I have not seen this much eagerness for a film since the alleged Lloyd Banks and Diddy sex tape! Dreamgirls is the most anticipated movie of the year and probably the only film that will bond black heteros and gays in the same room. Armed with a powerhouse cast that includes the legendary Eddie Murphy, Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, Tony winner Anaki Noni Rose and Grammy winner Beyonce Knowles, the star power is undeniable – not to mention the American Idol cast away Jennifer Hudson.
As we all know, Dreamgirls was originally a Broadway musical and has been played musical chairs for twenty-five years. The film finally landed in the hands of Bill Condon (Chicago, Kinsey). The movie follows the recycled story of three girls from the ghetto who reach unimaginable success, but suffer racism, greed, and jealousy. The story is loosely based on the life of the iconic Diana Ross, who has publicly spoke against the film.
Dreamgirls is a good movie, but it does not live up to the high-octane hype that has surrounded the heavy promotional tour. It is not a “religious experience,” Beyonce was not born to play the role of Deena Jones nor does it guarantee any of the newcomers a long-lasting career (I do have high hopes for Anaki Noni Rose). Now if films like Soul Plane and Diary of a Mad Black Woman were artistic masterpieces to you then you might find Dreamgirls to be earth-shattering.
The flaws in Dreamgirls have less to do with the actors and more to do with the patchwork storyline from director Bill Condon. Sure, it is great to see black folks singing and dancing on screen, but quite early in the film it is obvious the characters are one dimensional paper dolls with no back story or motivation. The audience never discovers the character’s storyline or passion; all we know are the moments when they are ready to sing. For example, when Curtis Taylor (Jamie Foxx) suddenly dumps Effie White (Hudson) for Deena Jones (Knowles) it happens one minute in a dressing room. Despite mild flirting, there is no build-up, or logical sign that Curtis wanted to bang out Deena, or that Deena would have the audacity to deceive her best friend who was supposedly her protector.
These sketchy moments are littered throughout the over two-hour epic, which forces the film to stand alone on the musical performances – the musical performances are powerful, entertaining and a needed lifesaver, but not enough to declare the film a musical.
Dreamgirls is not really a musical. A good forty minutes travels with no musical sequences and only mild hints that you will soon see an actual musical. Condon admitted this in my interview with him, “There are little moments that subliminally get you ready for it. But it’s not until 40 minutes in, when Jennifer sings ‘What About What I Feel.’ I did want to set up a world where you understand they’re performers and you’re in such a musical world, you hope they can accept it at that point.”
A musical consists of choreography, elaborate stage productions and more singing than dialogue. When one thinks of musicals that were films you think of Rent, Grease, Chicago and Evita – Dreamgirls is far from that.
When Condon has to survive on the storyline of the black female experience he seems to focus on all glamour and no plot. For example, in one scene race riots breakout, in another there are quick clips of racial tensions and newspaper headlines – it feels out of place, as if Condon tossed it in there to satisfy the race relations topic, which was a huge issue in the play. Another example, when Murphy’s character has a drug addiction,it is dealt with in such an “ABC After School Special” manner that you never become emotionally invested in his addiction or recovery.
About halfway through the movie seems to be falling to shambles, scattering all over the screen – predictable plot, choppy scenes, little music sequences, some comic relief… then Jennifer Hudson saves the day with what we have all been waiting for — “And I Am Telling You (I’m Not Going).”
Hudson is no Jennifer Holliday, but I had to watch the scene a part from Holliday’s performance. Without a doubt Hudson claims the song and more importantly, manages to save the entire film. If this riveting scene was not in the film, the movie would be horrendous. “And I Am Telling You” stands on its own, but Dreamgirls the film does not stand without “And I Am Telling You.”
This is one of the few scenes that Condon copied very closely from the original play. In this scene he beautifully let’s the conflict play out – most of the other scenes ends in minutes. “And I Am Telling You” is a full 15-20 minutes of drama and expectation, allowing you to take on the entire journey of Effie White being exiled from the group, which is why she is the most developed character in the film.
For the most part the acting is exactly where it should be. Everyone seemed to understand it is an ensemble cast – however, Hudson is the star and we might as well call it “The Jennifer Hudson Movie.”
Murphy is flawless, Noni Rose is the most trained out of the women and Foxx is enjoyable playing a villain, which we rarely see.
Then we have Miss Beyonce…the great thing about Beyo
nce’s performance is that you can tell she studied, trained, focused, centered her spirit and called on every theatre goddess in the universe to give her the power to play this role. But, Beyonce just can’t act. Her performing scenes were good, and you didn’t see Beyonce, you saw Deena Jones, but whenever Momma had to open her mouth and talk – everything fell apart. Keep in mind, it is easier to emote and become a different person with music and a stage, but when it comes to dialogue and you as an actor, it’s a whole other entity. Also, for Beyonce fans, don’t see this film expecting to see a Beyonce movie. A solid fifteen minutes go by and no Beyonce is on the screen.
Beyonce is no actress. Similar to Madonna – who won a Golden Globe for Evita and gagged when she didn’t receive an Oscar nomination. Beyonce might get a Golden Globe nomination, but I highly doubt she will receive an Oscar nomination and if she does it will be to pacify black audiences.
First and foremost, Eddie Murphy deserves a nomination. Hudson will receive a nomination and from what I hear she will win. Hudson was incredible, but I am curious to see what she will do in the future.
Dreamgirls wasn’t a bad movie, but it wasn’t a classic. This legendary musical seemed a bit too ambitious for the director who doesn’t fully understand the experience of three African-American women dealing with the music industry in the sixties.
Dreamgirls is not the same caliber as classics like Ray or The Color Purple – Hollywood glamour is not enough to make an amazing film. I would recommend Sparkle or The Five Heartbeats over Dreamgirls. Nonetheless, it is a good movie to see over the holidays, but lower your expectations from the hype and you will enjoy it more.
In my interview with Alfre Woodard earlier this year she said, “If you spend more than 40 million dollars on a movie it ain’t going to be aboutnothing.” Interesting point.
Dreamgirls opens December 15th in New York and Los Angeles, and Christmas Day nationwide.
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I have to disagree with Clay. I have studied musical theatre and the movie Dreamgirls was indeed true to the original show. Deena character is the “star” or lead and Effie character is the supporting role. The original show on Broadway as is the Movie version a “fairytale story of the “Supreme’s”. The show and the movie is about “the music”, “the customs”, “the over the top kind of acting”; the tpyical “fat girl vs. skinny girl”, “love and betrayal”. The emotions in a musical is not carried out in the acting but in the singing-it is for this reason it is called a musical. I enjoyed the movie because I was more interested in the music than the acting. Clay, you cannot compare Dreamgirls to Rent. Rent was written in a different time and for a different audience. Dreamgirls is more of a satire; the characters are meant to be stereotypical. Dreamgirls is all about the music. And in my mind and from speaking from musical experience I thought all 3 girls were fantastic. I believe Dreamgirls prove that a movie is not always about the acting; and sometimes a great movie comes along and “music” itself wows us. Jennifer performance of “And I am telling you” was an unforgettable performance. In the theatre I sat in, she recv’ a standing ovation when she ended the song. I think “Dreamgirls” is a classic but what do I know; I’m just 31. I know it’s going in my “collection”.
Thanks!
I have not seen the film yet, but I was lucky enough to be working in the entertainment press in Boston on the night that “Dreamgirls” opened for out-of-town tryouts. So I got to see/hear Jennifer Holliday sing that amazing song live for the first time! So many years later, I still remember the power of that performance.
This review leaves me speechless. Obviously the author did not see the same movie I did. When translating a Broadway smash musical with it’s own set of stellar performances into a movie meant for mass appeal, the director has to take some creative license. Bill Condon did a fantastic job with this movie that will, despite the reviewer’s comments, will be a considered a great cinematic achievement. For those of you who have not seen this movie please see the movie and come to the same conclusion I have…Mr. Cane is wrong, wrong, wrong.
Well I finally saw the the movie yesterday and I must say that on a lot of points Clay was absolutely right. Having seen Jennifer Holliday in the revival of the musical about four years ago in Atlanta, I certainly had to lower my expectations of Hudson’s performance because anyone who has seen Holliday live or clips of her on youtube, knows that it would take a pretty miraculous performance to even come close.
With that said, I will say that while Ms. Hudson proved that she can sing loud, she also proved that she has about as much acting talent as Beyonce, can sing only in one key (the key of loud as hell), and that she never at any point connected with the role she has been so critically acclaimed for. The first song the trio performed in the early talent show was the only time I was impressed with her.
Thank you Lord for putting Eddie Murphy in the movie. Without him this would have been the most boring 2 hours of my life. He deserves every ounce of recognition he is receiving and then some. He totally invested himself in the role and it showed.
Anika Noni Rose and the rest of the players were just there. Can’t really say that they were bad or good because you don’t really have enough material to draw from.
No one really talks about Jamie Foxx’s “Curtis” but I think he did a great job of conveying through his acting what was totally lacking in the script. He played “bad” very well and though you never really see or get the setup for most of his shenanigans, he did manage to make me feel like he had done something villainous (though I only knew what it was from having seen the real musical).
And finally, Beyonce… I dont think she is a great actress but in this case she did show us why she is the best at what she does do well and that is performing. For the first hour of the movie you really don’t notice her because she has very few lines but once she becomes Deena…WATCH OUT! Deena’s perfomance alone made the movie bearable. Beyonce said she studied Diana Ross and you can see without question that she did. At no point did I feel like I as watching Beyonce or Sasha for that matter but I could have sworn The Boss Miss Ross was up there. From the hand motions to the eyes, Beyonce had that woman down pat which leads me to believe that she can act but she CANNOT speak well. By no means is she articulate and if she wants to be taken seriously as an actress, she will have to work on that.
Overall the movie was just like much of what is released in film, television and music today. It was geared toward a younger and far less cerebral crowd who won’t care about characters with depth or actor investment in the role. Condon played on the fact that a lot of this audience would be there to “star gaze” and not for an emotional journey that might actually whisper to any of the social, economic and political injustices that the musical Dreamgirls wailed on (via the magical performance of one now, very over-looked diva, named Jennifer Holliday.
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Aw, shit, Clay! You ain’t said nothing about the bonafide hit “Listen”!??!? I’m still wondering how sweet lil’ “Deena” found Sasha’s massive ass voice.
lol@1:03 blacks werent gang members/thugs in dreamgirls? yeah, they were just gangsters and drug addicts!
I must be the only Black woman who has never seen “Dreamgirls” and did not know any of the songs. I had no expectations, and I thought the movie was good. Apparantly, the Black and gay audience in San Francisco thought the movie was good.
I had no idea who the other female singers were except Beyonce and I’m not a fan, but I think she did well (with her country self). Hudson has a great voice, but she was hardly a sympathetic character in the film. Was the character like that in the play? In fact, she was just too downright b*tchy for my liking, too much the stereotypical “Angry Black Woman”.
I don’t understand how there COULD be a deep backstory when this was based on a fictional play (based on the Supremes) and not a real life story. I don’t think many people care about a back story as much as a spectacle! This is not that deep of a subject.
Besides, one can infer a LOT as to why the characters act the way they do and it’s really boring when a movie spoonfeeds the audience.
But I have to give props because at least this was a movie where Blacks were not gang members/ pimps/ thug/ ho’s!
I am sure that your review is pretty accurate. It is what I was wondering even before I read your review. And as much as I like Beyonce, I still haven’t heard anything from her off of the CD that I really like.
Anyway, I am going to see it anyway….. just because.
Oh Clay your at it again… I did see the movie already at a private showing on South Beach (Miami,Florida). I thought the movie was wonderful. Yes, Jennifer did a wonderful job. But so did Beyonce. Give the girl a break! Your such a hater….
P.S. Do you have a boyfriend??
[Ms.Beyonce}
I bought the soundtrack this weekend, and if the soundtrack is any indication of the movie (I haven’t seen it yet), Clay is dead-on correct.
The saving grace of the vocal performances is Jennifer Hudson. SHE’S GOING TO BE A BIG STAR!! Jennifer’s voice rises above the entire cast. There is something sad in her vocal quality – she must have some acting skills because she really captures Effie’s pain and alienation. Her performance of “One Night Only” gave me goosebumps.
Beyonce is not up to the challenge – I’m not sure if the album is poorly produced or if it’s Beyonce – she just doesn’t have the range or depth to carry the vocals. And lord help us if she has to act in the movie too.
And I don’t know if this will translate onto the movie screen. This is Broadway musical music – not Motown 60′s. It worked amazingly on stage, but creating a movie is a delicate undertaking. It has to provide a portrayal of realism, or at least a suspension of disbelief.
I’ll wait and see when it opens on Christmas Day. No way I’ll pay $25 to see it right now.
So I guess if I chase down the local bootlegman for a copy of this, I shouldn’t feel bad? I knew this wouldn’t live up to the hype! I’m almost sick of hearing about it. Glad J. Hudson is getting her shine, the lady can really sing.
Clay baby, Smooches!
Love the review! I have not seen the movie as yet, and I don;t plan to see the mvie until its been in the theaters for a few weeks and the hype has worn off. For some strange reason I always believe the movie would be well hyped garbage. Beyone can sing, but she has no personality. She is a trained seal once she stops singing, she has no idea what to do or say. The chick is pretty vapid.
She should stick to her true craft, singing, and stop trying so damn hard to cross over more than she already has. It never worked for Elvis or Britney Spears or Madonna or countless other musicians (good bad or otherwise) who attempted to act. Beyonce is trying to ride here wave of popularity into areas where she should not dare to thread. Clearly a “ho sit down” moment.
Jennifer Hudson, she will either be segregated to the “fat chick” roles, or she will drop the weight and “go hollywood” to further her career. She had better ride this wave while it lasts!
That third chick, whoever she is, she will sadly get lost in the mix. No one ever remebers or cares about hte third wheel. Michelle Williams…..
Point taken.
The only thing I want to add is a bit of history… according to some who saw the original run of DREAMGIRLS on Broadway it was Deena, not Effie, who was the lead/star of the show. However, thanks to Jennifer Holliday’s incredible performance of “And I Am Telling You…” the role of Effie was expanded throughout Act II. So while Beyonce’s acting history is dismal, she’s playing a lead role and had been nominated for the Golden Globe accordingly. Though, having seen DEVIL WEARS PRADA, I don’t think she will win. I’m looking forward to seeing this film.
Clay thanks for the review. In the clips that I have seen I saw no difference in Beyonce’s acting. But in the scenes with Jennifer who is inexperienced, I think she did a great job. Hopefully she will get the Oscar. You see Effie was always the lead, supposely the star and that was taken in this movie to get ticket sells with folks wanting to see Beyonce. But in plays I seen Dreamgirls 3 times and Effie was the star…
Good review…..apparently you were right on based on the nomination today.
oh by the way in haste to give my two cents I didn’t mean to say “object their opinion to his critique” but I meant to say express. Sorry.
People, people can’t we all just get along.lol.Anyway just as Clay has his opinion about the film there are those who also have a right to voice or object their opinion to his crtique of the film.Although(once I see the film) I might not agree with his critique of the film,I however found his critique to be excellant. Having been one who has sat through enough Creative Writing courses to know that when critiqueing a person’s work you can’t just say that it’s good or bad but you must cite reasons why this is so. He did this very well and for that I must say that whether I agree or disagree with the opinions expressed, I overall felt as if it was a very well written review.
I hon estly just want it to be good.
I’M NOT ATTACKING CLAY (i’m the anon “no offense” poster, and a few thereafter) …so call off the internet police and arbitrators of fairness…I think we can all agree that everyone is entitled to their opinion, including those who may disagree with you to whatever extent…clay provides a forum for all to comment here, pro and con, including when they may happen to catch some feelings…besides if he can dish out criticism for a living give him credit for being able to take it as well, such as the case maybe…and btw, i’ve seen video clips clay posted up of plays he’s written, acted in and directed…add to that his critical ability and perspective and is it then so farfetched to suggest he could/should try his hand at film making? everyone else is these days you know, (what matter that the suggestion may have been put forth as a perceived “catty dig” at his expense)….it’s not hard to envision him transitioning from reviewing movies to having his own movies critiqued…a little shoe on the other foot action…it can do the body some good…signed YEAHISAIDIT (no time to login and put in a username and password…whatever)
10:43 I think what people are saying is when anonymous people make comments like “go do your own movie” or ” you are a bone fide genius of cinema” and trying to be catty, people might be catty right back with you. Adding anonymous comments like that are unneccassary. People act like they were part of the Dreamgirls cast. It wasnt even a review that attacked the film.
Oh my God, so if you don’t agree with EVERYTHING Clay has to say like a robot, then you get attack. That’s to funny to me
If people don’t like what they read, they can always stop and go to a another blog. Clay was simply offering his opinion of the movie, its neither right or wrong for everyone else—but it should be respected.
My opinions on the movie will be made after I view it (whenever that happens–Im not into musicals). I, however, am sick of all the hype (i.e. which surrounds every Beyonce project). This makes me think the hype is a smoke screen for something the film is lacking.
Anon or whoever you are i think you are taking Clay’s review too seriously. He didnt tear down the movie like he did with Idlewild, Take The Lead and 50 Cent’s movie — those were all really bad movies and Clay ate those up.
Clay never said he was a filmmaker, he is a writer and if you think every critic has to make a movie to be a film critic, or be a singer to be a movie critic then you should stop reading critics reviews or maybe start your own site and you can write review about liking every movie. Hes being invited to screeningss and doing a JOB so there is something he must be doing right. Not only did Clay go to the film he also interviewed the entire cast so he might have some thoughts that you just dont have. You seem weird “pouncing” on him for a movie you havent seen and hes saying go see the film, but it isnt a classic. What is the big deal with that? This is defintely a fair review and i’ll be at Dreamgirls Christmas Day, Im just happy that I know some of the things he pointed out. Like Alfre Woodard’s comment!
im not a stan, just for the people who support Clay’s blog i think a lot of us are sick of these anonymous people attacking him. then you keep coming back! if you dont lijke what he says dont come back. we dont want to read that. i wish clay would just disable anonymous posts.
Thanks for your review. Although I am not a fan of musicals, I was intrigued about this one because of the all black cast. I have always heard about the play and Jennifer Holliday. Unfortunately all the hype is annoying.
As far as Jennifer and Beyonce are concerned, I will save my opinions on their acting when they appear in roles that are a new stretch for them outside of singing and music (Austin Powers definitely doesn’t count).
I am happy for Jennifer though, it is amazing how there is a plan for everything. She may have been booted out of AI, but look at her now. I have seen Eddie, Jamie, and Anaki’s work in the past and they are wonderful.
Just because you book-end what you say with “no offense” doesn’t make you any less of an asshole in between.
….@quaheem, listen, i’m no e-spazz or maniac…i just read your post and was pleasantly amused at your presumptousness…i made a couple of the anon. posts above earlier and i’m glad they were entertaining for you… but just because you put a name to your post doesn’t mean that you aren’t pretty much anonymous and faceless also, this is the internet afterall…i too enjoy clay’s site, and perusing the coments section…make no mistake though, i’m not hiding from anyone or waiting to pounce but just from time to time responding to what may move me as others, including you, are wont to do…i didn’t realize clay had stans, but hey, that’s cool, one could be a lot less…as far as you “laughing your ass off”, i’m happy to be of service…it’s all good, i ain’t mad at nobody…signed, YEAHISAIDIT (my internet tag…if you even care…)
I am rather tired of the hype for this movie. I am happy for Hudson though. I like a good “take that and kiss my ass” to people who write people off. When I heard Beyonce was playing the lead role, I thought “Phuck NO!. She is not Diana Ross in any way. Miss Ross, love her or hate her, is one of the finest performers ever. A great music catalog, actress, and performer; gracious and able to speak eloquently. Bouncy makes me cringe listening to her talk in movie or interview. Embarassing. Anyway, I may check it out, but probably on DVD.
Clay, you are cold about Ross’ albums of 80′s and 90′s. I had to laugh, but ol’ girl had us put out 250k for a private party. She was fantastic. From the inside scoop, she is a smart business woman (especially real estate) and has (and continues)to make killing on tour and private affair. Guess that makes up for those album sales. :)
My hubby bought me the new Supremes’ Great Performances on DVD, and I think that is probably better time spent watching the original Dreamgirls.
P.S. They copy so much from the Supremes’ that they should have paid royalties to Ross, Wilson, Birdsong, and the family of Florence Ballard. I’d be pissed too.
lol…
I really like how the crew of anonymous posters wait in the “cut”…ready to pounce at EVERYTHING you say Clay…
I thought the review was fair…Quite frankly one CANNOT get better than Holliday’s performance of “And I Am Telling You”…Jennifer Hudson’s version is respectable…but everyone and even SHE knows she ain’t Jennifer Holliday..and that fact allowed her to do a good job with the song.
And yes she has a right to be mad…She sang the damn song first…she made history with this project FIRST. That is like telling Little Richard he shouldn’t have been mad at the “due” he was not given for MANY years. You work hard and bust your ass for the appreciation of your artistry. And if you were here wouldn’t you be pissed off if you were dis-invited to the premiere?
And for the Beyonce fans…ADMIT that the girl aint a gifted actor already…I love PRINCE to death but that does not change the fact that his acting in ALL 3 of his films was pretty horrid (Although I think he did a decent job in Under The Cherry Moon)…DAIL IN to reality. Music is her thing and acting aint.
IF I go see this movie it will be for Eddie Murphy and Eddie Murphy ONLY.
Great review Clay…And the more nameless, faceless people that come on here and spazz out just let’s the rest of us sane folks know that you are doing your JOB.
In the meantime…I sit back and laugh my ass off at some of the maniacs that post on here…Pure comedy!
..i am the anon. poster from earlier…and as i stated before NO OFFENSE to clay’s review…i didn’t mean to sound like the film was above being critiqued, that would be ridiculous because everyone is definitely entitled to there own views, it’s a free country…opinions though are not facts, sample them as they may be offered, and then if something is of enough interest to you, expose yourself to it and reserve the opportunity make up your own mind…that’s all…and honestly if clay has such a discerning eye for film criticism he should try his own hand at it, and then be able to see the film he felt should have been made, perhaps he could have made this movie better from his vision of the material, it sounds like it from his indept analysis….ain’t nothing wrong with that….and i ain’t mad at him…!
Clay – I usually am on board with your opinions as if we are almost always on the same page. But after reading your review I know this movie is where our opinions differ (And that’s okay)
I read your review of ‘Dreamgirls’ and I couldn’t help but to grit my teeth at the negative tone it took on what I thought was an incredible film experience.
I could go on about what I think about the movie but I would rather people see it for themself.
Everyone is entitled to how they feel but I myself cannot wait to see the movie a second time around.
Cheers.
As a die-hard Jennifer Holliday fan it was difficult to picture anyone reprising the role. That said, Dreamgirls is at the top of my list for holiday movies to see… thanks for helping me go in with realistic expectations. I guess the funny part is that this is one time the mainstream critics are praising one of our films with exasperated admiration… but as is usually the case – knock us down and we come together to help each other up; build us up and we’ll knock each other down. LOL
I’m so over you new Yorkers getting the movie ten days early. (LOL)
DAMN. I need to plan a Friday day trip and miss school.
Is Noni rose that other girl? because I keep walking around screaming, ” WHO IS THE THIRD DREAMGIRL?” And evereyone is like, “Who cares… I live for Beyonce.”
I think Ms. Knowles is just a help to sell the film. Because the commercial shows her clips more, especially when she is painted up taking that picture and SITTING.
I just hope that I’m not sitting next to some loud boy screaming, ” YES, WERK BITCH. YESS HONEY, I LIVE.”
(I also hope I’m not moved to be that boy. LOL)
-Marz
Crazy…that’s all I have to say. This site has taught me how to gain some tough skin. Although I may not like it, it is what it is. Now to the anonymous person, that’s your opinion and we respect it. See how easy that was.
Right on for the right on Clay, I can’t wait to see the movie and here here for the review.
Clay is entitled to his opinion…and from what I heard, in many ways he is dead on…not everyone that has seen the film have enjoyed it fully…some people I know have walked away wanting more to a certain extent.
I appreciate the magnitude of this film however..it may open the door for a lot more opportunities for US to shine.
As for the Golden Globes all the cast will be recognized (Beyonce twice for Actress Musical / Comedy and Song) but thats going to be it as far as “the majors” go she will not get a Actress SAG nomination (she will get an enseble cast nomination)and she will get the Oscar Nomination but for Original Song…now whats interesting is that everyone is looking for Jennifer Hudson to get a Supporting Actress Oscar Nomination…BUT unlike the other Awards where the voters have to vote for the person in that catergory on that ballot…the Oscar Voters DO NOT…meaning that even though the studio submits Jennifer Hudson for “Supporting Actress” the Oscar Panel could recognize Jennifer as Lead Actress and give her that nomination instead.
to “dreamgirls”: according to Bill Condon (it is right in Clay’s review) the musical portion doesn’t start until 40 minutes into the movie. Performances and musical sequences are different. so who is right – you or the director of his own film?
Jennifer Hudson will be performing tomorrow(12/14) on The Today Show. The same day the Golden Globes are announced. So if you want to see her sing live there’s your chance.
As for the movie I thought it was great, It was a fun time and yes there is music in the film. It starts out with musical performances right in the begiinning of the movie. However, the sung through dialogue doesn’t start until “Stepping to the badside” i don’t know what movie he watched but for the screening I was at that’s when they started singing to each other. The movie is beautiful to watch and hear. i agree on the lack of full character development but when you look at the original play Bill Condon really fleshed out the characters without losing the essence of the play. I loved every minute of it, but Jennifer Hudson definitely takes it to the next level.
To Anony:
Good Lord, it’s a movie review. And a good, well thought out one. He didn’t scream, “It’s shit!” and leave it at that. He gave examples, reasons, things he liked, didn’t like, etc. Plus, most of us who read this would have to pay to see the movie, so wouldn’t it be nice to get an opinion of how it is before you fork over the 10 bucks?
What world is this where unless you made the movie you’re not allowed to say anything about it?
He’s just suppose to clam up, smile big, and thank Condon and whoever else for deigning to let him feast his eyes on the screen. Stupid.
…no offense clay, but these days everybody with internet access is a damn serious critic or journalist…but let me, at the very least say, i will be waiting with bated breath for your own first feature film upon its release…really, i actually half way mean that…from reading your review of this film it seems your own project couldn’t possibly be anything short of 100% perfection since it’s obvious, by your keen observations and understanding of what would constitute brillant directing, editing, acting etc., that you are a bone fide genius of cinema…hell, they such have tapped you to produce dreamgirls yourself since it seems you knew what would have made it a certified CLASSIC…what a wasted opportunity for everyone involved…ahhhh, shucks! like i stated earlier, no offense…i’m just saying….
I will withhold all opinions until I see the film myself, but your review made some interesting points.
-40 minutes with NO music? My first thought was to ask “are you sure?” LOL. I saw in an HBO preview that the music is mostly reserved for times when the characters are either recording or performing.
-I’ve been hoping to hear J.Hud sing during the promotional blitz too, but everyone wants to hear the signature song, and perhaps the studio wants to hold its trump card for paying audiences. Singing “live” in the film would have been quite impressive.
-Madonna had about 2 lines of spoken dialogue in Evita, so I don’t know how more than that will hurt Beyonce. Awards are a strange thing too. But I can’t recall when the Oscars went out of their way to appease black folks. They won’t start now for Beyonce when Eddie and Will are already getting buzz.
-I can deal with wavering performances to a certain extent, but the liberty taken in plot seems problematic. This appears to be something Jennifer Holliday was right about. Then again, Chicago didn’t necessarily delve deep into emotion either.
I look forward to seeing it.
Although I haven’t seen the movie I’m almost certain your review of the movie is pretty much accurate I’m almost certain it’s more along the line of enormous hype and a beautiful facade, but no real content. Now will I see the movie yes, but I won’t be expecting a miracle. I just hope the Beyonce’ fans don’t come along and rip you apart for your review. Also I had a feeling that this movie should have been more of a musical than a movie trying to throw in songs to please the audience.
nice analysis. even without seeing the movie, i already knew that Beyonce couldn’t act. the reason? Carmen: A Hip Hopera. I could have whooped her ass for that garbage- shit even Lil’ Bow Wow did a better job.
I MIGHT go see this movie, but only if i don’t have to pay for my ticket…