Not the shining star the Play was and By Far

Rating: 2/10 (6 May 2007)

Dreamgirls, One of the Best Musicals ever comes to the big screen and like many I was looking forward to seeing one of my all time favorites shine. Regrettably this is not the case. I will credit the actors hired for this. They were given a less then great script to work with. That said, I feel that Effie was not nearly powerful enough. I know that it would take a lot to fill the shoes of Jennifer Holiday and in the movie this shows. I cannot help but think the actress was stifled by the very even leveled volume thru the DVD. I have tried listening thru home theater at a decent volume but when Effie was belting ( or lack there of) her soul I didn't notice any difference in volume. This should have blasted at that point. Further the camera angles were very odd. Why the pan in and out at odd times was ever chosen that way I don't know other than they take away from the scene at hand. Also the fluff added to make this longer was so so at best. It could have happened yes, but I feel it strayed away from the original far too much. Also the fact that numbers were moved around didn't help. I tried really hard to watch this and keep in mind that it was not the original and tried to view it in its own light, however I could not find that place. Bottom line is this, Some Broadway shows should never be redone on the big screen and this is one of those. If you were fortunate enough to see the original you will know what I mean. Again the actors they hired are not to blame for this lousy attempt at bringing a cherished play to the big screen,the attempts to tie this to Diana Ross and the Supremes were too blatant ( the unspoken was this was based on the struggle they had making to the top) and rent the DVD. I know that I wont be buying it.