A glamorous musical feast.

Rating: Null/10 (27 February 2010)

This is an interesting movie. It is clear that Jennifer Hudson is the star of the picture, a tribute to good management so early in her career, and with all due respect to Miss Beyonce who was a star well before this picture was made, and remains so. It is no wonder that Jen got the Oscar for the role; her voice is used to great advantage in this movie.
I found it nostalgic that they sang many of the spoken lines through the picture, (shades of Jesus Christ Supserstar in the 70's), but once you get used to it, it's not really too off-putting. Also I think that Eddie Murphy was a strange casting choice. I found it impossible to separate him from his well-known comedic history, and during many of his singing performances in this movie I expected to hear the words "Sexual Chocolate, ladies and gentlemen" come bursting forth from his lips, (a reference to his extremely similar role in Coming to America in 1988). I believe that they could have found someone else for his role who wouldn't have brought this confusion to the picture.
The ladies' dresses are mostly very elegant, especially their evening gowns, and their musical numbers are, for the most part wonderful, and beautifully sung as unison performances. There are great parallels to be drawn between The Dreamgirls and The Supremes in the style of their music, whether or not intentional. There is also a clear reference to The Jackson Five, which helps to establish the time period in which the movie is set.
On the downside, I think that there is way too much smoking in this picture, and it gives a visual example to people, especially the young, that we don't need. For a movie made in the modern age, I was surprised and disappointed at this.
However, overall I found this movie well worth a look, and the music and costumes alone make the picture. Add to those the tremendous acting performances from the cast, and Dreamgirls is a worthy work. It is nice to see Danny Glover making an appearance in a fairly substantial role, and Jaleel White pops up in a role far departed from his Steve Urkel days. I have taken 2 marks off, one for all the smoking, and the other for Eddie Murphy's appearance. In general though, I believe that you will enjoy this movie.