Golden Globe Winner

Rating: 9/10 (19 January 2007)

Although Little Miss Sunshine was probably a slightly better movie in 2006, this musical deserves all the praise it is receiving as it delivers a great cinematic experience. Beyonce's worthy performance showed range but didn't get her a win in both her nomination for best song and best actress. Eddie Murphy WAS soul and was extremely believable and charismatically eclectic in his role that won him a Golden Globe. Hands down one of the best performance in film this year, it reminds me a bit of the immersion into the character of Ray that Jamie Fox did a few years back. Jamie is great here too and breathes the business-mindedness of his role. A central character to the movie that is a great contrast to the beautiful & creative aspects of art. And art it is. The songs, the acting, the editing, directing & the story all mesh together to give us a fantastic voyage into the world of stardom. Being a musical, the actors sometimes break out in songs, but they are always welcomed and never feel forced. Almost perfect, a few moments of the films could have been slightly fine-tuned with perhaps an extra take or a change of camera angle, but the movie basically carries well from start to finish.
The music is great and the way it is incorporated in the movie works very well, allowing also for the fact they they are singers. This works better than say Oscar-winner Chicago which was a darker, different type of musical. Dreamgirls is light-hearted fun, but the depth of creative efforts from everyone involves is exemplary.
The other big Globe winner is of course Jennifer Hudson, who had a real life similar ascension to stardom in American Idol (which I don't watch and did not even know she was in until after I saw the movie). She does provide both the VOICE of the movie and the fresh-eyed emotional acting that justifies her big win. She seems to be perfectly soothed for the role and it was a great choice to get her involved. The casting was in fact dead on for all the parts. This movie set the bar higher for musicals and movies in general with a keen eye for storytelling across eras, fame and personal tribulations.
Go see Dreamgirls. Go be impressed.