Blogfromthebarn

Movie review ... Head to head - Simpsons -v- Hairspray

Synopsis
Simpsons - Dysfunctional dad (I'm already identifying with this film) brings small minded US town to the brink of destruction but plucks emotional victory from the jaws of disaster at the last moment.
Hairspray - Idle, shiftless, clumsy, superficial, fat (not a word used in the film by the way) girl solves all the problems of racial segregation and the cruel persecution of fat folk in a small minded US town through her enthusiasm for dancing.

Villain
Simpsons - Faceless government agencies.
Hairspray - Michelle Pfeiffer vamping it up, splendidly.

Downside
Simpsons - Missed opportunity to use the big screen, this was essentially an extended tv episode (as Homer points out about 2 minutes in). Would have been nice to involve more of the bit players like Moe + Burns, who make the show work so well on tv.
Hairspray - Travolta was over-hyped in the fat-suited role as the Mum (Divine, imho, made the original a much edgier film) and there was way too much saccharine and schmaltz for this old cynic.

Upside
Simpsons - Homer on the wrecking ball, some great gags, it's rare that I laugh out loud at a movie.
Hairspray - Christopher Walken, perfect as he is in most everything, Alison Janney great actress, The dancing (if that's your thing, as many of you know I am still involved in the great debate over who has the best sense of rhythm with Stephen Hawking)

Objective criticism
Simpsons - ChaCha - "enjoyed it immensely"
Hairspray - Mrs Stuffy - "enjoyed it immensely"

The last word
Simpsons - Amusing but would have been better with doughnuts in the foyer
Hairspray - If racial integration in the US just needed some porky white lass to boogie on down why did Martin Luther King have so much trouble?

posted by Stuffy @ 11:00 pm