| Hairspray | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Adam Shankman |
| Screenplay by | Leslie Dixon |
| Based on | |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Bojan Bazelli |
| Edited by | Michael Tronick |
| Music by | Marc Shaiman |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 116 minutes[1] |
| Countries | |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $75 million[3] |
| Box office | $203.5 million[4] |
Hairspray is a 2007musicalromantic comedy film based on the 2002 Broadway musical ofthe same name, which in turn was based onJohn Waters's 1988 comedy film ofthe same name. Produced byIngenious Media and Zadan/Meron Productions, and adapted from both Waters's 1988 script andThomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell's book for the stage musical by screenwriterLeslie Dixon, the film was directed and choreographed byAdam Shankman and has anensemble cast includingJohn Travolta,Michelle Pfeiffer,Christopher Walken,Amanda Bynes,James Marsden,Queen Latifah,Brittany Snow,Zac Efron,Elijah Kelley,Allison Janney, andNikki Blonsky in her feature film debut. Set in 1962Baltimore, 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 againstracial segregation.
The film began development in 2004, and Dixon reworked Meehan and O'Donnell's first draft of the screenplay to tone down the musical's campiness. In 2005, Shankman agreed to direct the film. Composer/lyricistMarc Shaiman and lyricistScott Wittman reworked their songs from the Broadway musical for the film's soundtrack, and also wrote four new songs for the film. Principal photography commenced in September 2006 with a budget of $75 million, and ended in December of that year; filming took place on locations inToronto andHamilton, Ontario, Canada and on sound-stages at Toronto's Showline Studios. Recording sessions for the film's songs and soundtrack took place inSan Diego, California in theUnited States.
Hairspray premiered on July 10, 2007, at theMann Village Theater and was released on July 20, 2007, in the United Kingdom and the United States. The film was met with critical acclaim and was a financial success, breaking the record for the highest-grossing opening weekend for a movie musical,[5] which the film held until July 2008 when it was surpassed byMamma Mia![6] and laterHigh School Musical 3: Senior Year in October.[7]Hairspray went on to become the tenth highest-grossing musical film in US cinema history, behind the film adaptations ofGrease,Chicago, andMamma Mia!,[6] and stands as one of the most critically and commercially successful musical films of the 2000s. Available in a variety of formats,Hairspray'sRegion 1 home video release took place on November 20, 2007.[8]USA Network purchased the broadcast rights toHairspray and was scheduled to debut the film on cable television in February 2010, but in the end it did not broadcast that month. Instead the film was pushed back and premiered on USA on July 24, 2010, with sister channelBravo also showing it multiple times, and in February 2011 aired onABC for over-the-air broadcasts.[9]
In May 1962, 16-year-old overweight high school student Tracy Turnblad lives inBaltimore along with her shy best friend Penny Pingleton. Both frequently watchThe Corny Collins Show, a local teen dance television show broadcast live on the WYZT station. Several of the dancers on the show, among them lead dancers Amber von Tussle and her boyfriend Link Larkin, attend Tracy and Penny's high school. Amber's mother Velma, the station's manager,ensures that her daughter is prominently featured and, as Corny Collins and the main dancers are white, only allows African-American dancers to appear on the monthly "Negro Day", hosted by localR&B disc jockey "Motormouth" Maybelle Stubbs.
When Corny announces that Brenda, a dancer on the show, will be taking a nine-month leave of absence, Tracy becomes ecstatic, especially when Link announces auditions for a replacement to be held at the WYZT studio the next day. At the audition, Velma rejects her for both being overweight and supportingintegration. Given detention for skipping class, Tracy discovers the "Negro Day" kids practicing in the detention room and befriends Motormouth Maybelle's son, Seaweed, who teaches her several dance moves. While leaving detention, she inadvertently meets Link, dreaming of life with him. At arecord hop, her new moves garner Corny's attention, and he chooses her to join the cast.
Tracy quickly becomes one of Corny's most popular performers, affecting Amber's chances of winning the show's annual "Miss Teenage Hairspray" pageant the following month and her relationship with Link, who grows fonder of Tracy. When Mr. Pinky enlists her as the spokesgirl for his Hefty Hideaway boutique, she persuades heragoraphobic mother, Edna, to accompany her there as her agent, where both receive makeovers, sharply boosting Edna's confidence.
Tracy introduces Seaweed to Penny, and the two become smitten. Later, Seaweed and his younger sister Little Inez take Tracy, Penny, and Link to a party at Maybelle's store. Amber, upset over losing Link to Tracy, follows her mother's advice and anonymously calls Edna to reveal her daughter's current whereabouts, which causes Edna to rush to the store and attempt to take her home immediately, but Maybelle convinces her to stay and take pride in herself. After Maybelle sadly informs everyone that Velma has cancelled Negro Day, Tracy suggests they march for integration. Link, unwilling to endanger his career, sincerely apologizes to Tracy, upsetting her by explaining that he is scheduled to sing in front of talent scouts at the pageant. Edna returns to her husband Wilbur's shop, but Velma gets there first, and tries to seduce him. Though he remains impervious to Velma's advances, Edna arrives to see Velma forcing him into a compromising position and furiously storms out. After accusing Wilbur ofinfidelity and changing the locks, Edna, out of hatred for Velma, forbids Tracy to be on the show, but changes her mind after reconciling with Wilbur.
The next morning, Tracy sneaks out of the house to join the protest, which is halted by a police roadblock. The protesters engage in a brawl, while Tracy runs to the Pingletons' home, where Penny hides her in afallout shelter. However, Penny's mother Prudy reports Tracy to the police and ties her daughter to her bed for "harboring a fugitive". Having been bailed out by Wilbur, Seaweed and his friends help Tracy and Penny escape. Link visits Tracy's house to find her, realizing that he loves her. Seaweed and Penny also acknowledge their love during the escape.
With the pageant underway, Velma assigns police officers to guard the WYZT studio to prevent Tracy from entering and rigs the pageant tallies to guarantee Amber's victory. Penny arrives at the pageant with Edna, while Wilbur, Seaweed, and the Negro Day kids help Tracy infiltrate the studio. Link breaks away from Amber to dance with Tracy; later, he pulls Little Inez to the stage to dance in the pageant.
Amber's attempt to re-claim her championship crown fails. Little Inez wins the pageant after a late surge of support, successfully integrating the program. Edna mans a camera to film Velma revealing her rigging scheme to Amber, resulting in Velma's dismissal. The set turns into a celebration as Tracy and Link cement their love by kissing each other.
In addition to the principal actors, the film contained severalcameo appearances by individuals involved in the history ofHairspray:
Music producer/composer/co-lyricistMarc Shaiman and co-lyricistScott Wittman were required to alter their BroadwayHairspray song score in various ways in order to work on film, from changing portions of the lyrics in some songs (e.g., "(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs", "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful", and "You Can't Stop the Beat") to more or less completely removing other songs from the film altogether.
"Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now", a popular number from the stage musical, features Tracy, Penny, and Amber arguing with their respective mothers. Neither Shankman nor Dixon could come up with a solution for filming "Mama" that did not require a three-way split screen — something they wanted to avoid[21] — and both felt the number did not adequately advance the plot.[21][22] As a result, "Mama" was reluctantly dropped from the film during pre-production, although it is used by Shaiman as an instrumental number when theCorny Collins kids dance the "Stricken Chicken". A special version of "Mama" was recorded for the film's end credits in May 2007, during the final score recording process, which featured vocals from each of the three women most famous for portraying Tracy Turnblad:Ricki Lake from the 1988 film,Marissa Jaret Winokur from the original Broadway cast, andNikki Blonsky from the 2007 film.[23]Harvey Fierstein, who portrayed Edna as part of the original Broadway cast, has a brief cameo moment in the end credits version of "Mama" as well.[23]
"It Takes Two", a solo for Link, was moved from its place in the stage musical (on Tracy's first day onThe Corny Collins Show) to an earlierCorny Collins scene, although only thecoda of the song is used in the final release print, and the song's background music can be heard immediately after the reprise of "The Nicest Kids in Town". "Cooties", a solo for Amber in the stage musical, is present in this film as an instrumental during the Miss Teenage Hairspray dance-off. As with "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now", a version of "Cooties", performed in acontemporarypop rendition byAimee Allen, is present during the end credits.
The performance of a vintage dance calledThe Madison, present in both the 1988 film and the stage musical, was replaced for this version by a newly composed song, "Ladies' Choice". Portions of the Madison dance steps were integrated into the choreography for the musical number "You Can't Stop the Beat", and the song to which the dance is performed on Broadway can be heard during Motormouth Maybelle's platter party in the film, re-titled "Boink-Boink". "The Big Dollhouse", "Velma's Revenge" (a reprise of "Miss Baltimore Crabs"), and the reprise of "Good Morning Baltimore" were the only numbers from the musical not used in the film in any way.
Shaiman and Wittman composed two new songs for the 2007 film: "Ladies' Choice", a solo for Link, and "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)", a song performed during the end credits by Queen Latifah, Blonsky, Efron, and Kelley. Another "new" song in the 2007 film, "The New Girl in Town", had originally been composed for the Broadway musical, but was deemed unnecessary and discarded from the musical. Director Shankman decided to use the song to both underscore a rise-to-fame montage for Tracy and to showcase Maybelle's "Negro Day", which is never actually seen in either of the earlier incarnations ofHairspray.[24]
One additional Shaiman/Wittman song, a ballad entitled "I Can Wait", was composed for the film as a solo for Tracy, meant to replace the stage musical's reprise of "Good Morning Baltimore". "I Can Wait" was shot for the film (Tracy performs the number while locked in Prudy's basement), but was eventually deleted from the final release print. The audio recording of "I Can Wait" was made available as a special bonus track for customers who pre-ordered theHairspray soundtrack oniTunes, and the scene itself was included as a special feature on the film's DVD release.[25]
Post-production took place inLos Angeles. Composer/co-lyricist Shaiman continued work on the film's music, employing theHollywood Symphony Orchestra to record instrumentation for both the songs and the incidental score.[23]
Following the success of theBroadway musicalof the same name, which won eightTony Awards in 2003,New Line Cinema, who owned the rights to the1988 John Waters film upon which the stage musical is based, became interested in adapting the stage show as a musical film. Development work began in late 2004, while a similarly film-to-Broadway-to-film project,Mel Brooks'The Producers, was in production.[26]
Craig Zadan andNeil Meron, the executive producers of theAcademy Award-winning film adaptation of the Broadway musicalChicago, were hired as the producers forHairspray,[27] and began discussing possibly castingJohn Travolta andBilly Crystal (orJim Broadbent) as Edna and Wilbur Turnblad, respectively.[26]Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell, authors of the book for the stage musical, wrote the first draft of the film's screenplay, but were replaced byLeslie Dixon, screenwriter for family comedies such asMrs. Doubtfire andFreaky Friday.[26] After a year's deliberation on who should direct the film, Zadan and Meron finally decided to hireAdam Shankman to both direct and choreographHairspray.[28] Upon learning he had been hired, Shankman arranged a meeting with John Waters, who advised him "don't do what I did, don't do what the play did. You've gotta do your own thing."[12] Despite this, Shankman still noted "all roads ofHairspray lead back to John Waters."[12]
Tory Gardner and his companyAlterian, Inc. were hired to design and create the look of Edna Turnblad on John Travolta. Costume designerRita Ryack wanted to put Edna into several revealing outfits, so Travolta ended up being encapsulated in prosthetics. He wore silicone prosthetics on his head and neck, and foam latex arms and legs that connected to a spandex and foam body suit.[citation needed]
Dixon was primarily hired to tone down much of thecampiness inherent in the stage musical.[21] The 2007 film's script is based primarily on the stage musical rather than the 1988 film, so several changes already made to the plot for the stage version remain in this version. These include dropping several characters from the 1988 version (such as Arvin Hodgepile (the role Mr. Spritzer fills), Velma's husband Franklin, Corny's assistant Tammy, thebeatniks, et al.), removing the Tilted Acres amusement park from the story, and placing Velma in charge of the station whereThe Corny Collins Show is filmed.
One notable difference between the stage musical, the original film, and the 2007 film version ofHairspray is that Tracy does not go to jail in the 2007 version (thus eliminating the musical's song "The Big Dollhouse"). In both previous incarnations ofHairspray, Tracy is arrested and taken to jail along with the other protesters. Edna is presented in this version as an insecure introvert, in contrast to the relatively bolder incarnations present in the 1988 film and the stage musical.[21] Among many other elements changed or added to this version are the removal of Motormouth Maybelle's habit of speaking in rhymingjive talk and doubling the number of teens in Corny Collins' Council (from ten on Broadway to twenty in the 2007 film).[29]
Dixon restructured portions ofHairspray's book to allow several of the songs to blend more naturally into the plot, in particular "(You're) Timeless to Me" and "I Know Where I've Been". "(You're) Timeless to Me" becomes the anchor of a newly invented subplot involving Velma's attempt to break up Edna and Wilbur's marriage and keep Tracy offThe Corny Collins Show as a result. The song now serves as Wilbur's apology to Edna, in addition to its original purpose in the stage musical as atongue-in-cheek declaration of Wilbur and Edna's love for each other.[21] Meanwhile, "I Know Where I've Been", instead of being sung by Maybelle to the kids after being let out of jail, now underscores Maybelle's march on WYZT (which takes place in the stage musical at the end of "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful").[21]
The song "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful" was inspired by a line that Tracy delivered in the original film ("Now all of Baltimore will know: I'm big, blonde and beautiful!"), but in the stage version and in this film, Motormouth Maybelle performs the song. A reprise of the song was added to the 2007 film, which is sung by Edna and Velma.[citation needed]
Hairspray was produced on a budget of $75 million.[3] Casting director, David Rubin, introduced an open casting call to cast unknowns inAtlanta,New York City, andChicago. After auditioning over eleven hundred candidates,[30]Nikki Blonsky a high school student from Great Neck, New York was chosen for the lead role of Tracy.[31] Nikki Blonsky auditioned for the role of Tracy Turnblad in New York City in 2006 at eighteen years old. She had no previous professional experience in acting or in singing. Blonsky had auditioned for the role because it became her dream to play the role of Tracy after seeing the musical on Broadway.[32] Blonsky, working atCold Stone Creamery at the time, received the news from film director,Adam Shankman, that she had received the part. Relative unknownsElijah Kelley andTaylor Parks were chosen through similar audition contests to portray siblings Seaweed and Little Inez Stubbs, respectively.John Travolta was finally cast as Edna, withChristopher Walken ultimately assuming the role of Wilbur.[11] Several other stars, includingQueen Latifah,James Marsden,Michelle Pfeiffer, andAllison Janney were chosen for the other supporting adult roles of Motormouth Maybelle, Corny Collins, Velma Von Tussle, and Prudy Pingleton, respectively. Teen stars Amanda Bynes, andZac Efron were cast as Tracy's friends Penny and Link, andBrittany Snow was cast as her rival, Amber Von Tussle.Jerry Stiller, who played Wilbur Turnblad in theoriginal film, appears as plus-sized women's clothes retailer Mr. Pinky in this version.[33]
SinceHairspray's plot focuses heavily on dance,choreography became a heavy focus for Shankman, who hired four assistant choreographers, Jamal Sims,Anne Fletcher, andZach Woodlee, and put both his acting cast and over a hundred and fifty dancers through two months of rehearsals.[29][34] The cast recorded the vocal tracks for their songs as coached by Elaine Overholt in the weeks just before principal photography began in September.[34]
Principal photography took place inToronto, andHamilton,Ontario, Canada from September 5 to December 8, 2006.[35]
Hairspray is explicitly set inBaltimore, Maryland and the original 1988 film had been shot on location there, but the 2007 film was shot primarily in Toronto because the city was better equipped with thesound stages necessary to film a musical.[36][37] The opening shots of the descent from the clouds and the newspaper being dropped onto thestoop are the only times that the actual city of Baltimore is shown in the film.[37]
Most of the film was shot at Toronto's Showline Studios.[38] Most of the street scenes were shot at the intersection ofDundas Street West andRoncesvalles Avenue. APCC streetcar withToronto Transit Commission livery is seen in the opening sequence. Some of the signs for the 1960s-era stores remain up along the street. Toronto's Lord Lansdowne Public School was used for all of the high school exteriors and some of the interiors, while the old Queen Victoria School in Hamilton was also used for interiors. Scenes at Queen Victoria were shot from November 22 to December 2, and the school was scheduled to be demolished after film production was completed.[citation needed] As of the 2017–2018 school year, there are no plans to close this school.[39]
Thinner than most of the other men who have portrayed Edna, Travolta appeared onscreen in a largefat suit, and required four hours of makeup in order to appear before the cameras.[11] His character's nimble dancing style belies her girth; Shankman based Edna's dancing style on thehippoballerinas in theDance of the Hours sequence inWalt Disney's 1940 animated feature,Fantasia.[12] Although early versions of the suit created "a dumpy,Alfred Hitchcock version of Edna,"[40] Travolta fought for the ability to give his character curves and a thickBaltimore accent.[11] Designed byTony Gardner, the fat suit was created using lightweight synthetic materials, consisting of layered pads andsilicone, which was used from the chest upwards.[40] The suit provided the additional benefit of covering Travolta's beard, eliminating the problem of his facial hair growing through his makeup midday.[40]
Shankman included a number of references to films that influenced his work onHairspray:[12]
Hairspray debuted in 3,121 theaters in North America on July 20, 2007, the widest debut of any modern movie musical.[45] The film earned $27.5 million in its opening weekend at #3, behindI Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry andHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.[4] This madeHairspray the record-holder for the biggest opening weekend for a movie based on a Broadway musical.[5] This record was later broken by the release ofMamma Mia!, which grossed $27.8 million on its opening weekend.[46]Hairspray is currently the twelfth highest grossing musical in U.S. cinema history, surpassingThe Rocky Horror Picture Show ($145 million) andDreamgirls ($103 million), released seven months prior.[6] Ending its domestic run on October 25, 2007,Hairspray has a total domestic gross of $118.9 million and $202.5 million worldwide.[4] Its biggest overseas markets include the United Kingdom ($25.8 million), Australia ($14.4 million), Japan ($8 million), Italy ($4.6 million), France ($3.9 million) and Spain ($3.8 million).[47] At the time, this madeHairspray the third musical film in history to cross $200 million internationally, behind 1978's hitGrease ($395 million) and 2002'sChicago ($307 million).[6] It is the seventh highest-grossing PG-rated film of 2007, and has grossed more than other higher-budgeted summer releases likeOcean's Thirteen ($117 million) andEvan Almighty ($100 million).[48]
Two weeks after its original release, new "sing-along" prints ofHairspray were shipped to theaters.[49] These prints featured the lyrics to each song printed onscreen assubtitles, encouraging audiences to interact with the film. On January 4, 2008,Hairspray was re-released inNew York City andLos Angeles for one week becauseJohn Travolta was present for Q&A and autographs.[50]
Hairspray has garnered acclaim from film critics such asRoger Ebert,The New York Times, andThe Boston Globe, as well as a smaller number of reviews comparing it unfavorably to the Waters original. The film is one of the top picks onMetacritic, with an average of 81 from 37 critics.[51] Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 92% based on 216 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10, making it one of 2007's best-reviewed films.[52][53] The site's consensus reads: "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".[54] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[55] Peter Rainer ofThe Christian Science Monitor named it the fourth best film of 2007.[53]
Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, saying that there was "a lot of craft and slyness lurking beneath the circa-1960s goofiness", also stating that "The point, however, is not the plot but the energy. Without somebody like Nikki Blonsky at the heart of the movie, it might fall flat, but everybody works at her level of happiness ..."[56] Ebert also noted that this film is "a little more innocent than Waters would have made it ..."[56] Krishna Shenoi, of the Shenoi Chronicle, called the movie "Shankman's masterpiece," saying that it moved away from his previous works into a different direction, making a light comedy that deals with serious issues maturely. Shenoi also said that the film was everything he wantedGrease to be. New YorkDaily News critic Jack Matthews called the film "A great big sloppy kiss of entertainment for audiences weary of explosions, CGI effects and sequels, sequels, sequels."[57]The Baltimore Sun review offered Michael Sragow's opinion that "in its entirety,Hairspray has the funny tilt that only a director-choreographer like Shankman can give to a movie", pointing out that Shankman skillfully "puts a new-millennial zing behind exact re-creations of delirious period dances like the Mashed Potato."[58] Dana Stevens fromSlate calledHairspray "intermittently tasty, if a little too frantically eager to please."[59] Stevens noted that "Despite its wholesomeness, this version stays remarkably true to the spirit of the original, with one size-60 exception: John Travolta as Edna Turnblad", saying "How you feel aboutHairspray will depend entirely on your reaction to this performance ..."[59]
The New Yorker'sDavid Denby felt the new version ofHairspray was "perfectly pleasant", but compared unfavorably to the Broadway musical, since "[director Adam Shankman and screenwriter Leslie Dixon] have removed the traces of camp humor and Broadway blue that gave the stage show its happily knowing flavor."[60] Denby criticized the dance numbers, calling them "unimaginatively shot," and he considered "the idea of substituting John Travolta for Harvey Fierstein as Tracy's hefty mother ... a blandly earnest betrayal."[60] Stephanie Zacharek ofSalon.com foundHairspray "reasonably entertaining. But do we really need to be entertained reasonably? Waters' original was a crazy sprawl that made perfect sense; thisHairspray toils needlessly to make sense of that craziness, and something gets lost in the translation."[61] Zacharek was also displeased with the way Latifah's performance of "I Know Where I've Been" was incorporated into the movie, saying "The filmmakers may believe they're adding an extra layer of seriousness to the material ... [but] the inclusion of this big production number only suggests that the filmmakers fear the audience won't get the movie's message unless it's spelled out for them."[61]
Despite critical and commercial success,Hairspray garnered some criticism upon its release from theLGBT community, particularly Travolta's portrayal of Edna Turnblad, a role played in the original film by drag performerDivine, and in the stage adaptation byHarvey Fierstein. Kevin Naff, a managing editor for aWashington, D.C./Baltimore area gay newspaper named theWashington Blade, called for a boycott of the film, alleging thatScientology, in which Travolta is an adherent, washomophobic, and it supported"cure" workshops for homosexuals.[62] Adam Shankman rebuffed Naff's proposed boycott stating that Travolta was not a homophobe, as he (Shankman), Waters, Shaiman, Wittman, and several other crew and creative staff were homosexual, and Travolta got along well with the entire production.[63] Shankman made it clear "John's personal beliefs did not walk onto my set. I never heard the word 'Scientology'."[63]
| Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AARP Movies for Grownups Awards[64] | Best Grownup Love Story | John Travolta andChristopher Walken | Won |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists[65][66] | Best Newcomer | Nikki Blonsky | Nominated |
| American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical | Michael Tronick | Nominated |
| Artios Awards[67] | Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Studio Feature – Comedy | David Rubin and Richard Hicks | Nominated |
| ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top Box Office Films | Marc Shaiman andScott Wittman | Won |
| Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Cast Ensemble | Nominated | |
| BET Awards | Best Actress | Queen Latifah | Nominated |
| British Academy Film Awards[68] | Best Makeup and Hair | Judi Cooper-Sealy and Jordan Samuel | Nominated |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards[69] | Most Promising Performer | Nikki Blonsky | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards[70] | Best Comedy Movie | Nominated | |
| Best Family Film | Nominated | ||
| Best Young Actress | Nikki Blonsky | Won | |
| Best Acting Ensemble | Won | ||
| Best Song | "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)" Music and Lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Witman | Nominated | |
| Detroit Film Critics Society Awards[71] | Best Newcomer | Nikki Blonsky | Nominated |
| Empire Awards[72] | Best Soundtrack | Hairspray | Nominated |
| FilmInk Awards | Best Musical | Won | |
| Best Hair | John Travolta | Won | |
| Gold Derby Awards[73] | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | |
| Best Ensemble Cast | Nikki Blonsky,Amanda Bynes,Paul Dooley,Zac Efron,Allison Janney, Elijah Kelley,James Marsden,Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah, Brittany Snow,Jerry Stiller, John Travolta and Christopher Walken | Nominated | |
| Best Art Direction | David Gropman and Gordon Sim | Nominated | |
| Best Costume Design | Rita Ryack | Nominated | |
| Best Makeup/Hair | Judi Cooper-Sealy and Jordan Samuel | Nominated | |
| Best Original Song | "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)" Music and Lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Witman | Nominated | |
| Best Sound Editing/Mixing | Ron Bartlett, Susan Dawes,D.M. Hemphill, Rick Kline andMildred Iatrou Morgan | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards[74] | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Nominated | |
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Nikki Blonsky | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | John Travolta | Nominated | |
| Golden Reel Awards[75] | Best Sound Editing – Music – Musical Feature Film | Sally Boldt, Lisa Jaime and Will Kaplan | Won |
| Grammy Awards[76] | Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media | Hairspray | Nominated |
| Hollywood Film Awards[77] | Ensemble of the Year | Won | |
| Hollywood Post Alliance Awards | Outstanding Color Grading Feature Film in a DI Process | Steven J. Scott | Nominated |
| Houston Film Critics Society Awards[78] | Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast | Won | |
| International Film Music Critics Association Awards | Special Award | Marc Shaiman and Scott Witman | Won |
| International Online Cinema Awards | Best Costume Design | Rita Ryack | Nominated |
| Best Ensemble Cast | Nominated | ||
| Best Makeup and Hairstyling | Nominated | ||
| Locarno Film Festival[79] | Audience Award | Adam Shankman | Nominated |
| MTV Movie Awards(2007) | Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet | Nominated | |
| MTV Movie Awards(2008) | Best Breakthrough Performance | Nikki Blonsky | Nominated |
| Zac Efron | Won | ||
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Queen Latifah | Nominated |
| Online Film & Television Association Awards[80] | Best Breakthrough Performance: Female | Nikki Blonsky | Nominated |
| Best Original Song | "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)" Music and Lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Witman | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Song | "Good Morning Baltimore" Music by Marc Shaiman Lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Witman | Nominated | |
| "I Can Hear the Bells" Music by Marc Shaiman Lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Witman | Nominated | ||
| "You Can't Stop the Beat" Music by Marc Shaiman Lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Witman | Nominated | ||
| Best Costume Design | Nominated | ||
| Best Makeup and Hairstyling | Won | ||
| Online Film Critics Society Awards[81] | Best Breakthrough Performance | Nikki Blonsky | Won |
| Palm Springs International Film Festival | Ensemble Cast Award | Won | |
| Rising Star Award | Nikki Blonsky | Won | |
| People's Choice Awards | Favorite Song from a Soundtrack | "You Can't Stop the Beat" | Won |
| Satellite Awards[82] | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Nominated | |
| Art Direction and Production Design | Dennis Davenport andDavid Gropman | Nominated | |
| Best Costume Design | Rita Ryack | Nominated | |
| Best Original Song | "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)" Music and Lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Witman | Nominated | |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards[83] | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Nikki Blonsky, Amanda Bynes, Paul Dooley, Zac Efron, Allison Janney, Elijah Kelley, James Marsden, Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah, Brittany Snow, Jerry Stiller, John Travolta and Christopher Walken | Nominated |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer Movie: Comedy/Musical | Won | |
| Women Film Critics Circle Awards[84] | Best Female Images in a Movie | Won[a] | |
| Best Music | Nikki Blonsky and Queen Latifah | Won | |
| Hall of Shame | John Travolta | Won | |
| Young Artist Awards[85] | Best Family Feature Film (Comedy or Drama) | Nominated | |
| Young Hollywood Awards | One to Watch | Nikki Blonsky | Won |
| Zac Efron | Won | ||
Hairspray was released onDVD andBlu-ray on November 20, 2007 byNew Line Home Entertainment.[8]
AnHD DVD version of the film was originally slated for release in 2008, but was canceled due toNew Line Cinema's announcement that it would go Blu-ray exclusive with immediate effect, thus dropping HD DVD support.[86][87]
Due toHairspray's financial success,New Line Cinema had askedJohn Waters to write asequel to the film.[88] Waters reunited with director/choreographerAdam Shankman for the project, and songwritersMarc Shaiman andScott Wittman were set to compose the film's musical numbers.[88][89]
The story would have looked at Tracy's entering the late 1960s era of music and theBritish Invasion,[90] and used theHippie movement andVietnam War as backdrops.[91] While no official casting was announced, New Line said that they hoped to "snag much of the originalHairspray cast."[88]John Travolta, however, publicly announced that he would not return because he is "not a big sequel guy".[92]
The sequel was set for a mid-July 2010 release byWarner Bros., which owns New Line Cinema.[88] However, in June 2010, Shankman told British press thatHairspray 2: White Lipstick was no longer in development.[93] Shankman has also said that there will be no sequel.[94] In February 2019,John Waters announced he had written a sequel forHBO, but did not produce it.[95]
By the way, for those who don't know the agents are Marc Shaiman, uh, that's [Adam Shankman] in the sunglasses, there's Ricki Lake, and Scott Wittman, the other lyricist, smoking....
Except that opening shot of Baltimore is the only shot of Baltimore in the entire movie. That and the newspaper going down on the stoop were actually shot in Baltimore. The Baltimore film commission made a big play to try and have us come there. We asked the question 'Do you have big sound stages?' and, uh, unfortunately the answer was no. When you do a movie musical you need big sound stages to build big sets, so because Baltimore did not have any big sets we shot in Toronto.
So the opening shot, basically coming down through the clouds and finding Baltimore is our homage to Robert Wise, to the director ofWest Side Story andThe Sound of Music because both of those movies begin with shots through the clouds coming down. InWest Side Story, it was through the streets of New York to find the Jets on this... schoolyard, and in, of course, the classicSound of Music coming down through the clouds and finding Maria spinning on the mountaintop. And the other homage that we have in this song is, uh, our homage toFunny Girl. When Tracy Turnblad eventually gets on top of that garbage truck, that was our homage toBarbra Streisand in a tugboat during "Don't Rain on My Parade" in, in that great sequence inFunny Girl.
This was Michelle Pfeiffer's first scene, and [Blonsky's] hairstyle I stole ... as a joke off ofFunny Girl, which is also what the garbage truck was too, which is like the tugboat inFunny Girl, but Barbra Streisand has, like, a hairdo just exactly like this in, umm, the scene where she goes over to Nicky Arnstein.
I think we had to sew Amanda into that dress.... It's her curtains from her bedroom which is an homage toSound of Music. Another one of my little musical references.
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