Dreamgirls

Forgive me if this post seems a little bitter, the VMA’s of Sunday night burned a bleeding hole in my soul so deep it will take months to heal, but I will soldier on regardless. Dreamgirls is a 2006 movie musical directed by Bill Condon and featuring an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy and Anika Noni Rose. The film remains the most expensive film ever made with an all-black cast, and one of the highest grossing musicals. Based on the Broadway musical, the film is essentially a film a clef about The Supremes, with the film being a story about a three part girl group from Detroit, who find fame and stardom, despite being entirely controlled by the group’s manager and lead singer.

Many of the characters in the film are partially based upon real life individuals, Jamie Foxx’s character; Curtis Taylor Jr. is strongly based upon Berry Gordy, the real life owner of Motown Records and the manager and producer of The Supremes. Knowles’ character is strongly based on Diana Ross, like Deena Jones, Diana Ross was neither the strongest or best singer of The Supremes, nor was she the original lead singer of the group. Jennifer Hudson’s character mirrors the story of Florence Ballard, the original lead singer of The Supremes who was later fired by their manager and replaced.

The film succeeds largely due to the performances of its talented and charismatic cast. Knowles, despite easily being the weakest singer of the group, is perfectly suited for the part, and despite her film performances in the past and since having been savaged, this role perfectly suits her, although her voice is weak and often thin, she comes into her own during Listen, when she isn’t forced to compete with stronger singers, and when her voice really soars. Jamie Foxx is also great as Curtis Taylor Jr., despite Taylor Jr. being the obvious villain of the piece; Foxx plays him with a complexity and a sense of malice that keeps the character from becoming two dimensional or camp. Eddie Murphy’s performance is unusually restrained, and he imbues the character with a comic tragedy. Anika Noni Rose, despite not being given a huge amount to do gives a fine performance, and her scenes with Eddie Murphy in addition to the characters emotional evolution throughout the film are a highlight

The standout performance of the film is that of Jennifer Hudson, who, in her feature film debut, who was awarded an Oscar for her performance. She is superb in this film, she has one of the best voices recoded since Aretha Franklin, and her voice is strong, clear and powerful, she infuses it with a heartbreaking sense of tragedy. Her performance of And I Am Telling You is now the definitive recording, and she portrays Effie as someone fragile and gentle, who is hurt easily, and who has her heart broken by a man attracted to mere beauty, and who has her career stolen by a woman far less talented than she.

Dreamgirls succeeds as an adaptation of the hit show and as a standalone movie; the film is a fascinating look at the Motown music scene of the sixties, and the history of the Supremes. It is also slightly validating to see Beyoncé out sung in every scene by an American idol alumni (who didn’t even win). Dreamgirls is fun, visceral and energetic. A perfect movie musical featuring perfect performances.