Everything you could want in a movie musical

Rating: 8/10 (14 January 2007)

The film,as you may or may not be aware(as well as the stage musical upon which it is based)is considered a thinly-veiled and fictionalized account of the rise and break of the Supremes,the Motown super group consisting of three sequined and lovely songstresses. Crafted with enough sound and polish,this gives what it promises as a movie musical,even if it seems to bite off more than it can chew as a story.
The events of this story spans about seventeen years(they never really divulge the year this show starts off,but I'm guessing it at about 1959 or 1960),and charts the difficult and meager beginnings of the Dreamettes(Anika Noni Rose,Jennifer Hudson and Beyonce Knowles),who are a promising trio but have little going for them except their dreams. When a slick,charismatic Cadillac salesman named Curtis Taylor(Jamie Foxx,modulating the charm as the Berry Gordy character)attaches himself to their careers,their luck slowly starts to turn. Along to help out is the brother(Keith Robinson)of the powerful and vulnerable songstress of the group Effie(Hudson,whose performance truly is the most raw and powerful of the show),who himself is a promising composer,whose ability to find hooks that can get their songs attention from a wider audience becomes an invaluable asset to the Dreamettes'(soon to be simply the Dreams)ambitions. They start off as back-up singers to one James"Thunder"EArly(Eddie Murphy,in probably his most complex performances of his career thus far!),a blustery,old-school blues howler who seems to be two parts JAmes Brown and one part MArvin Gaye or Jackie Wilson. He is a boozy,drug-addicted booze-hound who never let his marriage get in the way of getting' it on with any young songstress,and in this case,it's young,unspoiled Lorrell(Rose). Predictably,as Thunder's career plateaus and then comes down,the Dreams'career as a trio skyrocket. Of course,as their image becomes ubiquitous through the turbulent mid-sixties,changes are going to be made,as Curtis grooms fetching Deena(Knowles,holding her own if not exceptional)to be the star of the trio,while edging out the heart-sick and pregnant Effie,for whom Curtis had previous romanced and promised the world to.
Fast-forward to the mid-seventies,and Deena's career(much like that of Diana Ross)is soaring behind a revamped Dreams lineup,and she's being prepped for a solo career and movies. Meanwhile,Effie is steadily picking up the pieces raising a child on her own and resolving to restart her singing career on her own. All parties involved before will reunite,but the turbulence getting there will test all parties involved.
While this movie is rolling with the musical numbers and keeping the relationships crisp,this film sizzles with energy and vibrancy. When it drops to either social drama or personal interplay,the film kinda grinds down,not quite to a halt but certainly it loses momentum. I feel like Director and Co-writer Bill Condon isn't too sure if he wants this to be a musical with a message,or vice-versa,but either way it makes for captivating distraction. I credit the actors performances(particularly from Hudson and Murphy,although all are very fine)along with the music,editing and design teams(making three quite sexy songbirds not just pretty but GLAMOROUS,among other accomplishments),with giving this film a vivid and memorable identity. While this is worth a look in large or small screen,the big screen is truly recommended for the bigger,splashier look,since a movie musical really deserves the kind of treatment a larger stage can give it.