DREAMGIRLS

By Christopher Rice

We all know that movie these days cost millions and millions of dollars to produce, but what some of us don’t know is where it goes. How is it spent? While watching Dreamgirls, I couldn’t believe my eyes! Every sequence, every scene, and every beat subtly reveals how the money was spent. The spectacle of the sets in the seventies and eighties, the sound of the amazing vocals and instruments, and finally the appearance and performances of some of the best actors in show biz all combine together a la mise en scene to create the look, sound, and feel of this film.

Based on the Broadway Musical, this bio-pic features Beyonce Knowles, Sharon Leal, Eddie Murphy, Jaime Foxx, Danny Glover and introducing, American Idol castaway, Jennifer Hudson making this movie an All Star Cast extravaganza! Every one of these actors will or at least should be nominated for best actor, actress, supporting actor, etc.

And that’s just the cast! No doubt in my mind that the writers, Bill Condon and Tom Eyen will walk away with best screenplay or at least a nomination. And as for Bill Condon’s directing … think Chicago x 10. Expect him to walk away with good old Oscar.

The story is presented to the audience as an emotionally engaging, visually enticing, and crystal clear sounding form of entertainment, music history, and biography. The story presents the real people behind their show-biz persona in a tear jerking reality involving show-biz, old fame, drugs, and money. A true Hollywood tale twisting the politics, romance, and greed is brought to life by the writers, actors, director, and of course the producers, who brought it all together.

With bravado performances as actors, singers, and performers, the cast delivers a power-blow to the audience they couldn’t expect. Eddie Murphy reveals a serious drama never-before seen by audiences and portrays “Jimmy” as a struggling star of yesterday trying to make a come back in the new world of music.

The writing of Curtis’ character, portrayed by Jamie Foxx, is very well written because of the drastic emotional, physical, and character arch. Starting from rags and building his riches, he develops a sense of greed and sadly lets it take over his life, including his music, and wife. Many of the other character are written as consistent characters ranging from stubborn, good, and enthusiastic. It’s because of these characters that the audience is allowed to enjoy the transformation of the characters.

I can’t think of one problem with this one. There’s nothing to complain about and if you do … I’d ask you one question:

“What were you expecting?”