”Hairspray” (Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown, Divine, Debbie Harry, Ricki Lake, Jerry Stiller; John Waters, dir. RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video, 1988;
color. Running time: 92 min. Rating: PG. $89.95.)
John Waters fans be forewarned: The grossest thing in this, the latest flick from the notorious director of ”Pink Flamingos,” is the popping of a pimple. Without a closeup.
Yes, it has come to that. ”Hairspray” is sweet, kind and downright commercial. It is also the funniest movie on the glory days of rock to come out of Hollywood-oops, make that Baltimore-since ”American Grafitti.”
”Hairspray” is the story of Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake), an overweight teenager with an even more overweight mom (Divine), who makes it big on an
”American Bandstand”-like TV show in 1962.
There`s a bit more to the plot-Tracy`s efforts to become Miss Auto Show lead to the integration of Baltimore-but basically this is every high school misfit`s fantasy come true.
And the hairdos-well, let us spray.