Hairspray (1988)
In 1963, overweight Tracy Turnblad (Rikki Lake) becomes a popular mainstay on a Baltimore dance show, infuriating the reigning queen, Amber Von Tussle (Debbie Harry). In addition to their dance floor rivalry, Tracy and her mother Edna (Divine) advocate integration while the Von Tussles fight for segregation.
Rikki Lake would go on to greater fame as the host of an eponymous talk show, but proves she’s a talented actress here.
Debbie Harry, of Blondie, has actually had a pretty lengthy Hollywood career, but most of her work has been in low-budget, rarely seen films.
Has anyone had a weirder career than Sonny Bono, who plays Amber’s dad, Franklin Von Tussle? He starred in a variety show with his then wife Cher which he continued after their divorce, the starred in Airplane II (1982). He got elected mayor of Palm Springs, then a US congressman where he was responsible for the reprehensible US copyright law, before dying in a freak skiing accident.
Jerry Stiller, real life dad of Ben, television dad of George Costanza and Carrie Heffernan has made a career playing loud, slightly out of touch fathers like Mr. Turnblaud.
A member of John Waters’s informal troupe, the Dreamlanders, Divine specialized in outlandishly inappropriate things. The dual role of Edna Turnblad and racist radio station owner Arvin Hodgepile is easily the most mainstream of his career.
Despite Waters reputation as a tacky provocateur, this sweet film about insecurity, self-worth, and finding your passion contains a limited amount of controversial material and the pro-integration story makes it his most accessible and likable film.
Shadowlands (1993)
On a trip to England, married poet Joy Gresham (Debra Winger) meets and befriends famed Oxford academic and Christian apologist, C.S. Lewis (Anthony Hopkins).
After her divorce, they marry so Joy can remain in England, but genuine feelings flourish within their sham marriage and they live a happily married life until Joy is diagnosed with terminal bone cancer.
In 1990s, Anthony Hopkins became a Hollywood legend because of his work in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Howards Ends (1992), Chaplin (1992), and Nixon (1995), but he’s struggled to find roles worthy of his talent in the new century.
After a fertile period in the 1980s and early 1990s, Debra Winger took a break from Hollywood to focus on her family and other professional pursuits. Sadly, since she returned to the silver screen in 2002, her roles have been limited.
Richard Attenborough’s best work as a director is biographical films about larger than life men like Gandhi and Charlie Chaplin. This film doesn’t measure up to those films, but it’s a fine examination of the surprising path love can take.
Fifty years after his death, Lewis remains one of the best and most admired Christian apologists and his pseudo-memoir describing his grief after Joy’s death is essential reading for any serious person of faith struggling to deal with loss.
The High Five (2014)
Everything has an origin story, even the sandwich.
This short documentary chronicles one possible origin of the high-five. We assume it’s been around forever, but apparently, Glenn Burke, a rookie for the Los Angeles Dodgers, invented the gesture while celebrating teammate Dusty Baker’s 30th home run during the 1977 season.
It’s an interesting anecdote, but seems like a dubious claim, akin to saying you invented the handshake.
Yours, Mine, and Ours (1968)
Navy warrant officer Frank Beardsley (Henry Fonda), a widowed father of ten, falls in love with Helen North (Lucille Ball), a widow mother of eight children. This is the story of how this large blended family adjusts to their new life.
When Helen first meets Beardsley’s family, a few of his sons conspire to get her drunk, which plays like an extended version of the famous Vitagvetavegamin scene from I Love Lucy.
Sadly, comedienne Lucille Ball was unable to develop a film career despite numerous attempts before and after her legendary television progam.
Despite his success here, Henry Fonda isn’t known for family comedies and all indications are he was a better father as Frank Beardsley than in real life.
Based on a true story, this sweet family film is a blueprint for later larger families, both fictional and real.