Movie Review: "Dreamgirls"

I don't know about you but I enjoy a good movie musical. The Sound of Music, The King and I, Newsies. I know some people don't like singing and would prefer to fast forward through those parts. But those are the people who don't really listen to the words in the songs. Sometimes it's easier to show your emotions through singing and music than it is to just speak them.

I was iffy about seeing Dreamgirls. Normally I avoid movies that get too much hype, with all the media declaring it the best movie ever before anyone else gets to see it. So I missed out on it during its theatrical run, but I knew I was going to see it eventually because it was an Oscar winning movie. Well I was more than pleasantly surprised after watching.

I can now see why Jennifer Hudson won every award she was nominated for last year. She was absolutely amazing in her role. If I didn't know that this was her first movie, I would have never guessed she was a rookie. The same goes for Eddie Murphy's acting. I won't lie. In the beginning of the movie, I kept seeing and hearing Donkey. But then as the movie progressed you can see the character growth and the acting getting better. I've said this many times before, it's a sign of how good an actor is when he is mainly known for comedy and acts really well in a dramatic role. It's a shame he didn't get the Oscar but to be honest how weird would it have been to hear "Norbit - Starring Academy Award Winner Eddie Murphy!?" As for the other actors in the movie, Jamie Foxx and Beyonce were so so to me. It really felt like Beyonce is just like Deena for Destiny's Child. The pretty face that everyone likes. And I felt sorry for Anika Noni Rose. Her acting's good but since so much attention is focused on Beyonce getting top billing and Jennifer Hudson winning the awards, she's pushed out of the spotlight.

The music is extremely catchy. I walked around the house 3 days after watching it singing "We're your dreamgirls...la di da di da da." I really liked it. I know the movie is based on the Broadway show so that's why there's many toe tapping songs and people singing while doing stuff in the movie. I thought this movie was way tamer than Chicago, the other movie musical it kept getting compared to. While there was a little risque material in this movie, it was much less than the overt sexuality in Chicago and both movies had the same rating.

There were only two real problems I have with this movie. One is not really the movie itself. It's the poster used to promote the film (shown here). You will notice all 3 girls pictured in the movie are the same size. I am going to assume that they are referring to the Dreams without Effie. To the moviegoer who had not seen the film, this would be confusing because all previews show the group with Effie. Why does the poster have to show only the slim characters? I did applaud the movie though for focusing that the music industry does place more emphasis on those that fit the ideal image for marketing purposes. The other is the vague ending which doesn't really tie up loose ends. Other than that it's an entertaining way to learn more about the music industry.