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Hairspray

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AboutHairspray 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' 1988 comedy film of the same name. 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 2007 film version of Hairspray 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 as she pursues stardom as a dancer on a local TV show and rallies against racial 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/lyricist Marc Shaiman and lyricist Scott 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 and ended in December of that year; filming took place on locations in Toronto, Ontario and Hamilton, Ontario in Canada and on soundstages at Toronto's Showline Studios. Recording sessions for the film's songs and soundtrack took place in Los Angeles, California in the United States.

Hairspray premiered on July 13, 2007 at the Mann Village Theater and was released on July 20, 2007 in the United States. The film was a critical and financial success, breaking the record for biggest sales at opening weekend for a movie musical, which the film held until July 2008 when it was surpassed by Mamma Mia! and later High School Musical 3: Senior Year in October. Hairspray went on to become the sixth highest grossing musical film in US cinema history, behind the film adaptations of Grease, Chicago, and Mamma Mia!, and stands as one of the most critically and commercially successful musical films of the last decade. Available in a variety of formats, Hairspray's Region 1 home video release took place on November 20, 2007. USA Network purchased the broadcast rights to Hairspray 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 channel Bravo also showing it multiple times, and in February 2011 aired on ABC for over-the-air broadcasts.

Plot

Tracy Turnblad is a heavyset high school student living in Baltimore, Maryland in 1962. Along with her classmate Penny Pingleton, Tracy frequently watches The Corny Collins Show, a local teen dance television show.

The teenagers featured on the show attend Tracy and Penny's school, among them Amber von Tussle and her boyfriend Link Larkin, the lead male dancer. Amber's mother, Velma, manages WYZT and makes sure Amber is prominently featured. Collins and the dancers on the show are white, and Velma only allows African-American kids on the show once a month on "Negro Day", hosted by R&B disc jockey Motormouth Maybelle.

One day, one of the dancers on the show takes a leave of absence and auditions for a replacement are held. Tracy attends, but Velma turns her down for her overweight physique and for supporting integration. Tracy is sent to detention for skipping school and discovers the "Negro Day" kids practicing in the detention room. Tracy befriends Seaweed, the students' best dancer and Motormouth Maybelle's son, who teaches Tracy several dance moves. As Tracy leaves detention, she inadvertently bumps into Link and dreams of a life with him. At a record hop, Tracy's moves attract the attention of Collins and he chooses her to join the show.

Tracy becomes one of Corny's most popular dancers, threatening Amber's chances of winning the show's yearly "Miss Teenage Hairspray" pageant and her relationship with Link, as he grows fonder of Tracy. Mr. Pinky suggests that Tracy be the spokes girl for his Hefty Hideaway boutique. Tracy persuades her agoraphobic mother, Edna, to accompany her to the boutique as her agent.

Tracy introduces Seaweed to Penny, and the two are smitten. Later, when Tracy and Link are in detention, Seaweed invites the girls and Link to follow him and his sister Little Inez (Taylor Parks) to a party at Maybelle's store. Edna finds Tracy there and tries taking her home, but Maybelle convinces her to stay and tells her to take pride in herself. At the party, Maybelle informs everyone that Velma has canceled "Negro Day" and Tracy suggests that they march for integration. Edna returns to her husband Wilbur's shop, but Velma gets there first and tries to seduce him. After accusing Wilbur of infidelity, Edna forbids Tracy to be on the show. She changes her mind after she and Wilbur reconcile.

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 and hides in a fallout shelter. Penny's mother, Prudence, catches Tracy and calls the police before tying her daughter to her bed. Having been bailed out by Wilbur, Seaweed and his friends help Tracy and Penny escape. Link visits Tracy's house to look for her and realizes he loves her. Seaweed and Penny also acknowledge their love during the escape.

With the pageant underway, Velma places police officers around WYZT to stop Tracy. She also changes the pageant tallies so Amber is guaranteed to win. 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 Seaweed's sister, 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 Corny Collins Show. Velma tells Amber about her rigging scheme in front of a camera planted by Edna, resulting in her firing. The Corny Collins Show set turns into a celebration as Tracy and Link kiss.

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