Dreamgirls

Posted by Tara Settembre (tara@filmschoolrejects.com) on December 27, 2006

Granted the plot to Dreamgirls is nothing new, we’ve all seen the pop band trying to make it story. This one features a black female pop band, the Dreamettes (later the Dreams), who are on the verge of stardom in the early 1960s and the consequences of their fame. You can pretty much predict what is coming before entering the theater, one singer in the tight knit group ends up overshadowing the rest, they break-up and go solo, someone will turn to drugs and ruin their career, etc. It doesn’t help that the narrative also mirrors Diana Ross and The Supremes’ true life story. However, the energetic songs, brilliant costumes and sets, and solid performances keep Dreamgirls from being routine or dull.

The original trailer for Dreamgirls, which started appearing at cinemas as early as last year, was so vague it only featured a single catchy tune from the musical and the cast’s names but no clips–as a result I haven’t felt such buildup and anticipation for a film in sometime. Plus I also grew up knowing several of the show tunes from the original Broadway show, which debuted in 1981 at the Imperial Theatre, New York City. Add in the fact that there hasn’t been a film musical since Chicago in 2002–which one best picture—I very was excited to see this Broadway film adaptation. Luckily, I wasn’t disappointed and the buildup was worth it and well deserved.

In many ways the main story line of the film is really happening inside the film as well, what I mean by that is, Beyonc© Knowles, who in real life is the popular singer and box office star yet gets eclipsed by first-time film actress and American Idol participant Jennifer Hudson, who steals the show with her performance and rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.” Yet, Hudson plays Effie White, the Dreamettes member who gets shoved to the background by Beyonce’s character, Deena Jones. Personally, I couldn’t help but love the irony of the plot reversal when it came to the film’s performances. However, Beyonc© holds her own and gradually blossoms on screen while taking on many faces in the film. As a result, it was easy to see her actually being a Diana Ross or Donna Summer.

Effie, besides originally being the lead singer in the Detroit trio, is the lover of Curtis Taylor Jr., played by Jamie Foxx, a slick car salesman turned musical entrepreneur who serves as the group’s manager. She then gets replaced, however, both onstage and in Curtis’s affections, by Deena, a skinnier, lighter and prettier sidekick, which leads to Effie’s plummet to poverty while Deena and Curis go on to becoming stars.

Although the story focuses on a female group, it’s the male actors that are the real famous ones—Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover (does he ever age?) and Jamie Foxx. Eddie Murphy actually manages to shed his Nutty Professor and Doctor Doolittle caricatures and returns to his earlier acting roots with his performance as singer, James ‘Thunder’ Early. Besides the female band, Foxx, who previously showed his singing prowess in Ray, and Murphy both sing in the film as well. Murphy, particularly gives a lively show during his songs.

The film especially does a good job of staying true to the Broadway show and with its quick transitions and dark stage lighting it feels like you are watching a live show at times. I found myself wanting to clap after the different songs ended, but I was able to check the impulse, while the people around me apparently couldn’t and clapped and cheered anyway as if expecting a bow from the stars. I was so taken during Hudson’s show stopping song that I shed a few tears from the power and emotion of it.

Read more articles by Tara Settembre