Hairspray

The original 1988 Hairspray was, in the words of a ‘Rolling Stone’ critic - a family movie that members of the Manson family might enjoy. Adam Shankman's remake aims at viewers without convictions. The director consciously gave up the original's super campy elements and made the fate of the characters less dramatic. Thanks to these devices, the hymn to freedom and tolerance, audible in every scene of Hairspray, could resound even louder. The film's undeniable success, becoming one of the top ten highest-grossing American musicals ever, would not have been possible had it not been for the all-star cast. Although Hairspray features A-listers like Michelle Pfeiffer or Christopher Walken, ultimately it is John Travolta who steals their thunder. The American star, playing the role of the lead character's overbearing mother, turns out to be a worthy successor to Divine in Waters's original. By the way, he saturated his performance with a large dose of self-irony and proved that even in make-up, a wig and a costume weighing 75 kg, he can maintain freedom of movement straight from Saturday Night Fever.