Fresh
When Divine's Edna Turnblad is on-screen in the sleeveless dresses she's partial to, the movie has something like the lunacy of a W. C. Fields in drag.
Pauline Kael, New Yorker
Hairspray
The world was in a mess... but their hair was perfect!!
1988 · 1h 32m · PG
Comedy, Music, Romance
Directed by
John Waters
Overview
'Pleasantly plump' teenager Tracy Turnblad achieves her dream of becoming a regular on the Corny Collins Dance Show. Now a teen hero, she starts using her fame to speak out for the causes she believes in, most of all integration. In doing so, she earns the wrath of the show's former star, Amber Von Tussle, as well as Amber's manipulative, pro-segregation parents. The rivalry comes to a head as Amber and Tracy vie for the title of Miss Auto Show 1963.
Director and cast
- John Waters Director
- Sonny Bono as Franklin von Tussle
- Ruth Brown as Motormouth Maybelle
- Divine as Edna Turnblad / Arvin Hodgepile
- Leslie Ann Powers as Penny Pingleton
- Debbie Harry as Velma Von Tussle
- Ricki Lake as Tracy Turnblad
- Jerry Stiller as Wilbur Turnblad
- Vitamin C as Amber von Tussle
- Michael St. Gerard as Link Larkin
- Clayton Prince Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
98%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Not only Waters's best movie, but a crossover gesture that expands his appeal without compromising his vision one iota; Ricki Lake as the hefty young heroine is especially delightful.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Fresh
Waters' most hygienically commercial film is a Retro schlock-fancier's delight.
Derek Adams, Time Out
Fresh
The actors are best when they avoid exaggeration and remain weirdly sincere. That way, they do nothing to break the vibrant, even hallucinogenic spell of Mr. Waters's nostalgia.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
Fresh
The movie is a bubble-headed series of teenage crises and crushes, alternating with historically accurate choreography of such forgotten dances as the Madison and the Roach.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
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