Apart from some great performances, not incredibly special

Rating: 6/10 (17 March 2007)

Dreamgirls is the perfect example of a film where people just didn't make enough decisions going into and thus provided little to no cohesion throughout. While there are some fantastic performances and some great songs, as a film Dreamgirls is nothing noteworthy.
The film follows three girls from 1960's Detroit as they make a name for themselves in the music industry, first as backups to a well known soul singer, then as a group in their own right. Along the way they face the difficulties of white musicians taking their material to make a hit for themselves, a radio industry that only played music when bribed and the cynical nature of the modern music industry where image counts more than sheer talent.
In terms of making a good snapshot of what the music industry was like at the time, Dreamgirls succeeds on many levels. Unfortunately, while the storyline is interesting, it is simply not presented very well. The writing is lackluster at best, and the direction is often aimless and unfocused. In fact, the ending is incredibly weak and terribly directed. What was clear of Jamie Foxx's character's predicament at the end is pushed to ridiculous lengths as if director Bill Condon thought the audience would be too stupid to figure it out.
The most notable element of this is the fact that in the beginning of the film, the only music was that of the performers while on stage. Then about 1/3 of the way, characters started to sing their dialog. And once it seems like the director has settled on this, in the last third he cuts it down so that only certain lines are sung. It is as if he didn't really know what he wanted to do going into the film and then experimented with different concepts at different times of the movie. Thus, as a musical it fails, and as a talkie with musical sequences it is confusing.
However, the real strength of the film is the performances which make the film worth watching. While this was certainly billed as Beyonce Knowles' breakout film, the film clearly belongs to Jennifer Hudson whose incredible vocal range -- on full display in this film -- is matched only by her dramatic skills. She certainly deserved her Oscar as she completely owns this film from beginning to end. The real story is Eddie Murphy, whose performance in this film reminded me of the dramatic breakout of Bill Murray in Lost In Translation. Murphy has never been so powerful in a role and his presence is a blessing for this film.
All in all, Dreamgirls is a case of 'what could have been' more than anything. With jarring inconsistencies throughout and very weak direction, it does not stand up as a great film in any regards save the incendiary performances. Jennifer Hudson has guaranteed herself a long career with what is certainly the standout debut of recent years and Eddie Murphy has proved beyond any degree of doubt that he is more than the funny-man. However, the performances do not do enough to save what is ultimately a letdown of a film.