Dreamgirls DVD > Reviews > A dream of a film

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Soundtrack	Outstanding
How does it compare to similar films?	Outstanding

Advantages:	Outstanding performances, great music
Disadvantages:	singing/talking !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

*********Dreamgirls**********

When I first joined my movie stream this was the top film on my list. Ive waited ages to see it. Was it worth the wait?

Dreamgirls has an impressive cast. The main cast are as follows:

Jamie Foxx - Curtis Taylor
Beyonce Knowles - Deena Jones
Eddie Murphy - Jimmy Early aka James 'Thunder' Early
Jennifer Hudson - Effie White
Danny Glover - Marty Madison
Keith Robinson - C.C. White
Anika Noni Rose - Lorell Robinson
Sharon Leal - Michelle Morris

It is directed by Bill Condon who also wrote the screenplay. The film is an adaptation of the successful Broadway show of the same name.

>>>So whats it about?

The story itself is nothing knew. Its about the rise of an all american girl trio through the sixties and seventies. I would compare their image and vocal style very much with the supremes. It is in a similar vein to the Tina Turner film 'Whats love got to do with it' but on a much grander scale.

The film starts with three young girls (calling themselves the dreamettes) arriving late for a talent show style night and begging to be allowed on the stage. They eventually get to go on and although they don't win, they do get spotted. Jamie Foxx plays Curtis Taylor, the manager of singer Jimmy Early (Eddie Murphy) and he is looking for a replacement backing group for his act. This is because Jimmy is a married cheat and is aways seducing his singers.

The main singer of the trio is not as you would expect Beyonce's character Deena, but Jennifer Hudsons character Effie. She is a little put out at the idea of singing back up vocals to Jimmy but is persuaded by the other two girls (Deena and Lorrell) to give it a go. They then embark on a tour. Jimmy is fairly successful at his gigs but is not cutting it in the charts. Effies brother C.C. who wrote songs for the girls then gets involved in song writing for Jimmy. In order to further Jimmys success, Curtis partakes in some dodgy underground deals to raise money and to get a record into the right hands. Meanwhile he also starts an affair with Effie.

Jimmy starts to get some success in the R&B charts but the money is made by cutting across to the pop charts. So the tour starts to play at more traditional pop music venues. Jimmy himself doesnt go down too well, but the girls are liked. Curtis decides to send Jimmy back out on tour and concentrate on launching a career for the girls. But with a catch. Jimmy wants Deena (Beyonce) to sing lead vocals not Effie. As you can imagine this doesnt go down all that well. Effie has the better voice of the two as far as talented vocals go, but Deena has a more commercial sound. To make matters worse Effie's brother C.C. backs the idea.

Eventually Effie agrees and a girl group the Dreams is launched. After a bit of success Effie starts to feel ill, gain weight and feel generally unhappy with the situation. She also suspects that Curtis is a little keener on Deena than he is letting on. A big bust up happens and Effie leaves and is replaced by another singer Michelle. At this point the film jumps forward several years, giving a quick flash of whats happened. The girls have made it big. They are now called Deena Jones and the Dreams. Deena is married to Curtis. Jimmy is cheating on his wife with Lorrell and C.C. is with Michelle. Curtis is now trying to launch an acting career for Deena, but she is unhappy about the way he is handling her. She feels that he owns her and that she has no control over her life or career.

Meanwhile.....elsewhere Effie, broke, starts to sing again and although no big star shes happy making a living. C.C.has written a song for the Dreams and Curtis has discoed it up in an attempt to make more money. C.C.is unhappy with this and decides to give the song to Effie. However, Curtis still gets it released by the Dreams behind his back. Deena uncovers all this and decides shes had enough. I will leave the story there as I don't want to give the end away although its not that difficult to work out!

>>>The music

Throughout the film there are exceptional musical performances from both Beyonce and particularly Jennifer Hudson. Beyonce sings the beautiful song 'Listen' which was released as a single and features on her album B'Day. There are also many musical performances from Eddie Murphy and some from Jamie Foxx. Who knew Eddie Murphy could sing! His songs are mainly the more upbeat soul numbers. The actual songs sung on stage or in the studio etc are great, however every now and then the characters sing their feelings to each other. This for me was the down side to the film. I am not a fan of this style, to me someone singing when they should be talking is just odd! Fortunately this is not too regular an occurrence. The majority of the songs are taken from the original broadway production. There have been some new songs added though specifically for the big screen.

>>>The acting

Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Hudson have the most challenging roles and both give great performances. Eddie Murphy in my opinion is not the greatest actor. Early in the film he reminds me too much of his Axel Foley character from Beverley Hills Cop. As the film and the storyline progresses he does lose this and becomes more believable as Jimmy Early. Beyonce gives a decent enough performance, her stage presence and singing are second nature, and she has been cast in the right part. Jennifer Hudson is outstanding as Effie achieving a well deserved 'Best supporting actress' Oscar. The film also won another Oscar for 'Best achievement in sound mixing'. By definition I have no idea what this means but the soundtrack was brilliant! As well as the two oscars the film has won 40 other awards.

>>>The outfits

Basically Beyonce Knowles looks good in this film. She has so many different looks, clothes, and make up styles throughout. She suited everyone of them. Don't you just hate that! The film had a gloss to it. By that I mean the sets and costumes and lighting etc. It just looked good. The end credits of the film roll with scenes from the film put to songs and giving it a classy feel.

>>>What did I think?

The film is quite lengthy at 125 minutes. Mainly because of the musical talking, I ended up watching the film in two halves. After an hour the film has a section of singing dialogue which I was finding a little too OTT and knowing I had another hour to watch I decided to switch it off. My DVD player also decided to jump about at this point so I took it as a sign! I watched the second hour two nights later and enjoyed it till the end. All the more for the break I think. Singing/talking aside the film was fast paced for its length and an enjoyable musical extravaganza. The songs were great particularly for fans of sixties style soul, R&B or anyone who just admires a good belt out vocal! The original soundtrack is available to buy from around £7 on Amazon and features all the belters from the film.

>>>Facts

Cert 12 (there is some language and drug reference, this is minimal)
Genre Drama/Musical
Running Time 125 minutes