Hairspray (1988)
89%RT Audience Score: 79%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
21 wins & 44 nominations total
Hairspray is perhaps John Waters’ most accessible film, and as such, it’s a gently subversive slice of retro hilarity
Hairspray is the perfect movie to watch when you’re feeling down and need a little pick-me-up. It’s a hilarious parody of teen films and social-conscience movies from the 60s, with an anti-racist sub-plot that’s still relevant today. The kitsch factor is off the charts, but that’s what makes it so much fun. And let’s not forget about Divine’s Edna Turnblad, who is an absolute riot in her sleeveless dresses. This movie is a cult classic for a reason, and it’s definitely worth a watch if you’re in the mood for some absurd and jolly entertainment.
Production Company(ies)
Block 2 Pictures, Jet Tone Production Orly Films,
Distributor
Image Entertainment Inc.
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Lakeview Restaurant, 1132 Dundas Street. W, Toronto, Ontario
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for language, some suggestive content and momentary teen smoking
Year of Release
1988
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital SDDS DTS
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 30m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 26, 1988 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 14, 2005
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Ricki Lake, Divine, Jerry Stiller, Sonny Bono, Vitamin C, Ruth Brown, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Michael St Gerard, directed by John Waters, written by John Waters, produced by Rachel Talalay, comedy, PG, box office gross $6.7M, reviewed by David Robinson, Kate Muir, Noel Murray, Pauline Kael, Kim Newman, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Hilary Mantel, John Ferguson, Heather Boerner, Leo Goldsmith, Jennie Kermode, Tim Brayton, segregation, racial integration, teen dance show, overweight teen, black students, retro hilarity, anti-racist sub-plot, kitsch, musical comedy, 1963 Baltimore, Miss Auto Show, transgressive nastiness, tacky decor, elaborate hairstyles, offbeat casting, blues singer, drag, early 60s, remake
Worldwide gross: $203,627,753
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $291,710,583
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 516
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 31,811,405
US/Canada gross: $118,946,291
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $170,398,638
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 447
US/Canada opening weekend: $27,800,000
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $39,825,388
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 310
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $75,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $107,442,593
Production budget ranking: 368
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $57,857,836
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $126,410,154
ROI to date (est.): 76%
ROI ranking: 1,025
Divine – Edna Turnblad, Arvin Hodgepile
Jerry Stiller – Wilbur Turnblad
Sonny Bono – Franklin von Tussle
Vitamin C – Amber von Tussle
Ruth Brown – Motormouth Mabel
Director(s)
John Waters
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Rachel Talalay
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
21 wins & 44 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (42) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (1)
It is absurd and jolly, parodying not only the worst conventions of the teen film but also the Sixties social-conscience movie, with an anti-racist sub-plot.
December 31, 2017
David Robinson
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Perhaps Waters’ best known movie.
September 3, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
While it’s corny by design, Hairspray also aims to get at something truthful, about the various kinds of prejudice […] and how youthful optimism and music made a difference […].
March 10, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Noel Murray
The Dissolve
TOP CRITIC
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.
May 28, 2008
Pauline Kael
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
Thoroughly deserving of its cult status.
July 16, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
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.
July 16, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The kitsch is a delight, and Divine, who has a low and fascinating deadpan voice, is very funny as Tracy’s mother.
September 5, 2018
Hilary Mantel
The Spectator
Waters tones down his usual excesses, but his mischievous black sense of humour is still very much to the fore in this affectionate salute to Z-grade teen movies.
July 10, 2016 | Rating: 4/5
John Ferguson
Radio Times
A kitschy teen fantasy you can dance to.
December 18, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Heather Boerner
Common Sense Media
The shock Waters’s cinema offers, then, is not transcendent, but almost reflexive, implicating the viewer in the awkward complexities of his own humanity and forcing him to either celebrate it or run screaming away.
August 8, 2009
Leo Goldsmith
Reverse Shot
December 7, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
Jennie Kermode
Eye for Film
The Waters film for your grandma, who will probably be only a little bit freaked out by it.
September 12, 2007 | Rating: 8/10
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy…
Plot
Tracy Turnblad, a teenager with all the right moves, is obsessed with the Corny Collins Show. Every day after school, she and her best friend Penny run home to watch the show and drool over the hot Link Larkin, much to Tracy’s mother Edna’s dismay. After one of the stars of the show leaves, Corny Collins holds auditions to see who will be the next teen regular. With the help of her friend Seaweed, Tracy is chosen, angering evil dance queen Amber Von Tussle and her mother Velma. Tracy then decides that it’s not fair that black kids can only dance on the show once a month (on “Negro Day”), and with the help of Seaweed, Link, Penny, Motormouth Maybelle, her father, and Edna, she’s going to integrate the show…..without denting her ‘do.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The offbeat casting of Sonny Bono, Debbie Harry, blues singer Ruth Brown, and Divine in and out of drag reveal John Waters’ arch worldview in Hairspray.
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