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Blu-ray
Paramount
Publisher: DreamWorks
Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Actors: Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson
Director Bill Condon brings Tom Eyen's Tony award-winning Broadway musical to the big screen in a tale of dreams, stardom, and the high cost of success in the cutthroat recording industry. The time is the 1960s, and singers Effie (Jennifer Hudson), Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose), and Deena (Beyoncé Knowles) are about to find out just what it's like to have their wildest dreams come true. Discovered at a local talent show by ambitious manager Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx), the trio known as "the Dreamettes" is soon offered the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of opening for popular singer James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy). Subsequently molded into an unstoppable hit machine by Taylor and propelled into the spotlight as "the Dreams," the girls quickly find their bid for the big time taking priority over personal friendship as Taylor edges out the ultra-talented Effie so that the more beautiful Deena can become the face of the group. Now, as the crossover act continues to dominate the airwaves, the small-town girls with big-city dreams slowly begin to realize that the true cost of fame may be higher than any of them ever anticipated.
The spirit of Motown runs through the long-awaited film adaption of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, which centers around a young female singing trio who burst upon the music scene in the '60s, complete with bouffant hairdos, glitzy gowns, and a soul sound new to the white-bread American music charts. Sound familiar? You aren't the first one to draw comparisons to the meteoric rise of the Supremes, and despite any protests to the contrary, this is most definitely a thinly veiled reinterpretation of that success story. The Dreamettes--statuesque Deena (Beyonce Knowles), daffy Lorell (Anika Noni Rose) and brassy Effie (Jennifer Hudson)--are a girl group making the talent-show rounds when they're discovered by car salesman and aspiring music manager Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx). Sensing greatness (as well as a new marketing opportunity) Curtis signs the Dreamettes as backup singers for R&B star James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy). But when Early's mercurial ways and singing style don't mesh with primarily white audiences, Curtis moves the newly-renamed Dreams to center stage--with Deena as lead singer in place of Effie. And that's not the only arena in which Effie is replaced, as Curtis abandons their love affair for a relationship with star-in-the-making Deena. Besides the Supremes comparison, one can't talk about Dreamgirls now without revisiting its notorious Oscar snub; though it received eight nominations, the most for any film from 2006, it was shut out of the Best Picture and Director races entirely. Was the oversight justified? While Dreamgirls is certainly a handsomely mounted, lovingly executed and often vibrant film adaptation, it inspires more respect than passion, only getting under your skin during the musical numbers, which become more sporadic as the film goes on. Writer-director Bill Condon is definitely focused on recreating the Motown milieu (down to uncanny photographs of Knowles in full Diana Ross mode), he often forgets to flesh out his characters, who even on the Broadway stage were underwritten and relied on powerhouse performances to sell them to audiences. (Stage fans will also note that numerous songs are either truncated or dropped entirely from the film.) Condon has assembled a game cast, as Knowles does a canny riff on the essence of Diana Ross' glamour (as opposed to an all-out impersonation) and Rose makes a peripheral character surprisingly vibrant; only Foxx, who never gets to pour on the charisma, is miscast. Still, there are two things even the most cranky viewers will warm to in Dreamgirls: the performances of veteran Eddie Murphy and newcomer Jennifer Hudson. Murphy is all sly charm and dazzling energy as the devilish Early, who's part James Brown, part Little Richard, and all showman. And Hudson, an American Idol contestant who didn't even make the top three, makes an impressive debut as the larger-than-life Effie, whose voice matches her passions and stubbornness. Though she sometimes may seem too young for the role, Hudson nails the movie's signature song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," with a breathtaking power that must be seen and heard to believe. And for those five minutes, if not more, you will be in Dreamgirls' thrall. --Mark Englehart On the DVD
The two-disc edition of Dreamgirls includes videos, documentaries and other behind-the-scenes features. Diehard fans will love the almost two-hour "Building the Dream" documentary, which goes into loving detail about how the film got to be made. But it's the shorter segments that really capture the viewer's attention. The two auditions included in the set are a contrast in style. Pop singer Beyonce Knowles sells herself in full hair, makeup and costume; that she is a tad pitchy at times is almost beside the point. Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose's audition is a tour de force; singing strong and with conviction and passion, Rose is fully in character regardless of the fact that she isn't dressed for the role. Oddly enough, the audition tape of Jennifer Hudson, who won an Academy Award for her breakthrough role as Effie, is nowhere to be seen. Sure, we all know what a powerhouse she is today. But it would've been nice to see what the filmmakers saw in her back then, when her competition included her American Idol castmate (and that season's winner) Fantasia Barrino. Hudson's performance of "Effie, Sing My Song"--which was not seen in the theatrical release--is included in this set, as are 12 extended musical numbers. Another nice touch is the inclusion of a dance rehearsal choreographed by Fatima Robinson (who has worked with the Backstreet Boys, Mary J. Blige, and Michael Jackson). Watching the rudimentary piece (with stand-ins subbing for the stars) come together gives the viewer appreciation for the intricate work that goes into each 3-minute musical number in the 130-minute film. Also included are a sequence of enhanced storyboards, a look at how the film's editor went about editing the picture, and a look at how the costumes played a part in the film. --Jae-Ha Kim Beyond Dreamgirls 
Other Musicals on DVD | 
More Motown on DVD | 
The Soundtrack | Stills from Dreamgirls (click for larger image)
| Customer Reviews: |
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| Jennifer Hudson deserved that Oscar!!! |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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I finally watched "Dreamgirls" last weekend. Mostly I wanted to see it because it had won an Oscar, or should I say Jennifer Hudson won the Oscar for Supporting Actress. What a performance! To think she came from American Idol(and not the winner) and is such an amazing performer and actress. The movie seemed like the perfect vehicle for her rev up her movie career.
"Dreamgirls" reminded me a bit of the story of The Supremes. It is the 50's when it starts. Three back up singers for Eddie Murphy's Jimmy "Thunder" Early, dance and sing their way up to the front of the stage. Eventually they have their own girl group, The Dreams. Curtis Taylor, Jr. played by Jamie Foxx, is the manager of the group.
Beyonce Knowles plays the main singer, Deena Jones, who gets all the attention that I felt Effie White, Jennifer Hudson's character, deserved. I felt she got the shaft because she wasn't the imagine that they wanted for the group. She was the most talented. She knows it too, and eventually takes a bad turn away from the group.
"Dreamgirls" was a musical/play before it was a film and it transitioned well to onto the big screen. It had some great songs and was set from the 50's to the 60's. It's worth watching just to see Jennifer Hudson perform her Oscar winning performance.
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| well-acted but overlong |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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I suspect one's reaction to this movie depends a lot on how one responds to the music. I could admire the performances, especially Hudson's, and some of the numbers were really rousing. Others were not. I must admit I had to fast-forward through more than one semi-operatic number.
This story seems to mirror the history of Diana Ross and the Supremes. Not being an expert, I have no idea how much of it is factual and how much merely semi-factual. The contrived "happy ending" was certainly the latter.
So, the pluses: some of the musical numbers, Hudson's performance, also Eddie Murphy who puts in a tremendous performance, his best for years.
The minuses: too long, too many tuneless tunes, cliched acting, especially by Foxx who is peculiarly wooden. Beyonce is incredibly beautiful but her talent is outshone by Hudson's.
Definitely worth renting but it's not a true classic.
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| gorgeous women; scuzzy men |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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"Dream Girls" is a brilliant, glitzy and thoroughly entertaining production. The women in the film sparkle with both talent, grace and beauty. The men, both entertainers and agents, are sleazy enough to want to make you take a good both after watching them. They are acquisitive, double-dealing and sleazy. Eddie Murphy as a James Brown surrogate does an especially great job. Consumed by intemperance and drugs he crashes out before the end of the movie. It is a little difficult to understand why the female "Dreams" love these creeps but...hey...it's Hollywood.
"The Dreams" are fairly clearly styled on the "Supremes" and their music and back up verges on the spectacular. The choreography is every bit as good as the original 'Supremes", maybe better. Effie, as the not quite so pretty and a little overweight member of the developing group that will become the "Dreams", is especially good. Despite the fact that she is the most talented member of the group she is tossed aside because their agent thinks she doesn't fit the beautiful image of the other girls. We feel her hurt and humiliation as she tries to survive without the music she loves. Effie, if I'm not mistaken, is an Aretha Franklin type character, not beautiful, perhaps, but a terrific talent.
Anyway, most of the scuzzy men in the film are ultimately left in the dust but the glorious 'Dreams' go on to greater glory.
Ron
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| Deserving of some honors; not of others |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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(written by Leigh's wife): I had been looking forward to seeing this for quite a while, but couldn't find a Widescreen copy. I was interested in seeing if it was all it was hyped up to be. I was particularly interested in seeing the performances by Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Beyonce Knowles and, of course, Jennifer Hudson.
My opinions:
I do not like Jamie Foxx as a comedian; however, he is definitely growing on me as a dramatic actor! Seeing him in this and, more recently, "The Kingdom", he is impressive.
I sincerely hope that Jennifer Hudson is thumbing her nose at those stupid "American Idol" people. She was fantastic! She could be both tough and naive at the same time. She impressed me; she deserved her Oscar.
Beyonce is beautiful. Her singing is OK; I'm glad that her character in the movie was admitted as not a strong singer, but more asthetically pleasing. She seemed to be playing to type.
Eddie Murphy...what a disappointment. I will admit that I have never, ever liked him (I have ONLY liked him in "Mulan"). He is very much a one-note performer. All he was doing was channelling his famous SNL "Hot Tub" skit. His speech pattern, short and choppy, got extremely annoying after a while. I would have liked to have seen someone else - ANYONE else - in this role.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie, and it was worth the purchase.
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| dreamgirls |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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The story is ordinary in this category, not much surprise. But the songs are great. Very easy listening and the sound effect is good! Never imagine I like this kind of film so much.
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