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Retrospective

Hairspray (35mm)

FromJohn Waters

WithSonny Bono, Ruth Brown, Divine, Debbie Harry, Ricki Lake, Jerry Stiller, Ric Ocasek, Pia Zadora

Year1988

Duration92min.

LanguageEnglish

Part of the special series JOHN WATERS: THE RESPECTABLE YEARS

Tracy Turnblad: Oh, Mother, you’re so fifties.

Baltimore, 1962: Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake) dreams of dancing on the “Corny Collins Show” and finds herself in a world of hairspray, teen rivalries, and strictly segregated TV airtime. As she fights her way through the hurdles of the casting process—complete with jealous competition and parental skepticism—it becomes clear that this isn’t just about dance moves, but about visibility, self-confidence, and the question of who gets to have a platform at all.

The show becomes a lens for the social tensions of the time: body norms, racial segregation, and media power. Tracy moves with unshakable cheerfulness through a system that is actually designed to keep her small—and that’s where the film’s humor lies: the revolution arrives in a petticoat, with perfectly backcombed beehive hair.