Dreamgirls (2007) Reviews

Before it came out, if I remember correctly, there was a pretty good buzz about it and many thought it had a good shot at the oscars. It seemed that Eddie Murphy would make his long awaited come-back with this flick and Murphy himself thought that he would even eventually win an Academy award but the whole thing had just a modest success and Eddie went away empty handed. Anyway, after watching so many bad flicks with Eddie Murphy, I must say that it was quite refreshing to see him in a better movie. Indeed, Eddie Murphy was pretty good and the rest of the cast did a good job as well (Jamie Foxx, Danny Glover, Jennifer Hudson and even Beyoncé Knowles). Of course, Jennifer Hudson really stole the show and I think she was quite awesome here. For an acting debut, it was really impressive. After that, Hudson has remained in demand as an actress but, to be honest, she hasn’t done anything really amazing since then. Still, the whole thing was not great because the story was just a rather standard biopic routine and, therefore, it was rather underwhelming. Still, in spite of its flaws, it remains a well made and entertaining flick and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

"Dreamgirls" has some good music, and some okay music, is well written, cast, and acted. It even stands up to a second watch through a few years after the first, but, it's not one I want to watch again and again, so it won't be part of the permanent collection. I think you really get the most out of the movie with one, maybe two viewings, tops. I don't particularly like Anika Noni Rose or Jennifer Hudson in this, and that's probably a large part of why I don't want to own this. Beyonce is okay, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover, Jamie Foxx, and Keith Robinson all do pretty decent jobs with their parts, and even Sharon Leal, in her smaller role, is good. But all combined, it's just a good movie to watch and forget about.

DREAMGIRLS EM BUSCA DE UM SONHO - Detroit, década de 60. Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx) é um vendedor de carros, que sonha em deixar seu nome marcado no mundo da música. Ele deseja abrir sua própria gravadora, mas ainda não tem o formato e o produto certo para vender ao público. Curtis encontra o que procura ao conhecer o grupo The Dreamettes, formado pelas cantoras Deena Jones (Beyoncé Knowles), Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose) e Effie White (Jennifer Hudson). Elas se apresentam em um show de talentos local, usando perucas baratas e vestidos feitos em casa. Suas vidas mudam quando Curtis, já seu agente, consegue que elas façam o backup do show de James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy), o pioneiro de um novo som em Detroit. Posteriormente o grupo alça vôo solo, mudando de nome para The Dreams. Porém Curtis sabe que para alcançar o sucesso o grupo precisará apostar na beleza provocante e tímida de Deena, mesmo que tenha que deixar de lado a voz potente de Effie.

Perfunctory. There's something I thought I'd never type about a musical. But, chances are, if Beyonce is your lead actress, you should know that you're in trouble. On a technical level, everything is top notch. The director is fine, the musical numbers are appealing, the score is decent (only one truly memorable song, but decent none-the-less), costumes are flashy, production design looks accurate enough. Perhaps it is the uneven nature of the film that keeps it from being greatness. Jamie Foxx looks like he's sleepwalking throughout, Beyonce is wooden and has no ability to emote when not singing, Anika Noni Rose and Sharon Leal are both good but underused, and Eddie Murphy is overrated as he recycles his James Brown impression from his days on SNL. Yes, it truly is Jennifer Hudson's show, and, yes, she deserved every accolade and piece of hype she got. When she is on-screen, there is a fire, pep and energy that is sorely lacking from the rest of the film. However, her placement as a supporting character is an obvious result of studio politics. Her role is more of a lead. Which leads me back to Beyonce (and her inability to form a facial expression) in the musical sequences. When she has to sing, she soars. The back-and-forth with Hudson, when sung, is wonderful. When they have to go back-and-forth doing just dialogue, Hudson chews her up, spits her out, and walks away with all of the praise that Beyonce was obviously aiming for. Face it, it's Hudson's show, and when she's not around, it sinks. Which is a little like the musical numbers -- either set them in real life (like most musicals), or set them in the recording studios/stages (like Cabaret or A Star Is Born!), but don't do both. You can't have it both ways. Never before has a movie seemed so eager to please yet failed. Perfunctory.

"Maybe you just don't see me for who I am."

I expected good things from Dreamgirls - mainly because of the large amount of critical acclaim it received - but at the end of the day I was vastly disappointed.

The movie is the story of a (fictional) trio of sisters who search for their big break. Once they find a manager (Foxx) and hit the road for a tour with hit pop singer (Murphy) their experiences only end in tears as they encounter several major struggles.

First of all, I appreciate the fact that it's a musical based on a Broadway production. But the first 35 minutes sets up the film as a potent drama that tells its story through the powerful performances and poignant dialogue.

But then the film takes a turn for the worst...and the style shifts unnecessarily to that of a musical as the characters begin arguing through song. There were only about 5 songs like these, which in the long run was the film's biggest downfall. The musical style appeared to be the film's second self that only appears very rarely. If it's a musical, it has to stay a musical for the tone to suit the film for its running time. Instead the film begins as a drama that has a number of annoying songs throughout which could instead be just scenes of drama and dialogue. If they want it to be a musical, they should have made the film a musical. Not a drama with songs!

Also, the film loses steam about 40 minutes in. The first 40 minutes moved at a brisk pace, with little chance for us to actually get to know the characters. And hence, when the troubles begin piling on top of each other it was impossible to care simply because we don't know the characters enough to care about them. It's like plummeting into the turmoil and troubles of a group of complete strangers. This detracted from my overall enjoyment of the movie.

Still, the singing was done exquisitely and the production design was purely dazzling! There's no denying that the whole cast did a fantastic job, but another of the film's multiple downfalls is that trying to empathise with such a large cast is essentially impossible. With films like Ray or Walk the Line we have a central character moving through major struggles in their life. Here the major shift in central characters on so many occasions was just frustrating!

Dreamgirls wrote a cheque it couldn't cash, unfortunately. In the long run it just isn't worth your 2 hours. I have no idea how this film got so many awards. Leave it on the shelf, and rent something better.

A story of romance, it's also about making it to the top, with of course a few sacrifices along the way.
Three talented women become backup singers to Jimmy Thunder Early (Eddie Murphy), and eventually make their way to the top with the help of their manager Curtis Taylor Jr (Jamie Foxx).

Beautiful photography. Great costumes. Perfect music. Decent script. Acceptable acting from Jennifer Hudson (she should stick to singing, as her voice is quite powerful) and the rest of the cast, especially Eddie Murphy; a very nice surprise from his idiotic, stupid comedy performances. And of course, what a choreography!

If you like musicals, you'll definitely enjoy this.

I wasn't aware of the Dreamgirls broadway production, and wasn't very interested in watching this film... but I gave in tonight. I was in the mood for some motown music, and this movie satisfied me.

Worth watching.
A must for those who enjoy musicals.

Yes, I got dragged to this by my gf, but I will say that I did like it. It's got great music (if you like the mo-town style) and I like the fact that it doesn't concentrate on just one character, it covers many.

Eddie Murphy was great, but I couldn't help but think of Donkey when he was singing....

Recommended for anyone who likes musicals, especially if you're familiar with the Dreamgirls broadway production. Great cast, great music, great direction.