A 130-minute dose of holiday-season glitz comes gift-wrapped in “Dreamgirls,” a spangled adaptation of the Broadway musical. The rarity of a musical film, plus the giddyup of the performers, makes this fun, but it’s not much more than a glorified stage show with a well-worn plot.
“Dreamgirls,” which opened on Broadway in 1981, looks at the career of a Detroit singing trio in the 1960s. Nobody with a grasp of pop-music lore will miss the parallels with the story of the Supremes, especially the detail about the prettiest member of the group – in real life, Diana Ross – being chosen as lead singer over a non-telegenic but leather-lunged bandmate.
“Dreamgirls” follows the rise of the Dreams after they come to the attention of a promoter named Curtis (Jamie Foxx). Initially, he hires them as backup singers to the established R&B shouter James “Thunder” Early (Eddie Murphy), but soon they spread their wings.
Crucial to their flight is Curtis’ decision to demote chunky lead singer Effie (Jennifer Hudson) in favor of Deena (Beyonce Knowles), a knockout with less impressive vocal skills. The third Dream, Lorell (Anika Noni Rose), meanwhile, carries on a romance with Early.
The trials and tribulations of the pop-music biopic are set in stone, and the only thing “Dreamgirls” does differently from “The Five Heartbeats” or “Ray” is to cut back the dialogue scenes in favor of long singing sequences. At times the movie exists only as a series of songs that vaguely chart the group’s success.
That may have worked on stage, but it will be interesting to see whether the movie audience likes that approach, since it leaves a number of plot issues unexplored. I found it flashy and fun, but without much resonance. Writer-director Bill Condon, who wrote the script for “Chicago,” has given the movie over to its bravura, show-stopping turns.
And why not? This musical has a few of them. Foxx, whose character is presumably based on Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr., is somewhat lost in the shuffle, but Beyonce is much better here than in her previous film jobs (and in her 1970s period attire she looks hilariously like Diana Ross in her “Mahogany” phase).
But rarely has a film been as engineered to garner Academy Awards for its supporting players. Eddie Murphy, channeling a demonic blend of Little Richard, James Brown and Jackie Wilson, is wonderful; he nails every gesture and whoop. And he gets the character’s pathos. Reviewers talking about what a revelation Murphy is in the role haven’t been paying attention to how razor-sharp he can be when he’s burrowed into a character.
Jennifer Hudson, an “American Idol” finalist making her film debut, seizes this role like a kid grabbing a big bright package under the Christmas tree – she knows it’s a star-making one. And she’s terrific, belting out the high notes and the sass with equal gusto. By the way, I’ve never seen an end credits sequence more designed to make an audience stand up and cheer than the credit Hudson gets in this picture. She’s earned it: A diva is born.
Anika Noni Rose (left), Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
