Hairspray (1988 film)

Hairspray
Hairspray
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Waters
Written by	John Waters
Produced by	Rachel Talalay
Starring	Sonny Bono; Ruth Brown; Divine; Debbie Harry; Ricki Lake; Jerry Stiller; Ric Ocasek; Pia Zadora;
Cinematography	David Insley
Edited by	Janice Hampton
Music by	Kenny Vance
Production; companies	Stanley F. Buchthal; Robert Shaye Production;
Distributed by	New Line Cinema
Release dates	February 16, 1988 (Baltimore); February 26, 1988;
Running time	92 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$2.7 million
Box office	$8.3 million

Hairspray is a 1988 American comedy film^[4] written and directed by John Waters, starring Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown, Divine, Debbie Harry, Ricki Lake in her film debut, and Jerry Stiller, with special appearances by Ric Ocasek in his final film and Pia Zadora. Hairspray was a dramatic departure from Waters's earlier works, with a much broader intended audience. Hairspray's PG is the least restrictive rating a Waters film has received; most of his previous films were rated X by the MPAA. Set in 1962 Baltimore, Maryland, the film revolves around self-proclaimed "pleasantly plump" teenager Tracy Turnblad as she pursues stardom as a dancer on a local TV show and rallies against racial segregation.

Hairspray was a moderate success upon its initial theatrical release, earning $8 million. However, it managed to attract a larger audience on home video in the early 1990s, and it became a cult film.^[3]^[5] The film received critical acclaim and ranks at No. 444 on Empire magazine's 2008 list of the 500 greatest films of all time.^[6]

This is Divine's final film released during his lifetime as he died three weeks after its release.

In 2002, the film was adapted into a Broadway musical of the same name, which won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical in 2003. A second film version of Hairspray, an adaptation of the stage musical, was also released by New Line Cinema in 2007, which included many changes of scripted items from the original.

In 2022, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".^[7]

^ "Hairspray (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. May 31, 1988. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
^ Waters, John (2019). Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-374-21496-8.
^ ^a ^b "Hairspray (1988)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
^ Maslin, Janet (February 26, 1988). "Film: 'Hairspray,' Comedy From John Waters". The New York Times.
^ Cite error: The named reference tomatoes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Empire Features The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time". Empire. Archived from the original on October 26, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
^ Ulaby, Neda (December 14, 2022). "'Iron Man,' 'Super Fly' and 'Carrie' are inducted into the National Film Registry". NPR. Retrieved December 14, 2022.

[1] "Hairspray (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. May 31, 1988. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2012.

[budget-2] Waters, John (2019). Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-374-21496-8.

[boxofficemojo-3] "Hairspray (1988)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 12, 2007.

[4] Maslin, Janet (February 26, 1988). "Film: 'Hairspray,' Comedy From John Waters". The New York Times.

[tomatoes-5] Cite error: The named reference tomatoes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[6] "Empire Features The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time". Empire. Archived from the original on October 26, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.

[7] Ulaby, Neda (December 14, 2022). "'Iron Man,' 'Super Fly' and 'Carrie' are inducted into the National Film Registry". NPR. Retrieved December 14, 2022.

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