Reply to a review of the movie Dreamgirls

Dreamgirls

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	gill_2k@ wrote:
	To be honest, I didn't actually know that this film was a musical. When it first came out on Christmas of 2006, I thought it was more in the same vein of "Ray" - a biopic with musical performances laced in between (and ironically enough, Mr. Jamie Foxx somehow found himself in this movie) What I thought going into this film was that it's based on a true story. I knew there was a female R & B trio long ago, didn't even know the name, so I thought it was based on them. It turns out I was partially correct. Dreamgirls actually started as a Broadway musical in 1981. Its story is loosely based on the lives and careers of the The Supremes (Diana Ross' old group) The center of attention in this movie (aside from Beyoncé's Deena Jones) is Effie White (played wonderfully by one-time American Idol hopeful Jennifer Hudson) Effie herself is almost an exact duplicate of Florence Ballard - the original lead of The Supremes. If you delve deeply into the history of The Supremes, you can immediately see the similarity between them and the Dreams; Effie White = Florence Ballard, Deena Jones = Diana Ross. When it comes to musicals, the one deciding factor that makes or breaks it for me is the presence of a catchy performance in it. Yes I do care for a good narrative, but sometimes when I watch these I get lost regarding what's going on in the plot. My full focus often drifts onto the musical performances. That's why sometimes, I give these musicals more than one viewing (in this case, I wouldn't mind seeing it again) For this film, there are two performances that sealed the deal for me: Effie White's "I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and both the slow and dance mix of "One Night Only". Even right now, those two songs are stuck in my head... Heck, I'm scouring YouTube right now just to listen to those songs again. If there's one standout performance in this whole film, you have to give it up to Jennifer Hudson. The Academy did right awarding her as the Best Supporting actress of 2006. Granted, the part was right up Ms. Hudson's alley of singing and dancing, it's the emotional power that she puts into her performance both when singing or just plain acting. While Beyoncé's looks and sassy figure gave this film an identity, Jennifer's is its soul. If you don't believe me, just go look up Jennifer's performance of "I Am Telling You I'm Not Going". You can just feel the power and the emotion she gives as she belted out "And you, and you, and you... You're gonna love meee!!!" You can really feel the emotion her character is going through. And just for kick's, compare it to Jennifer Holliday's original version and then you'll be convinced she really deserves that part. Aside from Jennifer, the others handles their roles fairly well. Jamie Foxx playing Curtis Taylor Jr. Plays the mad producer with much calm and cool, carrying a "it's business, baby!" attitude. And Eddie Murphy? C'mon, this has gotta resurrect his career a wee bit. He did get a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for it, portraying James "Thunder" Early, who is an offshoot of the late godfather of soul James Brown. Much props for him for pulling out a gutsy performance as an R & B soul singer at the height of his career and to all of a sudden tumble at the end. The only bad part? Watching him on the stage did remind me that this guy put out a terrible single in the 80s. Beyoncé will be Beyoncé. She gave the Dreams its identity with her natural talent for singing and dancing. She should keep (and stick) to these musicals rather than do full acting (read: no more Foxy Cleopatra from Goldmember, please) She shines when The Dreams performs and at times overpowers her backups... But hey, I guess that's why they made her the lead. At one point, there was mention of nominating her for Best Actress in this film. I suppose it could be justified if her character was given more depth. What was there was sufficient for the film but it was lacking to show how she's the good one out of the bunch and how much strong willed she is. Instead, by the second atc, she's relegated to the role of some type of personal, living, breathing doll that Curtis can take photos of everyday. As I mentioned, this film and its characters are loosely based on The Supremes. Well, as a testament of how this musical really stood the test of time, you can even apply the similarities to some of today's acts. Take Foxx' Curtis Taylor Jr. For example. A producer who started lowly, converting his used car dealership into a recording studio and Rose to prominence of the R & B world. His acts, one-by-one, slowly drops out of his label due to his possessive and manipulative attitude, as well as the fact that he keeps remixing songs and calling it his own. P. Diddy anyone? The Dreams trio itself? Heck, you might as well have put Destiny's Child up there (though I'm quite sure the film's credibility would take a nosedive) No, not only because Beyoncé's the lead. It's also the fact that Destiny's Child also lost and replaced a member. Ironic how The Dreams' replacement for Effie was a girl named Michelle as well. At one point, Destiny's Child had four members... And The Dreams, well as Beyoncé's Deena Jones says by the end," there's actually four Dreamgirls." Overall, it was a very enjoying film. I was happily introduced to another musical that I can enjoy over and over. I still can't believe how much of an impression it left of me, considering I only had a partial clue of what it's all about. Definitely worth checking out. (9/10)
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