Dreamgirls

It seemed like it took Dreamgirls a long time to finally get the film released, after being successful on Broadway since the '70s. There were always rumors persisting all these years on who would be lucky enough to win a role in the movie, and the all important role of Effie, the one who gets to sing the iconic And I'm Telling You. The role finally went to American Idol reject Jennifer Hudson, ironically beating out Fantasia Barrino who had won that same season of Idol.

Hudson is joined by Beyoncé and Anika Noni Rose as a trio of singers back in the early 60s that is supposed to be loosely based on Diana Ross and the Supremes. Oddly enough, the beautiful Beyoncé is upstaged in all her scenes by Hudson. There's just no denying that woman and her talent, and it's almost like she is Effie. I wouldn't ever tell her to go if she didn't want to.

Jamie Foxx plays a guy that beds both Beyoncé and Hudson managing the career of the group, and Eddie Murphy plays a singer who the Dreams initially open for, but when his success doesn't last, he quickly turns to drugs, making his situation much worse. The music is of course fantastic in this movie, and Hudson won a well-deserved Oscar not for her singing, but for her acting. Murphy was nominated as well, and really should have taken home that statue. He showed that he does have the acting chops and doesn't have to be the buffoon that he has somehow sunk to in his career.

I can't say I was as big of a fan of this movie as Alison was, but it was pretty good. I love musicals, and my grandma begged and pleaded for us to watch this movie literally every day for months, so we finally rented it. I had very high expectations of it because of all the praise it received, and I can't say that it lived up to them. However, it's still worth watching.

I love Beyonce, and she's really amazing in this movie. Aside from being beautiful and a great actress, she has a stunning voice. Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx are also both good, even though they play really slimy guys.

In general, this is an entertaining and interesting movie. However, some parts are dragged out too much, and it gets confusing or boring at times.

You should really like musicals if you're going to watch this, because it's a musical about musicians and singers. Hiding within it is a complex story about race relations, the meaning of friendship, and rivalry in the music profession. It's actually a drama, and other than "Fosse," or "Jesus Christ Superstar," I can't remember a more serious musical. It also has a lot of very talented actors, including Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, and Beyonce, who sings beautifully and is really pretty. However, a relative unknown, Jennifer Hudson, steals the show with her incredible voice.

A girl group, the "Dreamettes," (rumored to have been modeled on Diana Ross and the Supremes) get their start singing backup for Jimmy Early (Murphy), and tour the country with him. Along the way, they create music, break each other's hearts, and deal with racial injustice in America in the 1960s. The music industry was not yet dominated by the black sound of Motown, and this movie is about its rising importance.

Curtis (Foxx) becomes a mega-manager, one of those people who creates empires, and as he takes over everyone's lives, he becomes powerful, and power-hungry. He closes his eyes to what's going on around him, and marries Deena (Beyonce) instead of the woman who loves him (Hudson). He turns the "Dreamettes" into the "Dreamgirls," and everyone has to tow the line. Inevitably, tensions rise, and each member of the 'family' of singers, producers, and song-writers will have to decide where their loyalties lie, as relationships are tested to the breaking point.

Meanwhile, the black experience in America is also heating up. Martin Luther King is becoming a force to be reckoned with, there is violence in the streets, social mores are changing, and this musical brings all of these forces together. The music is lyrically powerful, and the singing is amazing. There are two or three songs in particular, especially those that Jennifer Hudson sings solo, that are probably some of the most impressive moments in musical theatre; her "I'm Not Going" would bring down the house if you saw this on stage.