This movie works in so many layered ways, it's hard to know where to begin. First off, one can pretty much guarantee Travolta getting an Academy Award nomination for his pitch-perfect, subtle, not-too-over-the-top-but-just-the-right-amount-of-camp, incredibly talented portrayal of Edna Turnblad. This is the kind of role made for movie-stars needing a turn-around comeback, something to remind audiences of why John Travolta is a movie star in the first place. Every scene, every vowel, every mannerism is dead-on as Travolta's characterization almost steals the entire movie from the music, costumes, message, and story.
Secondly, the music and choreography are ingenious. Scene transitions are so beautifully done, the highs and lows of the story conveyed so well with a narrative arc so wide and narrow in all the right places, that it is hard to say a bad thing about this movie.
Lastly, the finale caps the whole movie and reminds us of a timeless message: the one that love and change are intricately linked, and that people who try to oppress and go against a tide of equality are the ones who lose the most in history's pages.
Secondly, the music and choreography are ingenious. Scene transitions are so beautifully done, the highs and lows of the story conveyed so well with a narrative arc so wide and narrow in all the right places, that it is hard to say a bad thing about this movie.
Lastly, the finale caps the whole movie and reminds us of a timeless message: the one that love and change are intricately linked, and that people who try to oppress and go against a tide of equality are the ones who lose the most in history's pages.