Dreamgirls

“Dreamgirls” is an interesting film. It’s as much a visually stunning spectacle of sight and sound as it is an empty character-driven melodrama absorbed by its own self-image. Loosely (Yeah, Right) based on Diana Ross and the Supremes, it follows the up and down career of an all-girl group called The Dreams, who find success during the 1960’s with their unique combination of dynamite looks and powerhouse vocal range. Don’t get me wrong, I was very entertained, but ultimately found it to be a shoddy story without enough substance to match its own distinctive brand of pizzazz.

During the spectacular first half, we are introduced to a number of major characters that appear to be involved strictly for the money and will do anything they can to achieve financial success. One of those characters is Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx), who sweet talks his way to becoming The Dreams’ manager, but eventually destroys the camaraderie of the group by promoting Deena Jones (Beyoncé Knowles) to lead singer and encouraging her to move on to bigger and better things.

This move causes quite the stir among the group and leads to one of the most incredibly vivacious scenes in the history of movie musicals. When Jennifer Hudson belts out her show-stopping rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”, she instantly commands the screen and makes her early departure from season three of “American Idol” seem like a blessing in disguise.

Her performance as Effie White is truly a revelation and should make her a virtual lock to win Best Supporting Actress. Joining her on Oscar night will be none other than Eddie Murphy, whose electrifying portrayal of James “Thunder” Early ranks among the best of his career and shows that he is still capable of stealing the show at any given moment. He presents Early as a flamboyant yet tragic personality with a drug problem that will sooner or later lead to his downfall.

With all the phenomenal talent this film has to offer, you’d expect it to be a blockbuster from start to finish, but unfortunately that’s expecting too much. Writer/Director Bill Condon seems to focus a little too much on the glam factor and not enough on developing a clear, coherent storyline. With the exception of Hudson and Murphy, every character seems too naïve and archetypical to be taken seriously and the film’s overall effectiveness is clearly hindered because of it.

While it does have its moments, I still felt a little let down by the whole presentation and expected a lot more from a film with such a promising source of material. Luckily, it looks gorgeous and sounds amazing, so everything else is secondary. Is it pure fluff ? Of course, but that’s why we love it.

- *** out of 4