Practically "The Effie White Story"

Rating: 6/10 (18 March 2007)

Maybe because of this heightened hype and expectation, the movie turned out to be a disappointment of sorts. I was able to hear the movie soundtrack way before the movie was shown. I was surprised that all the big songs ("And I Am Telling You", "I Am Changing" and "One Night Only") are by one singer only, Jennifer Hudson. And she was nominated and won for Bet Supporting Actress! Upon watching the movie, Jennifer Hudson's Effie White is practically the lead character in Dreamgirls in terms of her story arc. She could have won based solely on her powerful "And I Am Telling You" number.
The actual Dreams songs were forgettable and bland, nothing like the classic songs of the Supremes (the supposed inspiration for this musical). When you watch the movie, you will understand that this was indeed the intention of their manager Curtis Taylor, Jr. (underplayed by Jamie Foxx) to have cute pop confections that could cross over to the white audience. In fact, Deena Jones (Beyonce) was chosen as lead singer because of the commonplace quality of her voice, as well as her beauty (showcased to the hilt with close-ups).