| Overall Grade: |
A+ |
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| Story: |
A+ |
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| Acting: |
A+ |
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| Direction: |
A+ |
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| Visuals: |
A+ |
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These Girls Are A Dream Come True
by Eric (movies profile)
Jan 28, 2008
64
of
86 people found this review helpful
Looking back over the year, I can honestly say that Hollywood has lost touch with what it does best. It tries too hard to specify entertainment certain groups, whether it be on racial, gender, religious or age barriers. Audiences have flocked to market-designed films that they've been targeted to see. I felt a deep sadness watching as independent film had to do what Hollywood should have been doing all year. Then I got my Christmas wish. No, it wasn't a new DVD player or a Playstation 3. My Christmas wish was Dreamgirls, a film that smashes all the barriers that separate audiences and allows us to see what Hollywood was meant for.
Dreamgirls is based on the Broadway musical that mirrors the sixties and seventies in the world of soul music. We meet Effie (Jennifer Hudson), Deena (Beyonce Knowles), and Lorelle (Anika Noni Rose); aka The Dreamettes. They sing at a Detroit talent show where they are heard by a car-dealer-turned-music-promoter, Curtis (Jamie Foxx). He strikes a deal to get the girls to sing backup for soulster Jimmy "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy playing James Brown and Little Richard's love child). Under Curtis's direction, Early's gigs start getting classier with the help of Effie's brother (Keith Robinson) who writes the songs for the Dreamettes. But Jimmy's peak reaches just as Curtis starts to see a new high and breaks the girls away from him. He turns them into The Dreams, and this is where the film gets very good.
Effie's love affair with Curtis becomes a nightmare when he starts eyeing Deena and puts her in the lead of the group. This leads to her removal from the group in the best scene in the movie as she sings a solo that lead to the first standing ovation I've ever seen in the middle of the movie. This would lead to four more later in the film and one more after the credits roll. The rise to fame brings out the true natures of everybody in the group, Curtis being the worst. He's become infatuated with his own legacy while marrying Deena. Deena refuses to take responsibility for the damage done to the group's morale after Effie's departure. Effie goes on with her life, which takes her back to a love of music and to a redemption that is beautiful to watch because we care about her so much. And all the while, we're swinging to the music, understanding these characters even more as we watch, and soaking in everything with a mix of empathy and spectacle. By the time the movie ends, we feel a sense of loss that we have to leave.
Unlike other movies made about music celebrities, this one doesn't thrill us with the Ride of Fame (From Rise to Fall to Enlightenment), but is only interested in the characters and their personal development. You don't entirely like everybody in the movie, but you care for them and hope they'll do better. The film's main focus is on Curtis and Effie while allowing a little exposure on Deena to make it a triangle. The film uses old-school musical cues, allowing characters to sing emotions out to the audience and sometimes to each other, which actually works for this film. There are surprises involved by the time we reach the end, but surprises are more the cherry on top of a magnificent sundae of style, substance and soul.
This is by far the best ensemble I have seen in performances. Jamie Foxx does something with this performance that makes him a star in my mind; he takes a step back and allows others to play off him. He already knows what he's capable of and gives the screen away to his fellows like candy on Halloween. He's confident in his own persona that he doesn't need to steal scenes. Knowles is a beautiful actress and even more beautiful singer. She understands Deena's personality as well as her logic and let's them create a character that's elegant if purposely empty, a willing vessel to Curtis's ambitions. Murphy gives a performance of his career as a man whose talent can't cash what his ego wants. I can see Murphy looking back at his career, both the highs and lows and putting into this very flawed character.
But my favorite performance of not only the film but of THE YEAR is Jennifer Hudson as Effie. This performance doesn't just demand Oscar nomination, but a sure-fire WIN. Hudson plays Effie as a emotionally devastated woman long before she's shown the door. But she doesn't overplay at any time. Hudson also sings with power to make people in this character's hopes and fears, including that solo I mentioned earlier. I wasn't the only one moved by her performance, the sixth ovation was her credit (and the only one given to any specific actor in the film).
On the technical side, adapter/director Bill Condon put together a sure-fire team to pull off the great look and feel of this musical. Between Oscar-worthy costume designs and sets that are lavish and fun while not being extreme, Condon's faithfully adapted a Broadway hit into a film that will go down in the books with such hits as Grease and Chicago as inimitable. His direction is flawless and filled with colorful schemes and and genuine heart, something missing from most Hollywood monstrosities this year. Oscar will be smiling down on Dreamgirls this year.
All in all, this is THE FILM to see this holiday season. And bring everybody you know with you, no matter who they are, where they come from, or what they believe. They'll probably say the same thing about the film as you will: This Is One Great Movie. |
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