Alternative to What: "Hairspray" (2007)

Left to right: Christopher Walken and John Travolta

Welcome to Alternative to What: a weekly column that tries to find a great alternative to driving to the multiplexes. Based on releases of that week, the selections will either be thematically related or feature recurring cast and crew. The goal is to help you better understand the diversity of cinema and hopefully find you some favorites while saving a few bucks. At worse, this column will save you money. Expect each installment to come out on Fridays, unless specified. 

THIS WEEK:

Hairspray (2007)

- Alternative To -

Annie (2014)

It is not a popular genre anymore. The musical is a dying breed that unfortunately only pops up once in awhile. While it has been on the rise in 2014, it hasn't necessarily made a dent at the box office. Jersey Boys failed to garner any attention while Get On Up technically did worse. There's a lot of evidence that the musicals are dead no matter how bad we want them to be really good. Maybe Into the Woods will turn things around. However, the rest of the track record isn't looking too great. For starters, does anyone have any high hopes for Annie?

The reimagining of the film is updated to modern New York and features Quvenzhane Wallis in the lead role. This is especially shocking for some, as Annie has usually been portrayed by a white girl. Even then, the film is receiving a lot of complaints for being over-produced and lacking any emotional resonance. The trailers alone feature familiar songs being thrown into an overdramatic pop blender that is a little hard to swallow. Yes, technically the worst performance is by Cameron Diaz, who doesn't sing in the trailer. Still, there's a lot of great reason to wonder why Annie is going to be a big deal this weekend.

Cut to another remake that took pre-existing materials and turned it into a period musical. Hairspray was originally a John Waters movie from the 80's. The fact that it was turned into a musical is already a baffling sentiment, but the results were phenomenal. The stage show became highly successful and soon it became the most delightful analysis of race relations in America in quite some time. If nothing else, the film manages to mix catchy hooks with nostalgia and a deeper context of matter.

Another big parallel between the two films is that the lead is an unknown actress who isn't necessarily the most conventional of forms. Where Wallis in Annie is for more of a color reason, Nikki Blonsky in Hairspray is more to do with weight. Luckily she carries the sass and knows how to add the colorful world full of jiving and enthusiasm. It is a world populated with faces that make the film unfortunately dated. It isn't in a bad way, though the faces in the film are predominantly not as noticeable seven years later. That's unfortunate, especially as Blonksy was especially good here.

The film may seem like a very dated concept and the music is kind of too enthusiastic for its own good. However, it is a show with a very deeper sense of purpose. As entertainment has become more accessible, the quest to integrate with the livelier black culture is a prominent plot point in the film. Those reserved to Negro Day are striving to make it everyday. Even the presence of John Travlota in drag adds a nice subversive tactic. This is just as much about image and loving everyone as it is about making some really good music in the process.

Annie feels like it will be a hollow shell of a film for many reasons. I don't quite trust Will Gluck to deliver something of value that will make me see why Annie needed to be remade in the first place. With Hairspray, there's a lot to consume and even more to enjoy. It's visually stunning and lyrically infectious. It has a lot of subtext that works well with its time. It is a film that seems to have faded from the public consciousness after being a big hit in 2007. I can only hope that I've motivated you to check it out.

*Note: Alternative to What will be taking next week off due to the Christmas holidays. It will return in January with more great content.