(Christmas Day) Dreamgirls Reviews

[theatreholic]

Posted: 12/27/06 at 8:20am

PLEASE tell me I'm not the only person who cried after Jennifer Hudson sang 'And I Am Telling You'

[ggersten]

Posted: 12/27/06 at 9:40am

We were at the 7:15 showing in OakPark (outside of Chicago). Show was sold out. Crowd was about 80-90% African American. One woman got her teenage son to switch from Night at the Museum to Dreamgirls.
I like the film a lot - I may like it better on a second viewing, as my five year old was squirming a bit and asking for soda. (I dashed out during Family for a refill).
Jennifer Hudson is magnificent - However, I think her "I Am Changing" is really the showstopper in the film. Beautifully staged and sung. It was more chilling than AIATY.
I loved the Loretta Devine scene. It was so fitting.
I thought Beyonce did a good job - Her early Deena was naive - her later Deena was not so much a Diva as the Taylor creation.
I thought Eddie Murphy was great - but the audience sitting around me wanted a funny Eddie, so they laughed at things that weren't funny.
Anika Rose was magnificent.

However, the film magnifies the play's flaws in character development. I didn't find Curtis charming enough in the beginning. The film didn't really establish the Curtis-Effie coupling enough for the betrayl of Effie to really set off AIATY. When she says Curtis is the best man she'll ever know, I feel sorry for her, because there is no reason for her to think that.

Also, while the stage version has the Dreams rush on stage as AIATY ends - the film gives a pause for the audience applause, so the Dreams Vegas bit seems short and out of place. I would just end with AIATY and go to the Deena Jones story movie as the film jumps ahead.

I think the film missed on the Effie-Deena re-bonding.
And I missed the "arrow going up" with One Night Only. We get the big Disco production number, but no reference to what's happening with Effie's record.

The film's not perfect - the circling camera got a little old. But it looks great - and sounds great.

One last thought - does anyone know how to cut a song off of the Film CD - the discoized AIATY is an abomination.

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 12/27/06 at 10:53am

Just saw it last night - found it to be slightly overhyped, movie-wise.

Jennifer Hudson, as has been said over and over, is pretty much the best thing since sliced bread. AIATY was FANTASTIC. and well-filmed, as well.

I thought Jamie Foxx was weak, and this treally hurt the movie, because he's the character that tends to drive the proceedings forward. However, I got the impression that he was pretty frusturated with his co-actors, pushing them to do better, primarily in his scenes with Beyonce - and because of the lousy place his character has, he came out looking pretty bad.

Condon was brilliant in his handling of Beyonce - now im confused as to her pretty pitiful acting in the first 7/8 of the film (up until "Listen", and the scene where she leaves Curtis) was a character choice or just bad acting - the fact that im in this doubt i think speaks for Condon's brilliance.

Anika Noni Rose was GREAT. what a phenominal actress (breakdown scene? what? amazing.) and such a great voice - and the audience last night really got into her, I hope she goes to big things after this. But damn, did she need a song. That "Patience" **** was a lame substitue, probably because it wasn't even her song. "Ain't No Party" would have worked fine. Should have kept it.

Jennifer Hudson is amazing.

Danny Glover was sooo good! I enjoyed his performance throughly. Keith Robinson was fine, i think the character is pretty lame.

Now, weaknesses: I felt that up until "Steppin' to the Bad Side" and really up until "Family", the movie just did not take off. I just felt the energy was sloppy, i dunno. it was weird. I also hated the grand majority of the orchestrations, and my theater's sound system did not help.


CAMEOS? WHAT? John Lithgow and Loretta Devine were both UNBELIEVABLY distracting and in the face of the former, just plain annoying. John Lithgow: AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL. It was SUCH a shame, that was one of Beyonce's better scenes and he was just...argh. gross. I was like, look at that hair...what? Condon? tsk tsk.

Also, on film, the weaknesses of the source material are just trumpted in your face - it really opened the wounds that the show has - primarily that most of these characters aren't really all that well developed, just simply melodramatic stock characters (namely Curtis, CC, and Lorrell to a point). The lack of dialogue in the movie also hurts it - I think the reason most of the "great" movie musicals are so long is because their dialogue scenes are fully written, while in "Dreamgirls", it's actually written like a stage musical - short, sweet, and fast. Major beat changes happened over 20 second stretches of dialogue, and since a lot of the music doesn't move the story forward (at least in this screenplay), much of the acting felt sort of rushed.

However, I don't mean to sound like it sucked or anything, because it didn't. at all. great movie with great performances, and i can't wait to see how it does come awards season.

[ggersten]

Posted: 12/27/06 at 2:03pm

Offtopic: But why isn't this thread showing up on the thread list - I have to search to find it.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 12/28/06 at 12:14pm

I like the movie less the more I think about it. It just didn't come together for me. Jimmy and Lorrell are really the only characters that lend much dramatic weight to the movie in my opinion. Anika and Eddie are electric in the film. Everyone else just is just sort of there. Beyonce was okay. Jennifer Hudson certainly doesn't blow her off the screen acting-wise. She basically just throws attitude around in the non-musical scenes. Jamie Foxx has a few moments that are sort of solid, but without a real actress opposite him as Deena, the scenes where they clash don't work as well as they should. I love Family, but the staging of the number is overdone and some of the orchestrations don't help either. It draws more attention to the fact that the song isn't a "performance" song by having it happen on stage. The scene where Effie walks into the riot was awkward, too. I also wasn't crazy about some of the dialogue (Michelle's overly obvious "pointless war" line comes to mind) and I don't feel like a lot of the dialogue scenes set up the emotional payoffs in the songs well. Additionally, I feel like just having one or two scenes where Jimmy's doing or about to do drugs wasn't quite enough to make that story element register as strongly as it could've. A scene where he was totally strung out and broken down might've been effective. Finally, the climax of the movie (Deena finding the One Night Only album cover, Effie and Deena's reconciliation, Curtis being threatened with legal action, etc) just felt like the gears of the plot turning.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/29/06 at 1:47am

I will put my review here:

...GO SEE DREAMGIRLS!

Let me start by saying that it is not the best movie this year.....BUT........

The movie stays true to the stage show with a few...and one BIG difference. However, that big difference incorporates one of the songs from the show and it is done well.

Where do I begin?

I think the casting was pretty much spot on! With that said...let's break it all down!

I will start with Jamie Foxx.....

Jamie Foxx (Curtis) - I think the flaw in his performance was not his fault. I think it had to do with the direction. You do not like his character from the moment you see him. His character was VERY one dimensional. By the time you reach the point that it is realized that he is a snake, you really don't care. He was like that for the ENTIRE movie. It would have been better to "deceive" the audience at first and let his character build. This could have been a fabulous award nominating performance. It was very misguided and was a very central part of the movie. But vocally, he was very good.

Beyonce (Deena) - She held her own and deserves the praise she has gotten. Being the big Rhythm&Blues/Pop star she is, she was very refined and it was not "all about her". Her song near the end, "Listen" (Definitely the song to be submitted for an Oscar for Best Song, which she co-wrote) Will raise the hairs on every part of your body. It is nothing short of smashing. The look on her face after the song was over was fabulous. She proved herself. And GOD did she look FABULOUS!

Danny Glover (Marty) - What ca you say. He is Danny Glover and brings professionalism to just about every role he play. Nuff said!

Eddie Murphy (James "Thunder" Early) - FLAWLESS. FLAWLESS. FLAWLESS! You knew this was a role he wanted to play and he embodied it. I was most impressed with his performance out of the "well known" stars in the movie.

Anika Noni Rose (Lorell) - I have loved this woman since "Caroline or Change". She was extremely wonderful with the seemingly small part she had. I have heard the it was said by the director that the song "Ain't No Party" wouldn't work in the movie. Well, after seeing it, it think it would have fit in fine. Thank goodness she was given a good "new song" to sing, (Which she knocked out of the park!) and the "Lorell Loves Jimmy" passage was kept in.

Keith Robinson ( CC) Did a fine job and played the part very well.

Sharon Leal (Michelle) - Lt's not leave her out. The 4Th Dreamgirl. She handled her part quite well. And it was nice to see her in this movie.

Jennifer Hudson (Effie) - What can one say?!! She walked off with the entire movie!! For her 1st movie, she was extremely comfortable in front of the cameras. Vocally she was stunning! Her "And I am Telling You" was wonderful....but she out-did that with her performance of "I Am Changing". It sent chills up my spine. Put her in the Best Supporting Actress category for the Oscars and she should win it. If the field of Best Actress was not so tight this year, she would be a shoe-in. She was nothing short of MARVELOUS!

Now the movie as a whole......

Visually it was nice to look at. Reminded me a bit of "Chicago". There were nods to groups and performers of the time the story takes place. My favorite was the nod to Marvin Gaye. The nods to Diana Ross in During the song "When I First Saw You" were just....uncanny. That final black and white photo was the exact picture of Ms. Ross from one of her album covers. The only difference is that the original was not a side shot, but a head on shot. The new arrangements of the music were wonderful. The only song that I was not crazy about (Because of the musical arrangement) was "Hard to Say Goodbye". It seemed softened up a bit musically. But the vocals were on point.

The new songs were all very good. And the movie fleshes some things out and it is nice to see what is going on "in the world" during the story. It pulls it together. I think the most jarring thing about the movie was the John Lithgow Cameo. For those of us who know who he is, it was just a bit jarring. But he is known to just "go there". And after the initial "shock", you are pretty much OK with it. The inclusion of Loretta Devine (The original Lorell from the stage production on Broadway) was a nice touch and what they did with the song she sings (From the Broadway Show) worked quite well. Also, it was nice to see that a few R&B heavyweights from the past were part of the recording of the music (Especially Harvey Mason JR & SR)

I will say, that I sat in the theater With only about 20 other people (The second snowstorm was hitting us here in Denver and people were headed home) and I was pretty much ticking off certain points in the plot. This is why I must see it again. Now that I know what has been retained and what is missing, I think I will enjoy it more the second time around.

After the movie, I went straight to Virgin Megastore - Denver and purchased the soundtrack. (Especially for the new material). The 1st track I listened to was the "Dance Version" of "And I Am Telling You....". Will someone PLEASE tell the producers of these CD's that we are OVER the high energy dance remakes?!!! The song was pretty much ruined with this remix. I then started the CD from the beginning. Listening to it at home, it does not have the "spark" that it does while watching the movie. It sounds "muted". And some of the tracks are music over scenes and don't work well on the CD as they are very short. One nice addition to the CD is "Effie, Sing My Song" that leads into "One Night Only". With its flaws, it is still good.

All in all, a movie worth seeing and I will buy it on DVD when it is released and probably watch it many times in the comfort of my living room.....with the surround sound cranked up!

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 12/29/06 at 11:07am

I have seen Dreamgirls twice. I saw it the day after Christmas and I saw it yesterday as well. And I'm planning to go back one last time when my cousin comes to visit.

The movie was absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!

Let me shill about the performers.

Why are you even bothering, Jennifer Hudson? Just hop a plane to California or something and ask them to just give the Oscar to you. Seriously, she was amazing. She has the most powerful voice I have ever heard, period. And this is her first movie? Her acting was like that of a seasoned pro.

Beyonce was truly phenomenal. And the only movie I've seen her in was Goldmember. She blew me away with Listen.

Anika Noni Rose, who I had the pleasure of seeing on Broadway in her Tony-winning role of Emmie Thibodeaux in Caroline, or Change, was sensational.

Jaimie Foxx was great. He really was able to portray a man whose determination led him to do things I personally would not be proud of.

Eddie, I always knew you could act and with Dreamgirls, you have proved it. Give this guy a biopic or something. I sincerely hope the man wins an Oscar. How ironic that after I saw the movie a second time, I was watching Eddie's Best of Saturday Night Live DVD with my friend.

Keith Robinson was amazing. His character's passion for music truly came across. And he sang the most amazing Family.

One of my favorite actors, Danny Glover, was phenomenal. He turned in a great performance.

Sharon Leal and Hinton Battle did not have enough to do. That's all I have to say.

The musical numbers were phenomenal. Through the first half of the movie, I was practically having an orgasm. I was totally revved up. My favorite shot was watching Curtis, CC, and Wayne walking down that alleyway during Steppin' To The Bad Side. But, of course, the two phenomenal numbers were AIATYING and Listen.

Before this past Tuesday, I had only heard applause once during a movie and that was at the end of The Pursuit of Happyness. People went crazy during AIATYING, I Am Changing, and especially when JHud's name came up at the end. I think they went nuts during Listen but I'm not sure.

I have to say that I would have personally boycotted this movie if they cut Family. We sing that song all the time at the Company Theatre's summer program so it's very close to my heart. And Family was done beautifully in the movie.

I may go back next weekend. I can't wait.

My one quibble: What is that mess on John Lithgow's head?

[RainbowHigh2]

Posted: 12/30/06 at 1:54pm

I saw Dreamgirls at the Ziegfeld yesterday, after reading about everyone's experiences there during the limited release. The digital presentation and sound were stunning!! It was so loud I was dizzy when it was over. If you can get there, the Ziegfeld is one of the best ways to experience this film. Everyone cheered at anything Jennifer Hudson said in the film! And AIATYING -- need I say anything? We were cheering before it was over.

I do have to ask, though - as I was exiting the theater, there was a theater worker with the limited edition posters and program that were given out during the pre-release engagement; she was a little hesistant giving them to people at first, and was telling them they had to make a small donation to "help the handicapped"; when I pulled out some money and asked her what charity it was for, she handed me the program and poster very hastily and went on to the next person and ignored me from then on. Does anyone know exactly what charity this collection was for, if the cash actually did go to charity? The way she acted seemed really fishy. I'm glad to give but only if someone's honest about it.
Updated On: 12/30/06 at 01:54 PM

[americanboy99]

Posted: 1/2/07 at 10:15am

I completely disagree with the last two posters. These "book" numbers are what makes DREAMGIRLS a musical instead of a bio-pic like RAY and WALK THE LINE. If "It's All Over" was cut, that would be tragic. I did not find "Family" odd or hokey at all. My only problem was "Steppin' to the Bad Side". That was a little cheesy, but still not horrible.

However, that one smile from Jamie Foxx at the end really just confused me.