Takes the title from "Crash" as the most overrated film of the past two decades... Flawed at every level conceivable

Rating: 4/10 (26 December 2006)

I think what the public and critics are doing is shameful, as they confuse these people's singing performances for acting. There wasn't a moment of acting for any of them, except for Jamie Foxx.
I blame the inept, heavy-handed writing of the film's writer/director, Bill Condon. One would think that an Academy Award winning writer can produce something better on page, with real characters that change inside out. Condon's script portrays black people as one-dimensional, superficial, insincere connivers.
This scantily written screenplay's second biggest flaw lies in never initiating on screen the love triangle between Knowles, Foxx and Hudson. In other words, I felt as a paying audience member that I was cheated by not experiencing such an essential element of this story. I needed to see how Foxx's relationship with Hudson started then evolved. In the commercial trailers, I recall at least seeing Hudson in bed with Foxx, vaguely indicating their love affair. That shot seemed to have made its way to the cutting room floor. So, being that their relationship was never established visually for me, I didn't believe it ever happened and there goes the rest of the film for me. Then we needed to see how Foxx's relationship with Knowles supposedly started behind Hudson's back. The key relationships in the aforementioned were the necessary components that could have made this a good telling. I guess the filmmakers went for time economy rather than story.
Hudson's character was a selfish whiner with an unfavorable attitude in the beginning of the film and was continuing with her self-destructive behavior until Glover pulled her to the side and told her about herself. I felt that she should have changed since the day her daughter was born, or at least two years into her parenthood. It takes Glover, someone who was never established as her mentor or anything like that in the beginning of the film, to change her attitude literally in a few minutes... on a stage during an audition? I didn't buy it then and I can't believe it now.
Eddie Murphy's character was tedious to watch because I felt as if I was watching Eddie Murphy who would break into his James Brown impersonations during his singing performances. I also felt cheated when Condon didn't show us Murphy's reaction after being broken off from the Dreamgirls. That reaction would have started us on his downtrodden journey to drugs, insecurities and hopelessness. Instead, that was substituted for a pointless love affair with Anika Rose's character that had an abrupt start just like the others. We would hear about this wife of his but we didn't see her until the end when he decides to make a fool out of himself on stage? Also, besides his singing, what was so good about Murphy's performance that garnered him a Globe nomination? One scene, he was performing with The Dreamgirls, the next scene he's using drugs in front of his friends after seeing the girls on television. It got to a point where I started to think that his drug use was to further guilt trip the others into pitying him enough to turn them against Foxx, particularly in the scene where Foxx rejected his "new sound." That was ridiculous. I didn't care about his character and I don't think he should be nominated for anything.
Which brings me to Beyonce Knowles, the goddess. She's beautiful in this film, making it almost worthwhile watching just because of that kisser she's been blessed with. Her acting wasn't as bad as people try to make it sound because her character wasn't challenging, which didn't make or break her in my personal opinion. She performed to the degree the character demanded of her. Again, I think she is truly being faulted for her lack of singing performances in the picture as opposed to her acting abilities. Also, people are empathizing more with Hudson and Murphy's (Why? I don't know.) characters because they're the most victimized in this film, not because they're necessarily the better ACTING performances.
It's unfortunate that Foxx and Keith Robinson's (C.C.) acting performances were overlooked, because their characters were the most interesting of the entire cast. I don't think they should be nominated for anything either but I came to see some acting and Foxx delivered. Foxx's character had admirable qualities like being a leader and making something out of nothing, but he can be cruel and undermining to those he love for only his own good when it comes to business. Robinson, on the other hand, was caught between his loyalty to his sister (Hudson), Foxx and his own career. Most may consider his role as being "small," but there's no such thing as small roles: just small actors.
And I refuse to listen to all the excuses from novice film goers uttering, "It's a Musical! What do you expect?" I expect high quality musicals, not just in production value and song but in story and acting as well. I expect "My Fair Lady," "The Sound of Music," "The Wizard of Oz," "Grease," etc. The aforementioned films all have great singing and dancing performances, complimented with great, complex characters and great dialogue. No excuse for "Dreamgirls" inability to reach it's highest potential from this true film-goer.
Then, for the sake of the black film goers experience, the filmmaker throws in some socially conscious dilemmas like the Detroit riots and the civil rights music to serve mostly as a backdrop, instead of adding conflict to this superficial depiction of the careers of black stars during the 1960's.
I could go on and on, but it doesn't really matter at this point.
I wasn't exactly expecting a masterpiece with this film but I was hoping for something rewarding and satisfying. "Dreamgirls" turned out to be worst than I thought: unoriginal, predictable, drawn out, hokey and worst of all... overrated.