Dreamgirls (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer HudsonDirector: Bill Condon
Studio: DreamWorks
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC
Running Time: 130 minutes
DVD Release: May 1st 2007
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DVD Review
The spirit of Motown runs through the long-awaited film adaption of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, which centers around a young female singing trio who burst upon the music scene in the '60s, complete with bouffant hairdos, glitzy gowns, and a soul sound new to the white-bread American music charts. Sound familiar? You aren't the first one to draw comparisons to the meteoric rise of the Supremes, and despite any protests to the contrary, this is most definitely a thinly veiled reinterpretation of that success story. The Dreamettes--statuesque Deena (Beyonce Knowles), daffy Lorell (Anika Noni Rose) and brassy Effie (Jennifer Hudson)--are a girl group making the talent-show rounds when they're discovered by car salesman and aspiring music manager Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx). Sensing greatness (as well as a new marketing opportunity) Curtis signs the Dreamettes as backup singers for R&B star James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy). But when Early's mercurial ways and singing style don't mesh with primarily white audiences, Curtis moves the newly-renamed Dreams to center stage--with Deena as lead singer in place of Effie. And that's not the only arena in which Effie is replaced, as Curtis abandons their love affair for a relationship with star-in-the-making Deena.
Besides the Supremes comparison, one can't talk about Dreamgirls now without revisiting its notorious Oscar snub; though it received eight nominations, the most for any film from 2006, it was shut out of the Best Picture and Director races entirely. Was the oversight justified? While Dreamgirls is certainly a handsomely mounted, lovingly executed and often vibrant film adaptation, it inspires more respect than passion, only getting under your skin during the musical numbers, which become more sporadic as the film goes on. Writer-director Bill Condon is definitely focused on recreating the Motown milieu (down to uncanny photographs of Knowles in full Diana Ross mode), he often forgets to flesh out his characters, who even on the Broadway stage were underwritten and relied on powerhouse performances to sell them to audiences. (Stage fans will also note that numerous songs are either truncated or dropped entirely from the film.) Condon has assembled a game cast, as Knowles does a canny riff on the essence of Diana Ross' glamour (as opposed to an all-out impersonation) and Rose makes a peripheral character surprisingly vibrant; only Foxx, who never gets to pour on the charisma, is miscast. Still, there are two things even the most cranky viewers will warm to in Dreamgirls: the performances of veteran Eddie Murphy and newcomer Jennifer Hudson. Murphy is all sly charm and dazzling energy as the devilish Early, who's part James Brown, part Little Richard, and all showman. And Hudson, an American Idol contestant who didn't even make the top three, makes an impressive debut as the larger-than-life Effie, whose voice matches her passions and stubbornness. Though she sometimes may seem too young for the role, Hudson nails the movie's signature song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," with a breathtaking power that must be seen and heard to believe. And for those five minutes, if not more, you will be in Dreamgirls' thrall. --Mark Englehart
Beyond Dreamgirls
 Other Musicals on DVD |  More Motown on DVD |  The Soundtrack |
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User Reviews
A very good movie with many great moments - Rating: 4/5
I think that most people are familiar with the story even before seeing the movie - about a singing group similar to the Supremes, with enough fiction to keep the writers and producers from getting sued by Diana Ross or Berry Gordy. Also, Jennifer Hudson's loss on American Idol and subsequent Oscar got tons of press.
The movie lives up to most (although not all) of its publicity. There are one or two scenes that run a little long, most notably, the scene where Effie finds out that she is being cut. My wife thought that the singing was too shrill, but I don't agree - but the scene is VERY intense and gets a little unpleasant to watch because Effie's pain is that intense and that raw. And Jennifer Hudson is THAT good.
The truth is that it's a very good story, carried out by a cast that is extraordinarily talented. Eddie Murphy hasn't been this good in years (except for the Shrek movies) and he shows why he was able to sell so many years ago. Jamie Foxx handled the role perfectly without turning it into a caricature. And Beyonce demonstrated that she CAN act.
OK BUT, OVERLY LONG AND SEEN IT ALL BEFORE 2 1/2 STARS! - Rating: 3/5
This movie starts out strong but, becomes tiresome in the middle. Hudson is pretty good considering but, I don't think her performance is Oscar worthy. When I think of all the performances over the years that got snubbed at the Oscars, it's a crime to see this young lady walk away with an Oscar for just a "good" performance. Dustin Hoffman "Toosie", Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Robert De Niro "Flawless", Richard Harris and Robert Duvall "Wrestling Earnest Hemingway" even Sean Penn in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" oh well, the list goes on and on. It's an OK story that has been done before better. Even though Hudson's vocals are good, they are not show stopping! Rent it don't buy it. 2 1/2 Stars.
What planet am I on? - Rating: 1/5
What planet am I on.....isn't this earth? I have to check because I recently saw a terribly boring and vastly overrated movie called Dreamgirls. You would think from all the hype this movie got it would have been the best musical since the Wizard Of Oz! Instead what I saw was another example of a bunch of snob critics trying to sell me a chocolate covered lemon. I won't criticise each aspect because there isn't anymore time left to spend on this waste of a good two hours of time. Jennifer Hudson.....an Oscar.....for this.....FOGGEDDABBOUDDIT. And just when you thought Grease 2 was as bad as it gets. This is worse!
Notown - Rating: 2/5
With all the hype about this film/musical being based loosely on the Supremes, I expected to be treated to some 60s music, or at least an approximation of the Motown sound of the period. It seems as if the singers in this film have the talent to sell that sound, if in fact it had been incorporated into the movie, but it's not there. With the many references to the events and culture of the 1960s in the script I'd think the film would at least make an attempt to emphasize that unmistakable Motown sound, but I guess the context here is the 1980s Broadway show and its made-for-Broadway musical schlock and NOT mid-60s soul music. That is a shame and it ruins this film for me. Cue up any Supremes song from 1965-67 before you watch this film and then decide whether this stuff has anything to do with the kind of music they made.
If this is not important to you, if you think a film succeeds based on extravagant costumes, big Broadway-Vegas production numbers, lots of attractive faces, and utterly forgettable but loud music, then you may enjoy this.
a steaming pile of beep - Rating: 1/5
It was a struggle for me to sit all the way through this debacle. What this show represents is something close to my very worst nightmare: the American Idolization of golden era Motown.
In fact, DREAMGIRLS is entirely bereft of the spirit and genius that went into Berry Gordy's legendary hit-making factory. It's more like a bad soap opera rife with melodrama, clichés, and some truly awful acting.
Jamie Foxx plays a character modeled on the control-freak record label founder. Mostly, he walks around with his hands in his pockets, looking moody. He actually seems more like a cartoon than a flesh-and-blood figure, which is a big disappointment in view of Foxx's considerable acting talents.
Eddie Murphy is cast as a sort of James Brown/Wilson Pickett/Marvin Gaye soul daddy, but he is never compelling in the role, to put it charitably. Admittedly, it doesn't help that his stage material is putrid; however, even if the songs had all the luster of those original Holland-Dozier-Holland nuggets, "Party All the Time" Eddie simply doesn't have the musical chops or the imagination to make the character believable.
You wouldn't think this would be a problem for the larger-than-life Beyoncé, but her portrayal of a pop sensation based on Diana Ross is surprisingly wooden. There is no trace of emotional depth behind her blank Barbie doll face. Her singing and gyrations, too, seem forced and mechanical, like products of a Detroit auto assembly line.
Jennifer Hudson's performance is especially tiresome. In true American Idol fashion, she deploys endless vocal pyrotechnics as a cover for weak material and an absence of soul.
Sometimes a movie is so bad it makes you laugh out loud, but I couldn't manage it in this case. I guess I'm too big a fan of the classic music that inspired this film. It's saddening to witness one of America's foremost cultural achievements reduced to such piffle on the big screen.
