Hairspray
Hairspray is a 2007 musical romantic comedy film based on the 2002 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was based on John Waters's 1988 comedy film of the same name. Produced by Ingenious Media and Zadan/Meron Productions, and 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 film was directed and choreographed by Adam Shankman and has an ensemble cast including John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Queen Latifah, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley, Allison Janney, and Nikki Blonsky in her feature film debut. Set in 1962 Baltimore, Maryland, the film follows the "pleasantly plump" teenager Tracy Turnblad (Blonsky) as she pursues stardom as a dancer on a local television dance show and rallies against racial segregation.
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| Running time | 116 minutes
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| Language | English
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| Budget | $75 million
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| Box office | $203.5 million
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Wilbur Turnblad: Obtuse?
Velma Von Tussle: Yes, obtuse!
Wilbur Turnblad: I flunked geometry...
Velma Von Tussle: ...yes, and biology too, no doubt!
- Arvin Hodgepile and Franklin von Tussle, two characters from the 1988 film, do not appear in this version. The actors who played them died: Divine in 1988 and Sonny Bono in 1998.
- To facilitate filming for the "Run and Tell That" dance number, the production cut up a 1957 GMC transit bus into 9 pieces.
- According to Film Journal International, the song "Big, Blonde and Beautiful (Reprise)" was added in as at the suggestion of Michelle Pfeiffer to replace a scripted scene, giving her the chance to sing.
- After Penny and Seaweed fall in love, she sings, "And if they try to stop us, Seaweed/We'll call the N-double A-C-P." Until the Supreme Court's 1967 decision in Loving v. Virginia, interracial marriage was illegal in 17 states, including Maryland. In Baltimore, Maryland, in 1962, Seaweed and Penny's relationship was illegal.
- The original Broadway production of "Hairspray" opened at the Neil Simon Theater on August 15, 2002, ran for 2,642 performances and won the 2003 Tony Awards for the Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score. It is Broadway's 21st longest running show ever (February 2013). Cast included Marissa Jaret Winokur (Tracy), Harvey Fierstein (Edna), Clarke Thorell (Corny Collins), Laura Bell Bundy (Amber), Matthew Morrison (Link), Kerry Butler (Penny), Linda Hart (Velma), Dick Latessa (Wilbur), Corey Reynolds (Seaweed) and Mary Bond Davis (Motormouth Maybelle).
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