Hairspray (2007) - Glorious time with Shankman's inspired musical

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Fizzy, fun-promising poster for Adam Shankman's Hairspray, centering on the hairdos of the main cast

Tracy is the biggest fan of Collins' dance shows on television in Baltimore in 1962, and of course one day she ditches school in order to take part in an audition for the show. But her liberal mind clashes with the leader of the show ...

 

Hairspray is written by Leslie Dixon (Pay It Forward (2000)), based on the 2002 Broadway musical that in turn was based on John Waters' same-titled 1988 film, and directed by Adam Shankman (The Wedding Planner (2001)).

Outstanding shooting star Nikki Blonsky (The English Teacher (2013)) as Tracy is a trouper and imbues the film with an irresistible, happy energy throughout the simple, good story. James Marsden (The Stand (2021-21, miniseries)), Elijah Kelly (Heavens Fall (2006)), Zac Efron (17 Again (2009)), Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter (1978)) and John Travolta (Ladder 49 (2004)) in a wild and fantastic cross-dressing fat suit-draped performance that has to be seen, - are all terrific. The good songs include Good Morning Baltimore and (You're) Timeless to Me, the latter a duet between Travolta and Walken. 

The hair, makeup and prosthetics job is killer. Michelle Pfeiffer (Frankie and Johnny (1991)) is catty and looks utterly amazing but is no singer, which regrettably shows. 

Hairspray is deeply charming, if a bit overlong, and it certainly inspires one to search for Waters' original as well. 

 

Related post:

 

Adam Shankman: A Walk to Remember (2002) or, Annoying Girl and Idiotic Guy Find Each Other and Love Like the Wind, Which You Can Feel But Not Touch

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: 75 mil. $

Box office: 203.6 mil. $

= Box office success (returned 2.71 times its cost)

[Hairspray premiered 10 July (Los Angeles) and runs 116 minutes. Travolta was paid 14 mil. $, 3 of them up-front, for his performance in the film. Efron was paid 100k $. Shooting took place from September - December 2006 in Toronto, Ontario and in Baltimore, Maryland. The film opened #3, behind fellow new release I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and holdover hit Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, to a 27.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent 2 more weekends at the top 5 (#4-X-#5), grossing 118.8 mil. $ (58.3 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 25.7 mil. $ (12.6 %) and Australia with 14.4 mil. $ (7.1 %). The film was nominated for a BAFTA, 3 Golden Globes and a Grammy, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Shankman returned with Prop 8: The Musical (2008, short) and theatrically with Bedtime Stories (2008). Travolta returned with a voice performance in Bolt (2008) and physically in The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009); Efron in 3 TV and short credits prior to his theatrical return in Me and Orson Welles (2008); and Blonsky in Queen Sized (2008, TV movie) and theatrically in Harold (2008). Hairspray is certified fresh at 92 % with a 7.80/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Hairspray?

High School Musical (2006, TV movie) - Ortega's universally appealing teenage fantasy

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The central six teenage characters seemingly defy gravity because they are so brimming with positive energy on this theater stage-set poster for Kenny Ortega's High School Musical

Troy is East High School's basketball star #1, but privately he dreams of living out his other talents for singing and dancing in the school's coming musical, - preferably alongside the rousing transfer student Gabriella.

 

High School Musical is written by Peter Barsoccchini (Drop Zone (1994)) and directed by great Californian filmmaker Kenny Ortega (Newsies (1992)).

Brimming with enthusiasm and love for the musical genre, Ortega here erects a new classic for the small screen with catchy songs (We're All in This Together and a bunch more) and infectious performances. The universe presented is consequent in its excessively neat Disney Channel pedigree, which is actually part of the fun attraction here.

Zac Efron (The Iron Claw (2023)) is High School Musical's big scoop and find, very cutely paired with Vanessa Hudgens (Drunk History (2018-19)). Other top-performing young stars include Corbin Bleu (Chicago Med (2018, TV-series)), Ashley Tishdale (Charming (2018)), Lucas Grabeel (Pinky Malinky (2018-19)) and Alyson Reed (NCIS (2018, TV-series)), who is quite funny as the stern drama teacher.

High School Musical is pure fantasy, - and an inspired one at that, because who wouldn't want to have - or have had - this kind of high school experience? Despite one dorky number High School Musical is an outstanding musical.

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 4.2 mil. $

Box office: None - TV movie

= Mega-hit

[High School Musical was first shown 20 January (Disney Channel, North America) and runs 98 minutes. It was commissioned as a response to musical episode specials of two Disney Channel shows proving to be highly popular with its young audiences. Efron was paid 100k $ for his performance. Shooting took place in Utah, including in Salt Lake City, and in Los Angeles, California. The film broke TV movie records for Disney with 7.7 mil. initial viewers, becoming the channel's top TV movie (their number 63), by 2019 reportedly having been seen by 225 mil. audiences worldwide. Additionally more than 3.8 mil. copies of the film's soundtrack were sold in North America alone. The home video release of the film also sold millions of copies, accruing more than 100 mil. $ in sales. A stage musical tour with the stars (minus the too busy Efron) played American venues for 2 months. An ice-skating version was created, a wealth of merchandise, a TV series spin-off, two direct sequels, a novel series and foreign adaptations also followed. Ortega returned with Gilmore Girls (2002-06) and feature-wise with High School Musical 2 (2007). Efron returned in 6 TV and music video credits prior to his theatrical return in Hairspray (2007); Hudgens in 7 TV and music video credits prior to High School Musical 2 (2007). High School Musical is fresh at 67 % with a 5.70/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of High School Musical?

Neighbors (2014) - Stoller's low-flying raunch turkey

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+ Most Overrated Movie of the Year 

 

Silliness is promised on this simple poster for Nicholas Stoller's Neighbors

 

With a newborn baby, our protagonist couple have entered a new phase in their lives and relationship, which is inconveniently clashing with their being neighbors to a house where a college fraternity now moves in...

 

Neighbors is written by Andrew Jay Cohen and Brendan O'Brien  (The House (2017), both) and directed by great British-American filmmaker Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)).

Not the experience of becoming parents, nor that of turning 25, 30 or 35, (it is unclear how old they are meant to be exactly), seems to have matured our protagonists to any meaningful extent. - Their dialog has a 'fucking' demonstratively placed in just about every sentence they utter, seemingly because that would make their lines funny, or? (The rationale is dubious at best.)

In any case they just aren't funny, and neither is the frat house next door. Neighbors goes on as a dick-obsessed, very low-flying, poor comedy, which even in its big party scenes didn't make me remember why parties can be fun.

It is a shame that the talented Zac Efron (At Any Price (2012)) finds himself in this cowpat, while it seems more natural that the other stars should sometimes appear in this type of trash. A 'milking scene' with Seth Rogen (Pam and Tommy (2022, miniseries)) and Rose Byrne (Annie (2014)) is the lightest moment in the film and somewhat amusing. Otherwise this amoral drinking and drugs-thrilled burp of a film is long and unfunny.

 

Related posts:

Nicholas Stoller: 2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED V]

The Muppets (2011) or, Man or Muppet? (co-writer)
Get Him to the Greek (2010) - Brand and Hill light up Stoller's funny music biz satire (writer-director)
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess  
Gulliver's Travels (2010) or, Gulliver's Travesty (co-writer) 

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 
2008 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2008 in films - according to Film Excess

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) - Stoller and Segel triumph with hilarious, multifaceted romcom 

Fun with Dick and Jane (2005) - Powerhouses Carrey and Leoni buoy Parisot's uneven farce (co-writer) 

 

 

Watch a short trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 18 mil. $

Box office: 270.6 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 15.03 times its cost)

[Neighbors premiered 8 March (South by Southwest Film Festival, Austin, Texas) and runs 97 minutes. Shooting took place in 38 days from March - May 2013 in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #1 to a 49 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed in the top 5 for another 2 weekends (#2-#4), grossing 150.1 mil. $ (55.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 26.9 mil. $ (9.9 %) and Germany with 18 mil. $ (6.7 %). Stoller also directed sequel Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016) with also the stars returning. This was Stoller's return, with an episode of The Grinder (2016, TV-series) in between. Efron returned first with a voice performance in Robot Chicken DC Comics Special II: Villains in Paradise (2014, TV movie) and theatrically in We Are Your Friends (2015); Rogen in 22 Jump Street (2014). Neighbors is certified fresh at 73 % with a 6.40/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Neighbors?

The Greatest Showman (2017) - Stars soar in spirit-rousing musical

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Hugh Jackman promises joy, magic and show on this poster for Michael Gracey's The Greatest Showman

P.T. Barnum grew up in poverty but had a family and a dream to dazzle, which made him create the New York circus with a multitude of American oddities, winning him renown the world over.

The Greatest Showman is written by Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City (1998-2004)) and Bill Condon (Dreamgirls (2006)), based on the life of P.T. Barnum, and directed by debuting Michael Gracey (Ned Kelly (2003), digital compositor).
Although based on reality, The Greatest Showman offers glittering fantasy from beginning to end, it seems, or more accurately, it wraps the reality it loans from in bright colors and costumes, eye-popping visuals and, most crucially, a barrage of pop songs, stars and upbeat showmanship with current themes of inclusion and diversity underpinning its plot.
It is a film it is easy to scoff at, - indeed its effervescent, unreal glamour and style nears the ridiculous and phony at times, - but it nevertheless bound to make your feet go ticking to the rhythms of its catchy songs and your heart race at its audacity and pathos-packed stretches, unless it is carved of stone. Because this imaginative take on Barnum is fueled with an undeniably likable sincerity, enthusiasm and spirit.
It is delivered through the engaged, sympathetic performance by Hugh Jackman (Logan (2017)), a performer with tremendous skill and range. Michelle Williams (Species (1995)) plays his mighty pretty housewife, who puts him right, while Zendaya (Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)) and Zac Efron (High School Musical (2006), TV movie) enjoy sweet chemistry and both have a luminescence that rockets their scenes upwards. Rebecca Ferguson (Life (2017)) is excellent in the dramatic part as opera singer Jenny Lind, lip-syncing her swelling Never Enough convincingly, while Keala Settle (Ricki and the Flash (2015)) as the bearded lady sings for real and has the film's best song, the truly fantastical This Is Me.
The music is a box of delights, and the costumes, hair and makeup help make the film's wealth of characters come to boisterous life. Seamus McGarvey's fluid cinematography is a joy, and the film is ripe with visual knockouts, unhindered by constraints of realism or convention.
Musical fans will adore The Greatest Showman with glee for although modern and hip, it is also a throw-back to some of the genre's greats from many decades ago. The Greatest Showman is a big, loud, infectious - and rare - spectacle, brimming with heart and soul.

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 84 mil. $
Box office: 104.9 mil. $
= Too early to say
[The Greatest Showman premiered 20 December (Taiwan, South Korea and North America) and runs 105 minutes. The project was announced with Jackman in the lead in 2009. Gracey was chosen to direct in 2011. Lyricists Pasek and Paul were hired in 2013. Jackman has revealed that the long development process was due to the studio being reluctant to finance an original musical. Shooting took place from November 2016 - ? in New York. Veteran filmmaker James Mangold was credited as an executive producer and directed re-shoots for the film. The film opened #4, behind holdover hit Star Wars: The Last Jedi and fellow new releases Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Pitch Perfect 3 to an 8.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it rose to a 15.5 mil. $ second weekend, still at #4, one of the biggest second week increases for a wide release ever, testifying to its great word-of-mouth among audiences. The film is still missing a Chinese release date, but it is set to open in Norway, Finland, France and the Philippines later in January and in Japan in February. It is nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Gracey is set to return as director with ninja-adventure Naruto. The Greatest Showman is rotten at 56 % with a 6/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Greatest Showman?

Charlie St. Cloud (2010) - Steers and Efron's second collaboration is lukewarm

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Zac Efron looks hopefully upwards in the arms of Amanda Crew (The Age of Adaline (2015)) on the poster for Burr Steers' Charlie St. Cloud

Charlie's beloved little brother dies in a car accident, which prompts Charlie to postpone his otherwise promising future in lieu of an empty, cautious existence of denial.

Charlie St. Cloud is a polished, breezy, handsomely shot (by Enrique Chediak (RED 2 (2013))) and color-controlled teen romance melodrama. Zac Efron (Dirty Grandpa (2016)) plays well, and Ray Liotta (John Q (2002)) and Kim Basinger (Bless the Child (2000)) are fine in supporting roles, but the plot is too farfetched to score: SPOILER For 5 (!) years, Charlie throws ball with his dead brother in the forest (!), - but this still doesn't mean that he's gone even just a little cuckoo!?! SPOILER The boat talks in the romance, (Charlie falls for a girl who is a great sailor like himself), and the participation of several other otherworldly hunky young male stars (Dave Franco (The Lego Movie (2014)), Matt Ward (TRON: Legacy (2010)) and Augustus Prew (Kick-Ass 2 (2013))) also make the film too thick to really be taken seriously.
Charlie St. Cloud is written by Craig Pearce (The Great Gatsby (2013)) and Lewis Colick (Domestic Disturbance (2001)), based on the novel The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud (2004) by Ben Sherwood (The Man Who Ate the 747 (2000)), and directed by great American filmmaker Burr Steers (Igby Goes Down (2002)). It's a fairly entertaining film with some good values, but with a scenario that's too unlikely to really succeed.

Related review:

17 Again (2009) or, Teentainment Deluxe

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 44 mil. $
Box office: 48.1 mil. $
= Big flop
[Charlie St. Cloud was released July 30 and runs 99 minutes. 3 Hollywood studios were in a bidding war for Sherwood's book before it was even published. The rights were finally secured by Universal, reportedly for over 1 mil. $. Efron turned down the Footloose remake to star in this thought to be hot ticket. Filming took place from July - October 2009 in British Columbia and New York. The film opened #5 (behind Inception, Dinner for Schmucks, Salt and Despicable Me) to a 12.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it grossed 31.1 mil. $ (64.7 % of the total gross). The film's 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Germany and Australia with 2.1 mil. $ (4.4 %) each. Even though the over-budgeted film received generally poor reviews, its relatively small performance is something of a reality check for Efron's star power, who soon thereafter chose to abandon his clean teen idol persona. Charlie St. Cloud is rotten at 27 % with a 4.6 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Charlie St. Cloud?

The Paperboy (2012) - Daniels' off-putting and interesting Florida-yarn huffs and puffs

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+ Strangest Movie of the Year

The intense, curiosity-inspiring poster for Lee Daniels' The Paperboy

Jack is actually just a little brother and paperboy in a little Florida-paper, when a loony nymphomaniac shows up in town and wants to help the editorial staff to get a falsely accused man acquitted for murder.
Paperboy is a film that is thick with animosity, stupidity, sweat and vulgar scenes with sex, urine, blood etc. It is not exactly good understood as successful in the conventional sense, but it is a madly atypical and weird little thing, which all the characters seem to snuffle and grovel and mumble their way through, and which demands patience from its audience. - The characters aren't easy, smart or very sympathetic, but there is a zest behind the direction and in the performances, - as with John Cusack's (Being John Malkovich (1999)) heinous murderer, - which makes the film queerly fascinating nonetheless.
Zac Efron (Me and Orson Welles (2008)) again shows his depth and talent; e.g. in a moving scene with Macy Gray towards the ending in the God-forsaken swamp-environment.
Paperboy, a movie often called lurid, also features strange narration and sentimentality, (as well as, - yes, - that infamous scene of Nicole Kidman peeing all over Efron on a beach.)
This is American director Lee Daniels' (Precious (2009)) fourth film. It unfortunately flopped badly, showing that words like 'lurid' and 'strange' apparently hold people today away from a movie more so than they attract them, even from a film with major stars, (which I find weird.) 
Daniels returned to mainstream tribulation after this with the much straighter, if also much less interesting The Butler (2013).

Related posts:

2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED V]
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2012 in films - according to Film Excess 

Roughly edited trailer for The Paperboy

Budget: 12.5 mil. $
Box office: 2.4 mil. $
= Big flop 

What do you think of The Paperboy and Daniels' other films?

17 Again (2009) or, Teentainment Deluxe

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+ Best Fantasy Comedy of the Year

A preppy Zac Efron fronts this enticing French poster for  Burr Steers' 17 Again

A down on his luck, 37 year-old divorce-stricken man magically turns into his 17 year-old self and regains his sense of living and priorities.

17 Again is a wonderfully executed high-concept romcom/guilty pleasure for all lovers of Zac Efron (Me and Orson Welles (2008)), closeted or otherwise, written by Jason Filardi (Bringing Down the House (2003)) and directed by great Washingtonian filmmaker Burr Steers (Igby Goes Down (2002)). 
Efron is feisty, cute and funny in the film, and he gets backed up by lovely young actors Michelle Trachtenberg (Gossip Girl (2008-12)), Sterling Knight (Monster Heroes (2010)) and Hunter Parrish (Still Alice (2014)), as well as older, gifted comedians Leslie Mann (This Is 40 (2012)), Thomas Lennon (Knight of Cups (2015)), Matthew Perry (Mr. Sunshine (2011), TV-series) and Melora Hardin (Transparent (2014-15)), the wonderful comedienne oft remembered as Jan from The Office (2005-13).
17 Again is perfect, breezy marketing of the US of A for the world, a shining, delicious joy.

Related posts:

2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

Watch the trailer for the film here

Cost: 40 mil. $
Box office: 136.2 mil. $
= Box office success (returned 3.4 times the cost)
[17 Again premiered 11 March (Sydney, Australia) and runs 105 minutes. Shooting took place in California, including Los Angeles, ending in January 2008. The film opened #1 with a 23.7 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weeks in the top 5 (#2-#4) and grossed 64.1 mil. $ (47 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 18.3 mil. $ (13.4 %) and Australia  with 10 mil. $ (7.3 %). Roger Ebert agreed with Film Excess and awarded the film 3 out of 4 stars. Steers returned with Charlie St. Cloud (2010), also Efron's subsequent feature. 17 Again is rotten at 56 % with a 5.4/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of 17 Again?