Hair isn't for me one of the my favourite film musicals(excluding animated films for now, West Side Story, Singin' in the Rain, The Wizard of Oz, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Meet Me in St Louis) nor do I think is one of Milos Forman's best films(Amadeus and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). It is much better than it's given credit for though, true it is inferior to the stage show and has its problems, but there are far worse film musicals out there(Xanadu, Can't Stop the Music, Mame, Grease 2, Across the Universe The Wiz, A Chorus Line) and for me it ties with Annie(1982, I know lots of people hate it but I love it and have done since childhood) as one of the most underrated.

The story(the stage show does have a stronger one but not with its disjointed moments) does get weaker towards the end with an ending that is rather over-the-top, and the sequence with Claude's hallucination bogged things down a bit.

It does however do a more than commendable job turning the stage show into something coherent and something that is still of relevant value now. Most of the story is good though even if re-written, with some well-explored, relevant themes of poverty, homosexuality and racism, even if these themes are closer to the 70s period rather than late 60s but I don't think it mattered too much. It is also successful in being not just tragic and poignant but also thoughtful and funny. The film looks wonderful, with the era detail, cinematography and colour a colourful and beautiful feast for the eye. The music is also fantastic, there are catchy numbers like Aquarious, Sodomy and Flesh Failures but also some really powerful ones like Walking in Space and Easy to Be Hard.

The choreography looks dazzling and is danced and paced with sheer infectious energy, while the stage show has even more energy the film comes very close to matching it. Who can forget Treat Williams' table top dance? I can't. Forman I have always considered one of the most intelligent and underrated directors, while Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus are very well regarded and deservedly, few of his others have matched that, and it is a shame but movies like Fireman's Ball are also very good. And he doesn't undermine the energy, music, choreography or performances in any way, if anything he accommodates them while phoning it in. And of course the performances are just great. I don't think Treat Williams has been better, and he certainly hasn't been in a better film since Hair, while John Savage and Don Dacus are equally terrific and Beverly D'Angelo is smoking hot. Cheryl Barnes deserves a mention as well, as her Easy to be Hard rendition is one of the most powerful and heart-wrenching scenes of any film musical to me and what an entrance.

All in all, not without flaws but much better than it's gotten credit for and deserving of being judged on its own terms. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Claude Hooper Bukowski (John Savage) leaves his Oklahoma family farm to go to NYC. He's a draftee ready to go to the Vietnam War. He encounters a group of hippie led by George Berger (Treat Williams). Sheila Franklin (Beverly D'Angelo) is from the stiff upper class riding a horse in Central Park. Claude is enticed by the free-spirited hippies. They crash Sheila's coming out party. Sheila and Claude fall in love with a lot of help from George. Eventually Claude goes to training in Nevada followed by Berger, Sheila and the hippies.

This has a few iconic songs. The movie takes too much time in Central Park at the beginning. Treat Williams is great but the movie meanders. The cinematic style from Milos Forman is pretty weak. It's probably a much better musical play than a movie. The hippies aren't necessarily portrayed in the most positive light. There are some pretty harsh digs. The movie also feels dated without being a period piece.

With an almost non-existent plot, I watched this film to see/hear the music. After seeing it on stage and buying the album, I know just about every word to every song. There is an energy to this movie and I enjoyed that very much. The title tune sets it off. Then, we have "Easy to Be Hard" and on and on. Each is placed in a kind of contrived setting to make it work. If there is a weakness, the movie is somewhat disjointed and lacking a kind of flow. Still, there is that whole tribal thing going on. The kids of the counterculture strut their stuff. See it as a sort of latter day period piece. Sometimes song and dance give us the jot sensual connection to a bygone era.