Does anyone else think Dreamgirls is a bad movie?- Page 2

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 5:45pm

FIDDLER's on my list. But then, I'm not such a movie musicals' fan. I loved the original Broadway show when I saw it. I like the film better than the recent B'way revival, though.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 5:49pm

I think FIDDLER is a fine film.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 6:11pm

I love "Fiddler on the Roof" although I have to admit that it was a tad bit too long.

[Glebb]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 6:19pm

Love the Fiddler movie and really adored the recent Broadway revival.

As for DREAMGIRLS, I was disappointed. At times I was beaming with satisfaction and at other times I felt as if I was having a "Medical Center" flashback.

Updated On: 1/7/07 at 06:19 PM

[StageManager2]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 6:26pm

It took me five years to watch FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, no joke. I'd gotten the movie for Christmas back in 2000, but I found it too slow-paced for my liking. I also didn't care for the storyline. Anyway, I didn't even finish watching the first tape. I took it out and didn't attempt to watch the second half until just last year. I still didn't care for it, but I managed to finish it.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 7:36pm

Pal Joey, I don't think anyone here is suggesting that Dreamgirls is as bad as Rent or Producers and don't ever mention Mame again. (And I too, think Fiddler is a wonderful film), but it could have been so much better. It is not living in a "Dream" world to hope for big, flashy and sassy. I think it is a well done film with a couple of great performances, immensely entertaining, but just falls short of greatness.

Another flaw, as clichéd as it may be, I think the audience is cheated out of seeing Curtis get his in the end. For Effie to sing to him "your the best man" and for Deena to sing "I will always love you" to him just seems so false and forced. He was the villain, and I wanted to see him fall a bit harder, not get his moment of "Oh, I have a little girl? Wow!" Horrible unearned and unsatisfying ending. Horrible.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 7:39pm

We loved Dreamgirls & thought The Producers was enjoyable. It makes the boneheaded decision to remove The King Of Broadway really stupid

Updated On: 1/7/07 at 07:39 PM

[Ariella]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 7:48pm

I liked Dreamgirls - as others have said, it was of a higher quality of many musicals transferred to film. However, I felt they should have settled a little more firmly on the manner to present the songs. For the first part, all the songs were done as the performances of the Dreams, so it seemed random at first when they just started singing "Family." All of the numbers in Chicago were done in a performance/alternate setting format and most other movie-musicals are done traditionally, but Dreamgirls was in the middle. I would have liked it better of the song-concept was stronger.

[Broadwaylady]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 8:07pm

I was not impressed with Dreamgirls. Sorry, it started seeming to long for me and I pulled out my cell phone to check the time. My friend was absolutely blown away by it and loved it. I did not care much for the songs that were in it. That screeching I liked Chicago much better and thought Hudson sang way better than Beyonce.

Updated On: 1/7/07 at 08:07 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 8:09pm

You pulled out your CELLPHONE?!?

[tmm_fan]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 8:22pm

I love Rent, and it is painstakingly faithful to the stage version; it just all depends then on whether you thought the show could've been put on film or not :).

As for Dreamgirls, there are some great parts with amazing vocal performances, and Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson clearly steal the show and their performances, acting and singing, are spot-on. Now, as a "whole," Dreamgirls is not a masterpiece, but should be applauded for the flawless performances and all the tireless work by everybody involved; it is definitely a visual and directing spectacle.

But the film lacks any "real" cohesiveness; it's as if the filmmakers take it too far and put in more than is necessary; thus, it nearly overshadows the great direction.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 9:23pm

"it's as if the filmmakers take it too far and put in more than is necessary; thus, it nearly overshadows the great direction."

What language is that supposed to be in?

[StageManager2]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 9:38pm

Is that French?

[Kringas]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 10:27pm

I loved it. I've seen it three times already. Do I find it flawed? Yes. Some of the flaws were flaws that carried over from the stage version and some were created by the screenplay and/or direction. At the end of the day, though, I know that if I wasn't so tightly bound to the stage version, I'd have pretty much no issues with the movie at all. I think all of the women (and most of the men) in it are superb, and it's just a hell of a fun movie with a lot of heart.

Is it the Dreamgirls movie I would have made? No. But I do think the movie works on its own terms, and works quite well.

Although I still want to bang my head with a brick every time I think about The Campbell Connection.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 10:29pm

"I love Rent, and it is painstakingly faithful to the stage version; it just all depends then on whether you thought the show could've been put on film or not :)."

Not to reopen an old can of worms, but that's not true at all. I found it to be painstakingly UNfaithful to the stage version, and I happen to think the material could have made a brilliant film.

As for Dreamgirls, I really enjoyed it. I certainly don't hink it's a BAD movie; in fact, I think it's a very good one. It had it's flaws, but I think it was a good film. Making movie musicals is such a tough art...

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 10:35pm

Yes, Kringas, considering the film that might have been made it is just so nice that it came out as well as it did.
And the Campbell Connection's second album is one of my all time favorites.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 10:45pm

Wasn't the name of the cute little Campbell boy who sings the lead vocals Nambla Campbell?

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 1/8/07 at 1:37am

One other thing that illustrates that Condon didn't go far enough, in my opinion, is Jimmy's last concert. The audience LOVED it, there is no way that performance would finish his career. He would be on Dinah Shore the next day talking about it. He should have been naked, not wearing some clowny boxers.

[ggersten]

Posted: 1/8/07 at 1:43am

It's not the best picture of the year - but it's not a bad movie - and that's not just comparing it to other movie musicals of recent vintage, but just recent movies. Both times I saw it, the audiences went crazy. Those audience reactions may get it a nomination for best film.

Agree with how incongruous Family plays.

As for Listen, I'm not sure it's Curtis letting her record the song. On the second viewing, it looks more like Curtis is hearing the song for the first time, as he reacts to the song the more it goes on. So, it may be more like he's wandered into the booth to hear the "new" song. Given that "Patience" was recorded behind his back, he may have insisted on being in the booth whenever Deena was set to record, and he may not have known what he was going to listen to. Now, the question is, who the heck wrote it for Rainbow, because CC is gone, and there's no way Deena wrote and arranged it.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 1/8/07 at 1:46am

Which makes it even harder to believe that this is the first time Curtis is hearing it, at the recording session?

[donna_darko_23]

Posted: 1/8/07 at 2:13am

I, too, was disappointed with Dreamgirls. I didn't feel like it tranlated to film very well. At times it just dragged and was boring. I winced whenever Jamie Foxx sang. After hearing all the praises for it, I didn't feel like it lived up to it's hype.

[iHeartMyGeek]

Posted: 1/8/07 at 7:36am

I thought that "Family" was really touching the first tiime I saw the movie, but the second time I just laughed. I wasn't the only one, either. There were a bunch of people in the audience giggling at i. It did come off extremely cheesy.

I thought the film was great. Then again, I have pretty much no background with the stage version, so I really can't make a comparison. It did seem kind of drawn out the second time. I was actually getting a little bored through the second half of the movie.

As for audience reaction, here in Pittsburgh we had audiences that applauded loudly after "And I Am Telling You" both times. I was one of them, of course.

[AC126748]

Posted: 1/8/07 at 9:20am

Bad? Not by a long shot. I think it's the best movie musical I've seen in a long time. I doubt that anyone will agree with me, but I personally think it's a better film treatment than CHICAGO.

Of course it has its flaws, but DREAMGIRLS has always been a flawed show. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

[Luscious]

Posted: 1/8/07 at 9:40am

DREAMGIRLS is the best movie musical to come out of Hollywood in decades. IMO it's an even better film, all-around, than CHICAGO. Every film has flaws. There's no such thing as a perfect movie. But this one is as close to perfection as a film adaptation of a Broadway musical gets.

Updated On: 1/8/07 at 09:40 AM

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 1/8/07 at 9:58am

Anyone see the MAD TV parody this weekend?

"I'm not DIANA, I'm DEENA. And we're not the SUPREMES we're the DREAMS."

"All you have to do is dream...or recycle a rags to riches musical story."