Hairspray

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Special Events

  • Thu Jun 25 : 

    Q&A with John Waters and special guests after the 6:30 screening

    Sold Out

SHOWTIMES AT IFC CENTER

Thursday, June 25 at 6:30: Q&A with John Waters and special guests after the screening

John Waters and The Criterion Collection present a new 4K restoration of Hairspray sourced from the original 1988 35mm camera negative and the original stereo 35mm magnetic soundtrack.



After decades of pushing the boundaries of bad taste with his underground provocations, John Waters found surprising mainstream success with this infectiously irreverent rock-and-soul comedy. It’s 1962, and the only things bigger than the bouffant hairdos are the popular dance crazes sweeping the nation. When Baltimore teen Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake) shoots to stardom on a local TV dance party, her radical self-confidence and support for racial integration launch a movement that takes the city by storm. Costarring the inimitable Divine in a fiercely funny double role, Hairspray finds Waters marrying his wildly subversive sensibility with a newfound bubblegum sweetness for what may be his most irresistible film.



“Hairspray? How did I ever make such a joyous movie about how ugly racism really is? Criterion cements this film’s reputation as the big girls’ happy shriek of political victory, without once preaching to the audience.” — John Waters

  • Country USA
  • Year 1988
  • Running Time 92 minutes
  • Format 4K Restoration
  • Distributor Janus
  • Director John Waters
  • Cast Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown, Divine, Debbie Harry, Ricki Lake
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.