Review of Hair (1979) by Tim S — 26 Dec 2012

I guess I can sort of understand the following that something like Hair would generate. It definitely carries a strong message about being free and letting one's freak flag fly. The songs are also well-constructed and I'm sure it plays well live on the stage.

This film version, however, just reeks of what can only be described as pretensiousness, all the way to its core. The performances are generally good, and this isn't the most terrible musical I've ever seen, but I've rarely spent this much time watching a film and rolling my eyes at it.

And it's not even because it's dated. It looks and feels like a 1970's movie talking about the 1960's, which is essentially what it is. It also meanders a lot and never really finds a firm foothold in a narrative sense, but for a big screen adaptation of a musical, it's certainly not one of the worst ones that you're ever likely to see.