Hairsprayis a 2007 musical film produced by Kolaja Productions and distributed by New Line Cinema . It was released in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on July 20, 2007. The film is an adaptation of the 2002 Broadway musical of the same name , which in turn was based on John Waters 's 1988 comedy film of the same name . Set in 1962 Baltimore, Maryland , the film follows the "pleasantly plump" teenager Tracy Turnblad as she pursues stardom as a dancer on a local TV show and rallies against racial segregation .

Adapted from both Waters' 1988 script and Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell's book for the stage musical by screenwriter Leslie Dixon , the 2007 film version ofHairsprayis directed and choreographed by Adam Shankman .Hairsprayfeatures songs from the Broadway musical written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman , as well as four new Shaiman/Wittman compositions not present in the original Broadway version.

Opening to positive reviews,Hairspraymet with financial success, breaking the record for biggest sales at opening weekend for a movie musical,which the film held until July 2008 when it was surpassed byMamma Mia!and laterHigh School Musical 3: Senior Yearin October.Hairspraywent on to become the fourth highest grossing musical film in US cinema history, behind the film adaptations ofGrease,Chicago, andMamma Mia!.Available in a variety of formats,Hairspray's Region 1 home video release took place on November 20, 2007. USA Network purchased the broadcast rights toHairsprayand was scheduled to debut the film on cable television in February 2010, but in the end it did not broadcast that month, instead the film was pushed back and premiered on USA on July 24, 2010, with sister channel Bravo also showing it multiple times, and in February 2011 aired on ABC for over-the-air broadcasts.

May 3, 1962: Tracy Turnblad ( Nikki Blonsky ), a cheerful, overweight high school student living in Baltimore, Maryland steps out of her apartment ("Good Morning Baltimore") and endures a day’s worth of school before she and her best friend, Penny Pingleton ( Amanda Bynes ), can watch their favorite TV show ,The Corny Collins Show, a teen dance show broadcast from Baltimore’s station WYZT ("The Nicest Kids in Town").

The teenagers featured on the show attend Tracy and Penny's school, among them the arrogant and wealthy Amber von Tussle ( Brittany Snow ) and her boyfriend, Link Larkin ( Zac Efron ), the lead male dancer on the show. Amber’s mother, Velma ( Michelle Pfeiffer ) manages WYZT and goes out of her way to make sure Amber is featured and thatThe Corny Collins Showremains a racially segregated program. Corny Collins ( James Marsden ) and his Council Members are white; black kids are only allowed on the show on "Negro Day", held the last Thursday of each month and hosted by R&B DJ Motormouth Maybelle ( Queen Latifah ), who owns the local record shop.

Tracy's reclusive mother, Edna ( John Travolta in drag), and Penny's strict, religious mother, Prudy ( Allison Janney ), disapprove of their daughters' fascination with the program, despite the fact that Prudy watches the show herself; Tracy's father, Wilbur ( Christopher Walken ), a joke-shop proprietor, is more lenient. One day, Corny Collins announces that a Council Member is going on a leave of absence, and that auditions for a replacement will be held the next morning during school hours ("It Takes Two"). When Tracy attends, Velma rejects her at the audition for being overweight and supportive of integration ("(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs"). Tracy is sent to detention by Miss Wimsey ( Jayne Eastwood ) for skipping school, where she learns that the “Negro Day” kids practice their dances in the detention hall. Tracy befriends the students' best dancer, Motormouth Maybelle's son, Seaweed ( Elijah Kelley ), who teaches Tracy several dance moves. As Tracy leaves detention, she accidentally bumps into Link and dreams of a life with him when he winks at her ("I Can Hear the Bells"). At a record hop , Tracy’s moves attract the attention of Corny Collins ("Ladies' Choice") and he appoints her to the Council ("The Nicest Kids in Town (Reprise)").

Tracy becomes one of Corny's most popular Council Members. This threatens Amber's chances of winning the show's yearly "Miss Teenage Hairspray" pageant ("The New Girl in Town") and her relationship with Link, as he grows fonder of Tracy. Mr. Pinky ( Jerry Stiller ), a slightly off-centered salesman, suggests that Tracy be the spokesgirl for his Hefty Hideaway boutique . Tracy convinces Edna to accompany her to the Hefty Hideaway and act as her agent, and in the process helps cure her mother's agoraphobia ("Welcome to the '60s").

At school, Tracy introduces Seaweed to Penny, and the two are instantly smitten. One afternoon, Amber arranges for Tracy to be sent to detention. Link follows by saying "kiss my ass" to Mr. Flak (George King). Seaweed invites the girls and Link to follow him and his sister Little Inez ( Taylor Parks ) to a platter party at Motormouth Maybelle's record shop ("Run and Tell That"). When Edna finds Tracy at the shop she tries to take her home, until Maybelle convinces her to stay and tells her to take pride in herself ("Big, Blonde and Beautiful"). Maybelle informs everyone that Velma has canceled "Negro Day". Tracy suggests that Maybelle and the others stage a protest march (a parody of the march in Alabama led by Malcolm X ), which they plan for the next afternoon, a day before the "Miss Teenage Hairspray" pageant. Realizing that he has a chance at stardom by singing at the pageant, Link does not attend the demonstration, disappointing Tracy. After the party, Edna goes to Wilbur's shop to flirt with him. Velma gets there first and unsuccessfully tries to seduce Wilbur ("Big, Blonde and Beautiful (Reprise)"). Edna arrives and accuses Wilbur of infidelity . Edna, out of hatred for Velma, forbids Tracy from being on the show. Wilbur and Edna soon reconcile ("(You’re) Timeless to Me").

The next morning, Tracy sneaks out of the house to join the protest ("I Know Where I’ve Been"), which comes to a halt at a police roadblock set up by Velma. The protesters are arrested, but Tracy runs to the Pingletons, where Penny hides her in a fallout shelter . Prudy catches Tracy and calls the police before tying Penny to her bed. Seaweed and his friends, having been bailed out by Wilbur, help Tracy and Penny escape. Meanwhile, Link visits Tracy’s house to look for her and realizes that he loves her. Seaweed and Penny also acknowledge their love during the escape from her house ("Without Love").

With the pageant underway ("(It’s) Hairspray"), Velma places police officers around WYZT to stop Tracy. She also changes the pageant tallies so Amber is guaranteed to win. Penny arrives at the pageant with Edna "incognito", while Wilbur, Seaweed, and the Negro Day kids help Tracy infiltrate the studio in time to participate in the Miss Teenage Hairspray dance contest. Link breaks away from Amber to dance with Tracy; later, he pulls Little Inez, who has just arrived at WYZT with Maybelle, to the stage to dance in the pageant.

Little Inez receives the most votes and wins the pageant, officially integratingThe Corny Collins Show. Velma loudly declares her frustration, informing her daughter of the tally-switching scheme. Unknown to Velma, Edna and Wilbur have turned a camera on her, and Velma's outburst is broadcast on the air, causing her to be fired from the program. Meanwhile,The Corny Collins Showset explodes into a celebration as Tracy and Link cement their love with a kiss ("You Can’t Stop the Beat").