in, you can feel its teeth occasionally. It’s refreshing that in a well-trodden narrative featuring teen adversity, racists and bullies, Tracy’s (Ricki Lake) resolve never falters. No arc, no learning to be a better person, just choose your goal and don’t be a dick to people.
Despite his reputation for trash films, John Waters is an eccentric romantic, and a thoroughly decent man. His enthusiasm is infectious and comes through the screen. While I’ve never been a fan of his regular style, it succeeds (for want of a better phrase) because of him. His undoubtable talent is with people and Hairspray works because his cast engage with him. And I defy anyone not to smile at his one foray into mainstream when it’s this sharp, honest and fun.
VIDEO
This is another excellent 4K transfer, even considering the source is a little rough. John Waters never played with a huge budget and he makes excellent use of limited sets. A lazier film in such circumstances might show up some weakness in UHD. Hairspray however holds up. At its best, it feels like a bigger film than it actually was. Colours are a bit flat, but there is still some pop to be had. And this is a fairytale via at least implied social realism, so a bit of grit is welcome. Colour and skin-tone are satisfyingly authentic, effects and make-up hold up nicely even in the face of some merciless detail.
EXTRA FEATURES
Criterion round out this edition with a perfectly curated set of extra features, making this one of their finest releases of later.
The new interview with John Waters finds the director in good form and it’s a warm conversation. The documentary and other pieces Water dig into some interesting detail.
- New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director John Waters, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- Alternate 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Audio commentary featuring Waters and actor Ricki Lake
- New conversation between Waters and WFMU DJs Dave “the Spazz” Abramson and Gaylord Fields
- New interview with Lake and actor Colleen Fitzpatrick
- Reflections from actors Debbie Harry, Jo Ann Havrilla, Leslie Ann Powers, Clayton Prince, Shawn Thompson, and Pia Zadora
- Deleted scenes
- Behind-the-scenes documentary
- Get to Know John Waters (1987)
- Interview with production designer Vincent Peranio
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by critic Jessica Kiang
- New cover by F. Ron Miller
