Dreamgirls "A"

But, I've Got The Voice!

Where do I begin? The buzz on this film is phenomenal. Many say that this film is a stunning piece of filmmaking and is Oscar worthy on many levels. Of course many others say that this movie is one of the most over hyped films in years. I happen to agree with the former.

"Dreamgirls" is based on the Broadway musical that charted the meteoric rise to fame of a "Supremes" like singing trio named the "Dreams". I'll get in to that later, but first I have to say that this is one exceptionally made film. It is said that all filmmakers have at least one great musical in them and let me tell you that this film stoked my desire to make that musical.

Director Bill Condon has created a stunning masterwork on the modern musical. To me this film is a landmark in modern musicals on par with "Chicago". The film stars Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson. Now, I have never watched American Idol so I never saw or heard of Jennifer Hudson before. But let me tell you, her performance and singing were absolutely devastatingly brilliant. Wow. She has that certain kind of charisma that just leaps off the screen. She stole every scene she was in and downright out acted everyone (and out sang), including Oscar winner Jamie Foxx. To me it's refreshing to hear someone actually sing instead of hearing that vibrato that is such a popular style today (thanks Mariah Carey). Jennifer Hudson can just flat out sing and I was very surprised to see that the story is really centered on her character Effie White. Of course everyone is talking about her show stopping number "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" which my friends is the most haunting and impressively staged musical number I have ever seen. The brazenly confident sexuality she exudes is mesmerizing. But beyond that her nuanced and multi-layered performance is what sets her apart from all the other performances because even when her character is down she is without a doubt never out. She definitely should get an Oscar nom. Have I praised her enough? Nah, I don't think so. She's already scored a Golden Globe nom and everyone is going nuts over her performance. I guess when somebody comes out of nowhere and auditions against close to 900 other singers and then more than holds her own like she's been acting all her life then people sit up and take notice. Whew, I'm tired!In calling for a different approach to Hudson, Beyonce plays Deena Jones (get it?) and is actually pretty good herself. You see she was really called on to channel Diana Ross and boy does she nail the performance. It's almost scary how she moves and at times looks like her. People have criticized Beyonce for her uninspired singing but I think they missed the point. Her character is very submissive and insecure and it comes across in her singing. It was planned that way. When she summons her strength at the end then her voice dramatically changes. It's not her fault that her character is in the shadow of Hudson's but when she is in the same scenes as Hudson you barely even notice her. Kinda like a wallflower. That can and will hurt her chance for an Oscar nom (she was nominated for a Golden Globe because of her amazing solo at the end). Jamie Foxx does pretty well here playing Curtis Taylor Jr. the groups cold-hearted and greedy manager. It's not that he performs bad it's just that he is so overshadowed by nearly everyone else. Eddie Murphy on the other hand is spectacular as James "Thunder" Early. His on stage persona is not only believable but is astonishing in showcasing Murphy's talent. This is a very different role for him and he shows a depth I've never seen from him before. He was going through a real life divorce while filming this movie and he has said it helped his performance when his character had to hit rock bottom. His performance is the best of his career and it begs the question, do tortured souls really make the best artists? The rest of the cast like Danny Glover and Keith Robinson as Effie's brother and Anika Noni Rose as the third member of the "Dreams" do outstanding work as well. The acting in this film was very good which elevates the film from being just another musical to a stylistic achievement. In fact, all of the cast gets to sing and they all sing very, very well. The dramatic moments were so effective that when someone burst out into song (outside staged musical numbers) I was actually surprised because I was so into the story and characters.

Technically, the film was shot and edited brilliantly. Surprising because neither the cinematographer, Tobias A. Schliessler or the editor Virginia Katz had ever done a musical before but they both have been longtime collaborators of director Bill Condon. There was an almost free flowing and easy look to the film. The film has beautifully saturated colors and the production design was top notch. The story itself was somewhat predictable but it was done so perfectly that it hardly matters. Then there is the music and choreography. Brilliant, outstanding, exceptional, flashy and any other synonyms I can conjure up.

My predictions? This film should definitely garner Oscar noms for Hudson and Murphy as well as best song, production design, makeup, costumes, cinematography, best picture and director, heck maybe even editing.

Even if your not a fan of musicals or any of the actors, you owe it to yourself to see this film. You will be moved by the story and characters and blown away by the high production value.
I promise.