I think that the main reason “Hairspray” worked for me was Nikki Blonsky as the lead character. I said in my review of the film that this girl just absolutely made you love her. She is charming, charismatic, and just down right adorable. So I’m encouraged to see her being able to capitalize on the Hairspray success by grabbing another role… I’m just not thrilled with the project.
Yahoo News is reporting:
In her first role since her breakthrough performance in the hit movie musical “Hairspray,” newcomer Nikki Blonsky has joined the cast of the teen comedy “Harold.” Blonsky plays Rhonda, the nerdy best friend of balding teen Harold (Spencer Breslin). Ally Sheedy (“The Breakfast Club”) returns to the high school comedy genre as Maureen, a mother who helps her prematurely aging son cope with incessant teasing. “Saturday Night Live” veteran Colin Quinn plays Reedy, a drunken barfly who’s a regular at a strip club Harold frequents. Cuba Gooding Jr., one of the film’s producers, plays a school janitor who befriends the troubled title character.
Ouch. This has “total mess” written all over it. First of all, almost anything with the words “teen comedy” is cause for concern these days. Also, as much as I used to LOVE the guy… anything with Cuba Gooding Jr. in it now usually equals “I’ll pass” for me, and on top off all that the premise just sounds… I don’t know… lame.
This may sound odd… but if you read the description again, and imagine it as a drama instead of a “teen comedy”, the idea almost sounds good. But as soon as you remind yourself this is going to be some dopey teen comedy, it just galls to ashes (at least in my mind). As always, we’ll have to wait and see.
