Dreamgirls (2006)
I have come to regard this film as a masterpiece. It was warmly received at the time, but it was always criminally underrated, then and now. Bill Condon, in particular, deserved an Oscar. I don’t remember who won that year, or whether Condon was even nominated, but he should have won. His screenplay and his direction smoothed all the jagged edges of the brilliant, but rough, stage production.
Also, Condon extracted WONDERFUL performances from his two lead actresses, neither of whom could have properly been considered actresses at the time. People continue to snicker but Jennifer Hudson deserved that Oscar. And she earned that goddamn showstopper credit during the closing credits (which were themselves amazing).
I hope one day this film will be seen for the triumph that it is.
| by Anonymous | reply 12 | May 1, 2021 4:13 PM
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Beyoncé is far too mush-mouthed for the lead. Anika Noni Rose was criminally wasted (that part is thankless to begin with). Eddie Murphy deserved his Oscar nod.
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | May 1, 2021 1:41 PM
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It's a pallid version of a lively, fleet Broadway show. The movie is deadly and weighed down with too many dreary scenes of shallow people bickering amid the usual show biz cliches. A show about soul music that has no soul.
| by Anonymous | reply 2 | May 1, 2021 1:50 PM
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Miss Ross should have played the lead.
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | May 1, 2021 2:03 PM
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It was entertaining but not much more.
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | May 1, 2021 2:05 PM
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Yeah okay Beyoncé . Sure.
| by Anonymous | reply 6 | May 1, 2021 2:07 PM
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[quote]Miss Ross should have played the lead.
And people said she was too old for "The Wiz." Imagine the reaction if this had happened.
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | May 1, 2021 2:24 PM
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'The decades are marked by a progression of hairstyles, lapels, jewelry and dresses; after a while the experience starts to feel like a long, noisy guided tour through a museum' A.O. Scott NY Times 12.15.2006
| by Anonymous | reply 8 | May 1, 2021 2:35 PM
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'It's difficult to tell whether the songs are supposed to be bad or are just that way by accident" Mick LaSalle, Chronicle Movie Critic
| by Anonymous | reply 9 | May 1, 2021 2:57 PM
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The musical had so much more energy on stage.
Interestingly, on the stage, the songs sounded like a fresh infusion of R&B. In the movies they sound like watered down Motown
| by Anonymous | reply 10 | May 1, 2021 3:22 PM
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I liked the DVD extras more than the film. The one on the choreographer was fascinating - it showed her audition submission.
| by Anonymous | reply 11 | May 1, 2021 3:38 PM
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Some thrilling sequences, but a lot of unfortunate choices too. I hate how they turned a lot of musicalized exchanges into dialogue. Casting Beyoncé, who has a strong voice in her own right, destroyed the idea that the powers-that-be chose the pretty, undervoiced one over the fat, power-voiced one. (They doubled down on that problem by giving her an unnecessary 11:00 number designed to showcase her voice.)
J-Hud is, unfortunately, dead behind the eyes even when unleashing that spectacular voice. (She demonstrated as much onstage in THE COLOR PURPLE. Seeing Heather Headley in the part was a true night-and-day experience; even Jennifer Holliday, inept actress though she is, was far more ALIVE in it [than J-Hud had been] when she took over for Headley.)
Eddie Murphy was very good. Anika Noni Rose was excellent but suffered most from the cuts taken to the score. Jamie Foxx was a total non-event in what should have been a great fit.
| by Anonymous | reply 12 | May 1, 2021 4:13 PM
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