Beyonce as Deena- Page 3

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 12:23pm

Ol' Bambi Eyes just didn't have much of a character to play for me to pass judgement on her acting.

[Fiction Writer]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 12:29pm

Listen would've been better as a book song, instead of a performance song. During the song, all I could think of was, "Curtis wouldn't let her sing this!"

[blueroses]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 12:46pm

I've always thought Beyonce had a beautiful and powerful voice. You don't have to wail it from the rafters to be a good singer. I'm (finally!) seeing Dreamgirls this Saturday. I'm most looking forward to checking out Hudson and Murphy, but it'll be interesting to see Beyonce, too. It seems like she's dream casting for Deena.

[Kringas]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 12:59pm

But isn't "a lighter sound" really just a euphemism for "Deena's not a great singer, she can carry a tune, BUT she has the LOOKS that have cross-over appeal to a non-black audience." That's always been my read of the dialogue leading up to Effie's demotion from lead vocalist of the group.

I suppose it could be, I just never thought of it that way, and I never thought the text was implying that, either. Much in the way that people forget that Effie doesn't have to be heavy, I think it's something that's probably up for debate.

[Marquise]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 1:06pm

[Wildcard]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 1:08pm

I agree with FW. Not only would Curtis not have let Deena sing this song but what happened to the new sound he was creating? Shouldn't Deena's next song have been disco too?

[peach]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 1:14pm

I thought Beyonce was quite good in this movie. She played the part - her acting was touching and she embraced the character. Actually, I thought all of the performances were very good. No complaints from me!

[Kringas]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 1:19pm

I do agree that lyrically "Listen" is an odd song for Deena to be singing, if Curtis was in such tight control of her career. That's just one (of the many) flaws in the screenplay.

[roquat]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 9:20pm

Beyonce may not be a trained actress, but her instincts are very good (watch her looks of disbelief during the screening of the homogenized Dreams documentary which replaces Effie with Michelle) and her hesitant line readings worked perfectly for Deena. And in the performing scenes, she is a dead ringer for Diana Ross (the makeup, wigs, and 150 costume changes helped). I agree that the role is somewhat unplayable (especially given what Ms. Ross eventually became) and the resolution of the film, which depends on opening the right drawer, is ridiculous. But the only element I found unconvincing because of Beyonce herself was her singing, which was way too good even before "Listen". Sheryl Lee Ralph suppressed all her power and vivaciousness to be true to bland white-sounding Diana Ross, and Beyonce couldn't seem to do that.

[broadway86]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 11:47pm

I was very, very pleasatly surprised by her. A drastic improvement from her other "performances", she delivered wonderfully subtle, honest work in this movie. So many great moments. Oscar-worthy? Not really, but I can't see how her performance could have gotten much better.

[NiteOwl]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 4:20pm

"Sheryl Lee Ralph suppressed all her power and vivaciousness to be true to bland white-sounding Diana Ross"

I found Sheryl Lee Ralph very vivacious in this role.

Diana Ross does not have a bland white-sounding voice.

Beyonce was a perfect Deena.

This is NOT a Diana Ross biopic.