Effie: a dissenting view

Rating: 6/10 (16 January 2007)

The movie adaptation of "Dreamgirls" looks great and moves at a quick, montage-filled pace, enough to provide two hours of entertainment. But when it tries to be more than a collection of glossy production numbers, it often falters. Sometimes it's a showbiz melodrama about singers Effie (Jennifer Hudson), whose voice, body, and personality may just be too big for commercial success, and Deena (Beyonce Knowles), her pretty, pliable opposite. At other times it aims at being a semi-serious exploration of the history of African-American pop music, exemplified by the changing sounds of Rainbow Records, headed by the ambitious Curtis (Jamie Foxx). These two aspects of the film are less successful, for a variety of reasons.
For instance, the songs of "Dreamgirls" move the story along and have some fun double meanings (e.g. when Curtis gets involved in payola, he's promoting the song "Steppin' to the Bad Side"). But they lack the extra kick that would make them equal to the best of Motown. And scenes featuring historical events like the Detroit race riots are extremely clunky.
More importantly, Effie is a difficult character to accept. Yes, one theme of "Dreamgirls" is that our culture has trouble accepting big, assertive African-American women. But it's hard to identify with a character who is the best, knows she's the best, and won't settle for anything less; and at the beginning of the movie, Effie comes off as disagreeable. When the Dreamettes get their big breakan offer to sing backup for a famous soul musicianEffie initially refuses, saying she was made to sing lead. But this makes her look like she is selfishly thwarting her friends' dreams. Later, a destitute and unemployed Effie says she's not looking for a job because the only thing she can do is sing. She has a child at this point, and her stubborn refusal to find work makes her seem like a bad mother. The movie, though, is always on her side.
And yet, this immensely proud, self-confident woman becomes a wailing bundle of desperation for the movie's centerpiece song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going." It's shocking to see her abase herself like that, seemingly willing to do anything to keep her man, Curtis. But, strangely, even in her desperation, she still has enough pride not to tell Curtis that she is pregnant with his childsurely that might make him stay? A similar contradiction occurs when Effie makes unreasonable demands on her accompanist at an audition, then immediately sings "I Am Changing," about how she's given up her stubborn pride.
In short, the character of Effie is confusingly written, and Jennifer Hudson is not experienced enough to conceal these problems. On an individual basis, her songs work like gangbusters, and she nails Effie's sass. But her scenes seem disconnected from one another, and she lacks chemistry with Jamie Foxx. (In fact, Foxx doesn't do enough with his role, which would be much better with more villainous flair.)
Beyonce shows how Deena quickly learns to create a superficially gentle, warm, and "appealing" persona that contrasts with Effie's self-contained attitude, as well as with Deena's inner misgivings. Eddie Murphy, playing soul singer Jimmy Thunder Early, does a fantastic job as someone who could be "the hardest-working man in show business"; and Anika Noni Rose makes a sweet and funny Lorrell, Jimmy's love interest and the third member of the Dreams. The movie also has the best end credits I've seen in a long time.
I realize that in not finding Effie sympathetic enough, I open myself up to charges of "not having soul" or "preferring a stick figure like Deena to a 'real woman' like Effie" or "liking black singers only when they sing like whites." But I don't think any of these things are the case. Instead, my problem with "Dreamgirls" is that the movie wants us to applaud everything Effie does, rather than taking the risk of viewing her as the complicated, prickly, and interesting woman she is.