Electrifying.

Rating: 10/10 (6 January 2007)

SPOILERS:
I really was very happy to see a movie that actually lived up to the hype. Most movies do not. That, combined with the fact this is a musical and most musicals brought to a film version are not extraordinary, kind of made me skeptical. But I must say Dreamgirls is the must see picture of the year. This has been kind of a disappointing year with movies, I thought. There has been only a few I'd say were great or must sees. This is definitely one of them.
I know it's been said....over and over and over and over.....but I'll add to it. Jennifer Hudson is extraordinary. In fact she's so extraordinary, it's almost a bit scary. I mean listening to her it's incredible to think that a HUMAN BEING can actually have a voice like this. There's a lot of words to describe Hudson's voice from dazzling to terrific to hypnotic to extraordinary. None of these words however, do her justice. Her voice could almost put one into a trance to the point that you don't want the songs to end, particularly the unbelievable "And I am telling you I'm not going". Without a doubt she not only steals the movie but makes a place for herself among the top of the heap of singers. Not to mention the fact that she's a darn good actress!!!!!
It would be unfair not to mention the performances of all the others as as well. There were not any weak links that I could see. There has been tremendous buzz around Eddie Murphy and I understand that. But I also thought Jaime Fox was excellent and I don't understand why he's not being more widely talked about. And Beyonce's singing was quite good and though it seemed a bit understated, that did go with the character who's voice was not supposed to have strong personality as mentioned in the movie. I was also amazed how she managed to transform her appearance and look so different. But she was very good as was Anika Noni Rose. And I LOVED Danny Glover in this(He may have been my second favorite After Hudson). I thought everybody in this movie did a great job.
What's interesting about Dreamgirls is that when I was first watching it, for maybe the first half hour or so I didn't think I'd like it all that much. The movie is a little different then say "Chicago" which launched immediately into one of it's best numbers. With Dreamgirls, it seemed to take awhile to get to the best music which I didn't expect(I am not one who saw the stage version.) So when the music suddenly went from moderately good to incredibly powerful, I was a bit unprepared. And not only does the music pick up but the movie's overall power strengthens as well.
Forgetting about the musical aspect for a moment, the story itself is also incredibly powerful and provides a realistic look into the dark aspects of the entertainment industry. The characters are developed wonderfully, particularly Effie. And the energy of the movie never slows down.
I happen to love musicals so seeing it was wonderful. It's been talked about for an Oscar and though I was skeptical before I saw it, I really could see this movie taking home the golden prize. The movie/ musical that did that a few years ago, "Chicago" is one of my all time favorite movies in the world. Dreamgirls, while probably(very surprisingly) my favorite of the year so far, hasn't made it to my all time top 10 yet but that doesn't mean it someday couldn't. I think the makers of this movie did an admirable and wonderful job of bringing it to movie theaters and thought the movie was powerful, dazzling, poignant, and a class act all around. I look forward to seeing it again and would give it a 10 of 10. See it because it does live up to the hype.