Dreamgirls-NY Times Review

[wickedfan]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 8:06am

A.O. Scott's review, an absolute rave for Jennifer Hudson and the physical design, and rather lukewarm for the film itself (he hates the music):
"The dramatic and musical peak of “Dreamgirls” — the showstopper, the main reason to see the movie — comes around midpoint, when Jennifer Hudson, playing Effie White, sings “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.” That song has been this musical’s calling card since the first Broadway production 25 years ago, but to see Ms. Hudson tear into it on screen nonetheless brings the goose-bumped thrill of witnessing something new, even historic. A former Disney cruise-ship entertainer with a physique to match her robust voice, Ms. Hudson was notoriously dismissed from “American Idol.” This sad instance of pop-cultural philistinism is echoed on the cover of the January 2007 issue of Vanity Fair, which omits her in favor of her better-known, thinner “Dreamgirls” co-stars Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx and Beyoncé Knowles."
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"“And I Am Telling You,” for all the defiance of its lyric and the triumphal swell of its orchestration, is thus an anthem of impotence, a proud woman’s protest in the face of humiliation and defeat. Like it or not, Effie is going. She has no choice in the matter. But it’s not often you go to the movies and see a big-boned, sexually assertive, self-confident black woman — not played for laughs or impersonated by a male comedian in drag — holding the middle of the screen. And when was the last time you saw a first-time film actress upstage an Oscar winner, a pop diva and a movie star of long standing? Ms. Hudson is not going anywhere. She has arrived."
The vehicle that delivers her, however, does not always run smoothly. “Dreamgirls” is a souped-up, collectors’-edition replica of a model that Detroit — I mean Hollywood — used to turn out with ease and regularity. At the moment, and maybe only for a moment, stage musicals seem to be in reasonably good health, with solid revivals and lively new shows filling Broadway theaters. At the multiplexes, however, it’s a grimmer story."
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"No one in the movie expresses this tension better than Mr. Murphy, whose character, a soul singer named James (Thunder) Early, fights addiction, obsolescence and the demands of his own ego. Resorting frequently to the shorthand of montage, Mr. Condon for the most part succeeds in sustaining a narrative and emotional flow that links one song to the next.
But the problem with “Dreamgirls” — and it is not a small one — lies in those songs, which are not just musically and lyrically pedestrian, but historically and idiomatically disastrous. This is a musical, after all, about music, about an especially vibrant and mutable strain of rhythm and blues that proclaimed itself, boastfully but not inaccurately, to be “the sound of young America.”"
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"As the cushioned blasts of overorchestrated thunder assaulted my ears, I would have given anything for a crisp horn chart, a clean drum line, a chattering rhythm guitar or even a memorably witty or catchy verse. Periodically, a character — Curtis, James or Effie’s songwriter brother C. C. (Keith Robinson) — will announce the arrival of a “new sound.” But even though the chronology and the costumes march from doo-wop to disco, everything in “Dreamgirls” sounds more or less the same, as the splashy imperatives of show-tune composing overwhelm everything in their path."
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"Except of course that the dioramas occasionally spring to life when the singers transcend the limitations of the songs. This happens, most memorably, twice: when Ms. Hudson lays claim to “And I Am Telling You,” and when Ms. Knowles, late in the movie, lets loose in a recording booth on “Listen,” one of a handful of new songs written for the film.
Until that point her character, Deena, has been something of an enigma and, for Curtis, the passive vessel of his ambitions. Ms. Knowles’s performance has been static and detached. In her limited work in movies she has never seemed comfortable with acting, shying away from any emotional display that might compromise her steely, hieratic dignity. But when she sings, she is capable of warmth, vulnerability, even ferocity, all of which she demonstrates in “Listen.” You cannot help but obey the imperative of the song’s title, even as you may wish the movie offered more that was worth listening to."

http://movies2.nytimes.com/2006/12/15/movies/15drea.html?8dpc

Updated On: 12/15/06 at 08:06 AM

[JasonM12480]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 9:33am

Very interesting - MSNBC's review is similar, and comments on how the music doesn't hold up, and that the film has issues with direction, etc.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16160164/

Could it be that our hopes of reviving the movie musical may flounder, after all? I think sometimes we (meaning the fans of musical theater) are so engrossed in our own voices, and own world that all we hear and stay focused on is the news within our own interests - we forget that "everybody else" out there may not go for or like what we like - so while we fight and cheer and say "Go see this awesome movie musical", we forget that "the rest of the world" says "This movie isn't that great", because they're not into the same medium we are.

Here's hoping Dreamgirls WILL do well. All 'ya got to do is dream!

[YankeeGal#24]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 1:18pm

Reviews or no reviews, I am seeing it tomorrow, and CANNOT WAIT!!!

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 3:17pm

The music doesn't hold up?! Really...how?

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 3:45pm

That kinda floored me...the music doesn't hold up? What the...?

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 5:37pm

The movie now only has a 77% on Rotten Tomatoes. I'm shocked at how many of these reviews do not like the story or the music. It is wonderful to see how many of them are raving about Hudson. Hers are the kind of reviews that win Oscars.
Dreamgirls- Rotten Tomatoes

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 7:54pm

Yeah, the music sucks . . . that is why Dreamgirls have a big fan base and the people fall in love with it strictly by the music (me) who have never seen the show.

Updated On: 12/15/06 at 07:54 PM

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 7:59pm

If you look on Rottentomatoes.com, the ones giving the negative reviews are the non-popular critics. Not that it means anything, but a lot of the critics (that count) are raving.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 8:08pm

I love, love,love FREAKING LOVE the music from Dreamgirls. The introductory chords before the Dreams appear are some of the most stirring notes I have ever heard. The songs are ravishing. "When I first saw you" makes me weep every time I hear it and, leaving aside the amazing AIATYING, songs like "Stepping to the darkside" and "One Night Only" are superb musical theatre.

Critics really should be licensed.

Updated On: 12/16/06 at 08:08 PM

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 8:12pm

Agreed. I mean, Newsweek, EW, Time, LA Times, and Variety all raved, but then you have major critics like New York Times, USA Today, and Richard Roeper who were mixed to negative about it.

I'm just surprised at its reception so far. Chicago has an 88% on RT and people consider it one of the worst Best Picture winners ever, so I'm wondering what Dreamgirls chances are at this point.

[Raviolisun]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 8:30pm

Interesting. Maybe you just have to be used to music like it before you can really appreciate it.

[Plum]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 8:52pm

...I never thought the score of Dreamgirls was a masterpiece, myself. For every "And I Am Telling You" there's something banal like "Family". The film also took out "Ain't No Party", which is one of the strongest songs in the score. And yeah, the story is pure showbiz cliché, but stories are all in how you tell them. I'm looking forward to seeing the film immensely.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 8:55pm

"with a physique to match her robust voice,"

What a ridiculous statement.

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 9:15pm

I generally trust www.metacritic.com much more than I do Rotten Tomatoes just because of the way it weighs the opinions of its respective contributors. Currently Dreamgirls has 72 approval out of 100 possible.

In comparison to the other potential Best Picture nominees:

The Departed: 85
Babel: 69
The Queen: 91
United 93: 90
Letters from Iwo Jima: 96
Flags Of Our Fathers: 78
Little Miss Sunshine: 80
World Trade Center: 66
Apocalypto: 68
Volver: 84
The Painted Veil: ???
The Devil Wears Prada: 62


Dreamgirls is the middle of the road as far as reviews. However with the marketing team behind Dreamgirls I think it could come down to a race between Dreamgirls and The Departed (Scorcese support) with some competition coming from Letters from Iwo Jima and United 93.

And with past Best Picture Winners:
Crash: 69
which competed against
Brokeback Mountain: 87
Capote: 88
Goodnight and Good Luck: 80
Munich: 74

and finally-

Chicago: 82
which competed against:
Gangs of New York: 72
The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers: 88
The Hours: 81
The Pianist: 85


So I hope this goes to show that the critics voices are very important but in no way, as in the theatrical world, necessarily a deciding factor in the Best Picture race at the Academy Awards.

Updated On: 12/15/06 at 09:15 PM

[kyle.]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 9:56pm

I'm glad people are finally addressing the flaws in the film. While Dreamgirls may by the perfect musical (I think it is pretty damn close), it is not a perfect film by any stretch of the imagination.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 10:09pm

DREAMGIRLS is so far from being a perfect musical - it's not even a great musical. It had a great original staging and a very good score with brilliant original performances.

I have yet to see the film, but from everything I'm reading, the general consensus seem to be that its a good to excellent film adaptation of a good, but very flawed play. Most of the criticisms of the movie are, indeed, citing flaws that have always been present - a weak second act, undeveloped characters etc.

On the reviews note: I'll echo that metacritic is definitely more accurate in my opinion, and seemingly less biased. Rotten tomatoes has received some flack in the past for being partisan to certain studios when determining whether mixed reviews count as "fresh" or "rotten" (since there is no in between).

DREAMGIRLS' critics tally will probably go up slightly after the regional reviews hit on Christmas. The hardest critics on film in general have already weighed in.

[ggersten]

Posted: 12/16/06 at 1:01pm

Michael Bennett is right - I loved the play on Broadway - wore out the OCR - have practically worn out the Concert CD - BUT, Dreamgirls was never the perfect musical or show. As I recall, there was much criticism of the story and characterization - and the show was greatly troubled before Bennett came up with the staging of it. It was brilliantly directed and conceived for the stage. The moving towers weren't just a set design - they were part of the show - it just made for an invigorating time at the theatre. I'm surprised how well the concert version plays (for me) stripped as it is of the theatrics, although I see them in my mind. But my 12 year old loves the CD, so it works magic without the staging.

The negative reviews are pretty much the same as the negative reviews when Dreamgirls opened. And while there may be gnashing today about West Side Story and Gypsy not winning Best Musical - or Ragtime losing to Lion King -- there are few who complain about Dreamgirls losing to Nine.

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 12/16/06 at 1:11pm

well, on Yahoo! Movies, the major critic reviews are summed up, and DREAMGIRLS got a B+
so I think that is pretty good
Yahoo!

[Al Dente]

Posted: 12/16/06 at 1:12pm

"Pretty good" might not cut it. Should get interesting.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 12/16/06 at 2:45pm

Might not cut it in terms of awards? Well, its actually pretty rare that the Best Picture Oscar winner is the *best* reviewed film of the year - its often not in the top ten. Usually, the winner is the film that gets solid reviews and has solid box office receipts, which is why THE DEPARTED is the front runner (at the moment).

I'd say the reviews for DREAMGIRLS are good enough. What remains to be seen is how well it does financially.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 12/16/06 at 4:55pm

"well, on Yahoo! Movies, the major critic reviews are summed up, and DREAMGIRLS got a B+"

""Pretty good" might not cut it. Should get interesting."

I just looked on yahoo's movie website and CHICAGO got a B+ as well and it won "Best Picture." So far, the karma is lookin' good.