Dreamgirls review

Dreamgirls is the film adaptation of the late Michael Bennett's Broadway hit musical very loosely based on the story of The Supremes. I say very loosely because some people think it's a biopic and the similarities to the true story of The Supremes are very superficial. It's very much in the tradition of backstage musicals like Singin' In The Rain except it's setting is the black music industry of the 60s. Dreamworks co-owner David Geffen produced the Broadway play and tried to produce a film for years. Veteran producer Laurence Mark (Jerry McGuire) came to the rescue and hired Bill Condon to direct and write the screenplay. Condon directed the 1998 film Gods And Monsters but the key is that he wrote the screenplay to the hit adaptation of the musical Chicago. So he didn't try to re-invent the wheel. Signing Eddie Murphy & Beyonce Knowles to star was the key to getting Jamie Foxx to commit to it and Jennifer Hudson had to go through a zillion auditions to beat out fellow American Idol alumni Fantasia Barrino.

The setting is Detroit of the early 60s. Deena Jones (Beyonce Knowles), Effie White (Jennifer Hudson) & Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose) are the struggling girl group The Dreamettes. The group name is kind of a goof on The Primettes, the original name of The Supremes. Car dealer turned music promoter Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx) sees something in them and convinces R & B singer James Thunder Early (Eddie Murphy) to take them on the road. Early is talented but undisciplined so when he isn't able to adjust his singing style to get a larger audience, Taylor decides to promote The Dreamettes more agressively as The Dreams. The girls take turns singing lead and Effie is clearly the most talented singer but she is overweight and Curtis thinks Deena is more marketable as lead singer. This becomes a problem for Effie. This does parallel Berry Gordy's decision to make Diana Ross lead singer of The Supremes over Florence Ballard. As with Ballard, Effie leaves the group singing the showstopping number And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going. Of course Ballard never got to make a big comeback like Effie does in the movie. Florence Ballard died in 1976. Curtis turns into a sleazy music business villain but he gets his in the end.

I'm not sure what some people expect from Dreamgirls but I like it for what it is, a standard movie musical with superior music. That's what it was when it was on Broadway. Some critics want it to be an authentic history of black music but that's what they want it to be. That's not what it is. Of course Jennifer Hudson is getting noticed for her performance but it's a showy role and Jennifer Holliday won a Tony for the same role on Broadway. Jennifer Hudson is an outstanding singer. Eddie Murphy is also excellent as the flawed James Early. A lot of critics have said that Beyonce Knowles is disappointing but I think they are confusing her real life star persona with the Deena character. I think she gives a fine performance and I've never liked her as a singer. Deena is supposed to be less talented than Effie. It doesn't work if Beyonce plays it as herself. She toned it down appropriately. Bill Condon knows exactly what he's doing and frames things perfectly. Henry Krieger composed the music as he did on the original play and he gets a lot of help from music producers The Underdogs (Harvey Mason Jr. & Damon Thomas). Harvey's dad, legendary drummer Harvey Mason Sr., worked on the arrangements. I enjoyed Dreamgirls a lot. I knew what it would be and it didn't disappoint. It's recommended if you like musicals. It looks like it will be a big hit. It opened on Christmas Day on 900 screens and grossed $8.5M the first day. It will get a wider release on Jan. 14. Check out the trailer.