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Welcome to Movies & Film
Movie Reviews, & Film Industry Commentary
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2006 – PG-13 – 130 min.
Director: Bill Condon
Primary Cast: Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Danny Glover, Anika Noni Rose, Keith Robinson, Sharon Leal
Stars **** 1/2 (of 5)
Popcorn **** (of 5)
Film Type(s): Musical, Show Business, 1960s, Fame
Synopsis: Talented Effie (Hudson), fame seeking Lorrell (Rose), and innocent Deena (Knowles) all have dreams of making it big in the early 1960’s Detroit and are excited when they make their big break as “The Dreamettes” for soul singing sensation James “Thunder” Early (Murphy). Their ambitious and slick manager, Curtis Taylor, Jr. (Foxx), makes some quick maneuvering with Payola and the mob to get his artists heard instead of having his artists hits re-recorded by white artists that take the credit. But after Early breaks down during a performance in Jim Crow Miami, Taylor and Effie’s songwriting brother C.C. have the girls become “The Dreams” but with Deena in the lead now. The girls all have their dreams come true, but at what cost? Many of the songs from Tom Eyen’s original musical were used in the film (“Family”, “It’s All Over”), but the songs “Listen”, “Love You I Do”, and “Patience” were written especially for this adaptation.
Review: A dynamic interpretation of Tom Eyen’s Tony Award winning musical about the career of a Supremes-like group from Director Bill Condon, who Adapted Chicago for the screen in 2002 and had won an Oscar in 1998 for Adapting Gods and Monsters. There are two things that make the film so exciting to watch: the period flavor and the acting, neither of which rings false (as sometimes happens in the artificial realities of musicals). The costumes, makeup, lighting, and overall art direction are all excellent and always put you in the distinct times and places within the film. The real treat is the many wonderful performances. There are simply too many to cite in this article, with every single primary cast member contributing a major piece to the film as a whole. Standouts include Eddie Murphy’s James “Thunder” Early, a soul singer desperately holding on without success, Beyonce Knowles’ innocent but passionate Deena, and Jennifer Hudson’s explosive performance as Effie. A former American Idol contestant, Hudson simply leaps off of the screen in her very first film, blowing the audience away as Effie. She is particularly great in the successive songs “It’s All Over” and “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”, where her increasingly standoff-ish Effie argues with everyone in the group (even Effie’s replacement played by Leal) showing her frustration at the circumstances and the pain of the betrayal and then going right to a one on one with Foxx’s Curtis to confront him about their romance, but without telling him that she is pregnant with his child. Particularly of interest is the interplay between Deena, Effie, and Curtis, and how these relationships alternately have the feel of A Star Is Born (Any of them), Ray, The Five Heartbeats, and What’s Love Got to Do With It…? While it may not be as good a musical as The Wizard of Oz or West Side Story, it still has a distinct flavor that makes it worthwhile and uplifting to see. John Lithgow has a fun cameo as a ‘down and dirty’ 70’s film director.
Awards Likely: Oscar Nominations for Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Murphy), Supporting Actress (Hudson), Best Song nominations for two of these three: “Listen”, “Love You I Do”, or “Patience”, Art Direction, Costume Design, and Editing. There is a slight possibility of nominations for Screenplay and Best Actress (Knowles). Look for Hudson to Win as Best Supporting Actress. She and Murphy have already won the same categories at the Golden Globes.
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