Dreamgirls will never leave you...and neither will this film

Rating: 8/10 (16 December 2006)

Dreamgirls is a fantastic adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name. It's about three young girls who rise to meteoric success(like the Supremes) as a singing group, managed by a very industrious man who wants a piece of the American dream. However, once the girls find fame and fortune, everything begins to unravel as one girl is pushed out of the group and another one is forced into the spotlight.
First off, the movie hits the ground running with fast paced music and choreography, and smooth editing cuts to compliment them, making the audience feel as though they are part of the action. Ironically, viewers also feel like an audience watching a live concert and many times I had to stop myself from applauding at the end of a song.
Everything feels as though it's really taking place in the 60s, from the costumes to the newspaper headlines of the day, and the inclusion of footage of real life personalities like the Beatles and Dick Clark, also add to the illusion of that era.
The music isn't changed too dramatically, so fans of the original Broadway musical or soundtrack won't be disappointed. Although there are some songs that are missing like "Ain't No Party" and some songs that are added like "Listen" it doesn't stray too far from the original.
It seems that the only complaints I have about the Dreamgirls movie happen after act one (when Hudson sings "And I'm Telling You..."). I use "act one" because in the Broadway version act one ends after Jennifer Holliday sings that show stopping song. Anyway, certain areas in act two seem a little slow.
Perhaps it's the pacing or maybe the inclusion of more dialogue, including some instances when song lines, which where originally sung, are now spoken. Maybe it's because there are more ballads in act two. I can't put my finger on it. It might be because act one was so electrifying, that act two has to slow down otherwise audiences would go into sensory overload. Whatever it is, it's not so bad that the movie falls apart...just noticeable.
Another minor flaw happens when Deena sings the song "Listen." This song was not in the original play and was included to indicate Deena's emancipation from Curtis (not to mention a showcase for Beyonce's vocal prowess...after all, Hudson can't be the only one to have a show stopping number). The song is appropriate and Beyonce does a remarkable job, singing in a style very different from what fans are used to from the former Destiny's Child front-woman. "Listen," puts to rest any idea that Knowles can't really sing a song that isn't one note-one syllable per word, and held for only a fraction of a second. The problem isn't in the singing or the song itself, but in the context.
Deena is singing this song during a recording session, directly at Curtis. This creates a problem because in a previous scene Curtis tells Deena that the only reason he chose her to sing lead was because her voice had absolutely no personality. And here she is singing a song that blows that idea out of the water. In reality, Curtis would have stopped her immediately and made her sing the song his way (this idea is reinforced in other scenes in act one where Curtis continually reprimands Effie for singing too loudly and James "Thunder" Early for sounding too black). It would have worked better if the character had just sung the song in a straight musical fashion, with just the two characters alone and she's singing the song to him (rather than speaking lines), and not done as a singer recording a record.
Again, just some small problems I had with the film. Other than that, the movie was enjoyable. All the actors/singers gave great performances and even though most have praised Hudson's performance(she does do a wonderful job considering she has no acting experience), the stand out actor for me is Eddie Murphy. Murphy sings and dances throughout with such fervor, and yet still managed to keep the persona of Eddie Murphy in check, to totally become the character James "Thunder" Early.
After being let down time and again from movies claiming to the "best" it's finally nice to see one that lives up to the hype.