Dreamgirls
Composite Score: 82.67
Starring: Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover, Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose, Keith D. Robinson, Sharon Leal, Hinton Battle, and Mariah Iman Wilson
Director: Bill Condon
Writer: Bill Condon
Genres: Drama, Music, Musical, Romance
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language, some sexuality, and drug content
Box Office: $155.43 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Dreamgirls is the film adaptation from Bill Condon of the Broadway production of the same name by Tom Eyen. It follows the story of a trio of female soul singers as they break into the music scene and navigate the complexities of life in the mid- to late-1960s and early-1970s. It features Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, and Anika Noni Rose as the central characters, joined by Jamie Foxx as their wheeling and dealing manager, Eddie Murphy as the wild R and B performer that gives them their big break, and Keith D. Robinson as their songwriter and the brother of Jennifer Hudson’s Effie. The film won two Oscars, one for sound design and the other for Jennifer Hudson’s inaugural performance, and was nominated for six additional Oscars including three different original songs and Eddie Murphy for supporting actor. Overall, the film delivers a faithful adaptation of the Broadway musical with plenty of entertaining musical numbers and strong enough performances to keep its audience happy.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
Dreamgirls suffers from a similar issue to some other Broadway adaptations in that it sacrifices story for song in many places. For the most part, the film’s story feels fairly one-note and even periphery to the music that serves as its core. Rather than supplementing a good story with great music, it instead spices up some great music with an aggressively average story. Aspiring artists get a big break; they go on tour, and things start to get complicated; one or another of their executives is involved in shady dealings; a group member leaves and struggles; they all end up back together and happy in the end (except the shady executive). It’s not broken, just fairly uninspired.
The film also does very little to explore the many issues that it touches on. It mentions MLK and the civil rights movement, but that only serves as an opportunity for a small joke and a musical number. It uses the Detroit riots of 1967 simply as a throwaway set piece rather than a jumping off point for deeper discussion. James “Thunder” Early’s drug addiction and eventual overdose also serve as merely additional points of drama rather than any discussion of the issue. Even Curtis’s shady dealings end up being more of a plot device than a true indictment of corruption in the music industry. At every turn, Dreamgirls has the opportunity to dive deeper into very real issues but avoids them instead.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
For starters, this film got made because the music of the Broadway production is fantastic, and that remains true for the film as well. There are virtually no skips on this film’s soundtrack, which overflows with soul and R&B and pop hits that also touch on the specific character moments taking place in the story. The singing is spot-on from every performer from start to finish. Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, Keith D. Robinson, and Anika Noni Rose all have moments to shine on the soundtrack, and none of them are wasted talent.
In addition to strong music, Dreamgirls also benefits from some solid to strong performances from its acting department. Anika Noni Rose brings just enough charisma to the character of Lorrell to make her stand out as more than just the third member of a music group. Jamie Foxx easily shines as the shady, underhanded, and overconfident Curtis Taylor, Jr. He delivers incredibly cutting lines with a comfort that makes him an easily loathsome character. Even Beyoncé, whose acting track record is shaky at best, plays a convincing part as Deena, bringing emotion and sincerity to the character with surprising skill. Eddie Murphy’s James Early is every bit the wild and crazy Motown performer of the 1960s, with women on the side, aggressive stage antics, and a dangerous drug habit to bring it all together. Had Jennifer Hudson not been a debut actress in this film, I think she would have won the Oscar for lead actress rather than supporting. Nonetheless, her performance as Effie is beautiful from the vocals to the line delivery to the emotions. She embodies the role, consistently outshining all the other more seasoned performers onstage and on the screen.
Dreamgirls has reached greatness thanks to a high-quality cast that brings some of their best acting and singing performances and a soundtrack that has bangers from top to bottom, undoubtedly worthy of a place among the greats. The film’s story and deeper resonance fall short in several places, but overall, this is sure to be a crowd-pleaser and one that gets plenty of play. The film is currently available to rent on most streaming services. Check it out.
