Dreamgirls (2006)

DREAMGIRLS

LOVE THIS SHOW. GREAT DVD AT A FRACTION OF THE COST. I ALSO ORDERED THE SOUNDTRACK FROM AMAZON AT A FRACTION OF THE COST. August 29, 2008

Dreamgirls... Everything they said it would be

Somewhere out there, Jennifer Holliday is shaking her head and sighing. Jennifer was nearly 25 years ahead of her time when she starred in the Broadway version of "Dreamgirls" as Effie. Today, she's seen the show come to film and make another Jennifer, Jennifer Hudson, a star. Timing is everything. Hudson was poised like no other entertainer, to pick up the strings and threads left by the amazing Aretha Franklin as a queen of the soul sound.

Amazing that she is propelled into the role by a movie, and not by a record. "Dreamgirls" is loosely based on actual Motown events, on promoter/producer Berry Gordy (Curtis Taylor, played by Jamie Foxx),an amalgam of a black male singer that is a combination of James Brown-Marvin Gay (James "Thunder" Early, played by Eddie Murphy) and a trio of female singers sketched after the Supremes. Like the Supremes, the trio starts with three girls who have been singing together forever (Effie, played by Hudson, Deena, played by Beyonce, and Lorrell, played by Anika Noni Rose) and who finally break into the Motown scene as backup singers. Involved in the success of the group is Effie's brother, who writes their songs (C.C. White, played by Keith Robinson).

The movie takes the players through love and hardship, from gaining respect to being a multi-platinum success, with the downside issues that come with fame. Characters betray each other, love each other, find redemption.

The music is spectacular, so much that I purchased the soundtrack. The world talks about Hudson's incredible solo of "And I Am Telling You (I'm Not Going)." I equally enjoyed her solo takes on "I Am Changing" and "One Night Only". She's incomparable. The group performance (with Eddie Murphy as lead) of the anti-war anthem, "Patience", was a highlight for me. And there is a sweet, sweet moment at the memorial service for Thunder, when Loretta Devine (from the Broadway production and the TV show Boston Public) sings "I Miss You, Old Friend".


The costumes are equally well done, and the screenplay works hard to make the production flow (although it doesn't succeed nearly as well as "Chicago" did). It takes Dreamgirls from the tough times of the black music circuit in the 60's, to actual footage of the race riots and Martin Luther King, to the glitz of Miami and the disco scene, and the ennui that was Hollywood in those days. There are some "down" spots, an example of which is Thunder's drug problem...the script has focused on his womanizing, and the addiction issue comes out of nowhere.


Completely entertaining, musically outstanding, "Dreamgirls" is a great addition to your collection of DVD musicals.
August 14, 2008

Terrific Entertainment!

I am not normally a fan of musicals, and this was DEFINITELY a musical, but I was mesmerized from the first solo by Jennifer Hudson, and after that I was hooked. I have never been so impressed by the power of a musical to reach into one's emotions and actually add to the power of a drama. I usually just wait out the singing parts of award winning movies with musical numbers (or fast forward on DVD), but not this time. Jennifer brought tears to my eyes twice during this movie and in general the singing really enhanced the overall experience. Hurray for Dreamgirls. I'm so glad they decided to make the play into a movie, so that more people can experience it. July 29, 2008

Excellent DVD

I love DreamGirls it has a great picture and its definitely a movie you want to add to your collection. July 9, 2008

Too Much Singing !

Knowing it was a musical I was prepared for a fair portion of singing but had not expected a movie hardly with any spoken lines! There must have been about 1 full hour of song and to make matters worse most of the material ranged from forgettable to outright unmelodious or awkward. The cast certainly proved they could sing but with hardly a spoken line and without a decent storyline it made for very long and dull viewing. July 2, 2008

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