Hang in there for the second half

Rating: 5/10 (23 May 2008)

While a huge fan of the Dreamgirls soundtrack when in high school, I never saw the stage version, so don't know how closely the movie follows the staged version.
So, speaking strictly about the film, I found the first half or so to be bewildering fast and shallow, with no character development or even a pause for breath. The songs were pale imitations of real soul, Motown, R&B -- even the blues piece was weak! Since there was virtually no dialogue, there was no sense of identification with the characters. It was very difficult to know what each character was actually thinking or feeling. This was especially frustrating when the picture made reference to social issues of the time yet didn't even follow through with the characters' reactions to them.
The second half of the film was much more compelling, largely due to better placement of song material, additional dialogue, far greater dramatic range and tension, and more clear character development. If this is a good adaption of stage show, I think it's a mediocre Broadway show and probably fares better on-screen where emotion can be conveyed more subtly through close-ups and long edits.
Jennifer Hudson was the most consistently real character throughout the film, and burst through the role. Everyone else's performance paled in comparison. Eddie Murphy played his part easily, skimming the surface, until the very end when we suddenly saw the depth of his acting ability -- made me wonder why he wastes his time on inane comedies when he's capable of such depth!
The pyrotechnics of the sets and the lavish attention to detail on period costumes and make- up helped cover the mediocre quality of many of the musical pieces. The ending was too neat, too sewn up for my tastes, but at least it was over quickly!
The picture is definitely worth seeing for glimpses of the Motown story and the compromises and flat-out rip-offs that were part and parcel of the African-American music scene until recently. The trip through time visually is entertaining, even though the music and lyrics come nowhere near the accuracy of the eye candy. Fast forward through the music numbers at the beginning and then just hold out for Jennifer Hudson and the character development in the latter half of the film. It's worth seeing at least once.