Dreamgirls Review
Posted by Jacob Ziegler on 12.25.2006
Eddie Murphy is finally in a good film again!
DREAMGIRLS
December 15, 2006
Curtis Taylor, Jr.: Jamie Foxx
Deena Jones: Beyonce Knowles
James “Thunder” Early: Eddie Murphy
Marty Madison: Danny Glover
Effie White: Jennifer Hudson
Lorrell Robinson: Anika Noni Rose
C.C. White: Keith Robinson
Michelle: Sharon Leal
Wayne: Hinton Battle
DreamWorks presents a film written and directed by Bill Condon. It is based on the Broadway play, music by Henry Krieger, book and lyrics by Tom Eyen. The running time is 131 minutes. It is rated PG-13 for language, some sexuality, and drug content.
BY JACOB ZIEGLER, 411Movies
It’s been in super hype mode for the last several months, and finally “Dreamgirls” has arrived just in time for the holidays and right in the midst of the Movie Awards Season blitz that culminates with the Academy Award ceremony in February. Those involved with the film on both sides of the camera better make sure they’re free that night, because “Dreamgirls” is sure to land a boatload of nominations across the board.
There’s not a weak point in the film – nothing that makes this film anything but enormously entertaining and compulsively watchable. The performances are tremendous, the songs are great, and all the other accoutrement surrounding the film is pitch-perfect.
Anchoring the film is a performance by Jennifer Hudson that is as much of a shoo-in to win an Oscar as has been seen in years. She plays Effie, the lead singer of a trio of singers known as the Dreamettes. Effie’s voice far exceeds what either of her sisters, Deena (Beyonce Knowles) and Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose) can achieve.
Together they have an appealing sound, one that catches the ear of wannabe music mogul Curtis Taylor, Jr. (Oscar winner Jamie Foxx). He gets them hooked up singing backup with the hot act of James “Thunder” Early (played to perfection by Eddie Murphy, the best performance of his career by far). The Dreamettes soon get noticed as an act worthy of their own show, and Curtis Taylor Jr. believes he is the man to manage them to superstardom.
He drops the “ettes” from their name, and radically changes their image and sound by insisting that in order to become popular, Deena must become the lead singer. This causes a rift between Effie and Curtis (who had become romantically involved), as well as with Effie and her sisters. She is just too stubborn to have it any way other than hers, and she eventually leaves the group and watches from the sidelines as she is replaced and written out of the group’s history.
It all may sound like a setup to a maudlin soap opera style story that could easily be dismissed. The characters, while initially seeming to be drawn in very broad strokes, reveal layer after layer as the film goes on, culminating in a plethora of memorable moments. The songs are all very good, but the ones that really stand out are “Patience,” “One Night Only,” “Listen,” and “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.”
While being promoted primarily as a musical, it’s more in the vein of “Ray” rather than “Chicago.” The performers all get a chance to show what they can do as both actors and singers, and everyone shines. Hudson and Murphy are getting a majority of the attention, but the entire cast does stellar work. Knowles in particular should be commended for a performance that is almost as much of a revelation as Hudson’s. Foxx restores my faith in him that I lost after I recently endured this summer’s “Miami Vice.” His character’s sliding morality is what sets a lot of the plot machinations into motion, and he handles it without making the character into too much of a caricature. Danny Glover, Anika Noni Rose, Keith Robinson, Sharon Leel, and Hinton Battle all play their roles to perfection. Also, see if you can spot the one and only Jaleel White, he of Steven Q. Urkel fame.
Director Bill Condon skillfully puts everything together and keeps it going at a perfect pace at all times. The 131 minutes practically flies by, and following Condon’s prior two films (both masterpieces) “Gods and Monsters” and “Kinsey,” this shows that he has incredible range and talent as a filmmaker.
Believe the hype. “Dreamgirls” is one of the best movies of the year.
The 411: Bill Condon has done it for the third time in a row, as “Dreamgirls” consistently hits the right notes from beginning to end. The performances are all terrific and the songs are really well done, and honestly, there is very little not to like about this movie.
