Clevercell Very disappointing...

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

lisafordeay Dreamgirls was released in 2006 and stars Beyonce,Anki Noni Rose, Jennifer Hudson,Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx and tells the tale of the supremes who were a 60s girl group that made it big in Hollywood and start off as the opening act for James Thunder Early (Murphy);but when one of them becomes more popular(Knowles) which leads (Hudson's)charcther becoming jealous of her will the 3 girls reunite again ?Overall its been years since I last seen this film. The cinematography was good since the same guy that did the remake for Beauty and the Beast did this too back in 2006. This film is also a full blown musical,some of the songs were memorable like Listen,We Are A Family,Hey Baby etc the real star is Jennifer Hudson who stole the whole film with her powerful voice which helped her earn an Oscar BTW. Eddie Murphy is in it too and he sings but his songs went over my head. But on the flip side his a good singer since he was a singer back in the 80s. Overall I did enjoy this film as it pays homage to the 60s and 70s. The Princess And The Frog's Anki Nomi Rose was good in this too. 7/10

hjbuhrkall Looking at the some of the main cast for this movies; Beyoncé Knowles, Jamine Foxx, Eddie Murphy, and Danny Glover, I really thought "this is going to be good!" and that is exactly how it started. We are first introduced to the 3 beautiful ebony girls, Effie, Deena & Lorrell, whom are fighting to make a career within the music industry. The story quickly picks up as the girls get a manager, goes on a tour with the already established artist James Early, and while fighting against the racial discrimination of the 1960's America ends up breaking though on national radio and TV. We follow the girls from their early beginnings in the ghetto, on their way to fame, but the road is not without its bumps, as different ambitions, managers, internal intrigues, and love-affairs all play a role in making this road especially hard. Now, the plot and story seems quite good… the cast looks good… so what is the problem: Is this a musical or an regular movie? I have no idea.The initial 30-40mins of the movie was quite pleasing, acting is good, and the music is used on stage or in recording studios, and compliments the store and regular dialogue quite well. But at some point the characters turn from talking to each other, to instead singing to each other. And at this point the story starts to get confusing, the music feels forced, and unpleasant. This goes on for quite a while, and peaks with a 15min nonstop song that is so bad that I actually turned down the sound of my TV, so I could still be in the room. Coming towards the ending of the movie, the musical theme fades out, dialogue is once again used, and music in once again used as music.This shifting between regular movie/musical/regular movie, is really confusing, and it breaks apart the story to a level where I just don't care about it anymore… it's highly annoying. maybe it makes more sense if you watch it again, but honestly I don't feel like watching it again, ever.

statuskuo A highly effective facade of one of the most fascinating girl groups to come out of Motor City. This movie has great musical numbers. A love triangle. Some fantastic performances that span decades. Rollicking music. It moves fast and hard, and those who suffer attention deficit, you won't even realize you've moved on to the next era, less you blink. This movie is tops. A fine production that takes a stage play and makes it cinematic (which are often disastrous).I did have a single issue though, some of the music...sounds very much like a orchestrated or "fake" version of what is presumably the song they are mimicking. Some of the tunes will be VERY familiar. Specifically a segment where this bizarro version of the Jackson 5 do a number for t.v. It's somewhat unsettling. Like when they make up fake NFL teams for a football movie. Just feels a little off.Otherwise, a solid musical movie.

mark.waltz You've got "One Time Only" to turn a hit Broadway show into a great movie musical, and in the case of "Dreamgirls", they managed to avoid it going down the path of "Man of LaMancha", "Mame", "A Little Night Music", "A Chorus Line", "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Nine" for hit shows that ended up becoming missed opportunities. All is well in the world of the "Dreams", the fictional version of the Supremes who won the hearts of musical theater fans back in the early 1980's and made a huge star out of Jennifer Holliday who belted "And I Am Telling You" right out of the Imperial Theater.The Holliday has switched to the Hudson for the role of Effie White, the power-house singer based upon the real life Florence Ballard. While Jennifer Holliday won a Tony Award, Jennifer Hudson went home with the Oscar, and in tribute to both ladies, they would later perform the big Effie number later together. Ms. Holliday continues to play this role in various theaters around the country, while Hudson's status as a star once rejected by Simon Cowell proves that what "Simon Says" doesn't always ring true.For a "fictional" biography of the Supremes, you have to have a great Deena Jones, the glamorous representation of Diana Ross. Unlike the real "Miss Ross", Deena Jones is presented as somebody who might have stardom within her reach, but her "diva" presence isn't as strong as her real-life counterpart. She is certainly more down-to-earth and seemingly sweeter, not to cast a shadow on Diana Ross's character. She just comes off as somebody much more approachable than the real legend. The current day top diva of the pop world, Beyonce, brings a very likable quality to Deena, absolutely sympathetic to Effie's situation and more than compassionate when she learns the truth about what transpired between her and Curtis (the magnificent Jamie Fox). Rising Broadway star Anika Noni Rose is fantastic as Lorrell, the third of the original "Dreams", but her role isn't as well developed as Effie and Deena, although it is clear that her character is based on Mary Wilson.Giving one of his all-time showiest performance, Eddie Murphy is phenomenal as James "Thunder" Early, and watching his breakdown is as heartbreaking as the real-life destructions of various great artists who became legends way before their time should have been up. Danny Glover is "Earth Father" as the older adviser, and Keith Robinson shows much vulnerability as Effie's brother who is torn between a rock and a hard place when it comes to choosing between his own ideals and his love for his sister.One of the reasons that the original Supremes are so important in music history is that they helped integrate the world of pop music. White audiences took them to their hearts, and that is certainly obvious in how the "Dreams" are portrayed. The obvious comparisons between the fact and fiction is very present with a young boy obviously playing Michael Jackson, and if you see the Broadway musical "Motown", you will see why some critics called that show basically a re-tread of "Dreamgirls", only with the real names attached. The racial tensions which lead to riots in the 1960's in Detroit where Motown was located and where this partially takes place are covered in both stories, so it doesn't matter if you're listening to "Stop in the Name of Love" or "One Night Only", the importance of the political and social story is equally as important.Original Broadway "Dreamgirl" Loretta Devine makes a nice impression in a small role, and several other Broadway favorites turn up in smaller parts. While "Dreamgirls" has not returned to Broadway since the late 1980's, a recent tour did stop in New York, ironically at the Apollo, where part of this also takes place. The fast-moving and engrossing drama, surrounded by a fantastic score, will keep you riveted. When Jennifer Hudson sings her song of atonement, "I am Changing", you may find yourself in tears, and when Beyonce sings the original "Listen" (written for the movie, included in the most recent tour), you may be standing up cheering as well. Bravo, Hollywood, for turning our "Dreamgirls" into a movie musical dream come true.