Utterly Delightful!

Rating: 10/10 (26 December 2006)

The best way for me to explain this film is to draw an almost inevitable comparison to "Chicago"; both are big-screen adaptation of acclaimed Broadway musicals, both feature the luminous and dark dichotomy of show business, and both were written for screen by Bill Condon (who also directed "Dreamgirls"). While the strength of "Chicago" was its wit and clever songs, "Dreamgirls" hits you squarely in the chest with its unrelenting power and energy that is quite hard to match.
What I also found to be different was that while some musicals use music merely as a mode of communication with the audience (no doubt, some do this quite well), the music is actually the main character of "Dreamgirls." All of the characters are bound by their love of music, as each seek innovation, profit, and liberation of their soul through it. I think those who love music in the same way would not only find it entertaining, but also be held captivated by its power and the emotion that jumps out from each note.
Among the generally great acting performances all around, Jennifer Hudson gives a performance that is truly heart-pounding as well as heartbreaking. There is a stretch of about 12 minutes of music in the middle of the movie that has not only left me but the entire theater audience breathless, and we could not help but offer an earnest round of clapping at the end of the scene. And while I don't believe that an actor should win an acting award just for great singing, I think Hudson gave a performance in both singing and acting that I can't imagine she will ever be able to match through the rest of her career.
"Dreamgirls" is a delightful and wonderfully entertaining movie that restores faith in kindness, dignity and the power of music. I heartily give it a 10!