POISON SCOOTER

Dreamgirls

The highly anticipated "Dreamgirls" opened on Christmas Day, to rave reviews. Bill Condon was given the reigns by Warner Brothers (who bought the film rights in the 80s) for the film adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical that had earned over a dozen Tony nominations and Grammy awards for several of its cast members. Honestly, it's sad that something two decades in the making could look so rushed and hodge-podge. I'm not quite sure what the critics saw in this rough, scrappy movie. Possibly they wanted so much to like it, that they disregarded the lack of a store line, character development or any sort of pizazz that you would expect from such a great plot.

Beyonce Knowles plays Deena, a member of an all-girl group called "The Dreams". They are trying to "make it", and get a chance at performing at the Apollo, where they receive a warm reception. Deena is the pretty girl of the group, but her voice does nothing in comparison to Effie's. Effie White is the powerhouse of the trio, and belts out her gospel-driven songs like she's a wolf trying to blow the house down. Jennifer Hudson takes her shot as Effie in the movie adaptation, and does a better job than anyone else of immersing herself in her role.

For a little over two hours, we follow the Dreams as they try to make a name for themselves in the overly white pop music world. An interesting fact that the movie reflects on is that several songs recorded by black groups were "stolen" by record producers and re-recorded by more popular white groups. The original versions of these songs were then virtually erased by radio stations as if they were never there, mainly due to the heavy bribes, called "payola", that would result in the disposal of the previous recordings. This was highly illegal, but highly effective.

The Dreams' manager, Curtis, played by Jamie Foxx, decides that he wants Deena to be the lead singer. He thinks that her lighter voice and weight will carry the group into the pop world. Effie is destroyed by this and decides to leave the group. At this pivotal moment in the film, we are witness to Jennifer Hudson's moment of glory. She sings "And I am Telling You", which won Jennifer Holiday, the original Effie, a Grammy. Hudson puts every ounce of emotion into her performance, which literally had the audience that I was in burst into applause at the end of the scene. I would pay ten dollars again just to see those few moments; screw the rest of the movie.

The next part of the movie speeds up to six years later, and shows how the group has evolved now that the focus is on Deena Jones. She is now more interested in becoming a movie star, and starts to pull away from the girls as well as Curtis. Ultimately, she finds out what Curtis has done to get the group where it is, and is upset about the illegality of it. She contacts an estranged Effie and they begin to heal their deep wounds.

There are a lot of big names in the movie. Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover, Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles...but Jennifer Hudson plows through them all like a pro. Her first role may just be her defining one. The story may be lacking, and you may be confused about just who the characters are, but Hudson's performances as Effie may just be worth it all.

posted by jooliepoison @ 6:23 AM