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Ever since they were twelve years old, The Dreamettes—Effie (Jennifer Hudson), Deena (Beyoncé Knowles), and Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose)—always dreamed of someday getting their Big Break. And one night, during a talent show in 1960s Detroit, they got it. When Jimmy “Thunder” Early (Eddie Murphy) found himself without backup singers for his big performance, The Dreamettes were there to step in.
With the help of smooth car salesman and sometimes-manager Curtis Taylor, Jr. (Jamie Foxx), the girls get themselves a permanent job as Jimmy Early’s backup singers. With his new label, Rainbow Records (a little bit of cash to get the attention of DJs around the country), Curtis helps Jimmy Early and The Dreamettes cross over into pop music—but he has even more in mind for the girls. He realizes that they have the potential to be much more than just backup singers—so he decides to break them out on their own. If they’re going to be pop sensations, though, they need to make some changes—and that means replacing Effie’s strong R&B voice with Deena’s lighter sound. And as the new group, The Dreams, become more and more successful, the rift in the group grows—until Effie is forced out and quietly replaced.
As time passes, the three women learn the price of stardom. Effie struggles to survive as an unemployed single mother. Lorrell tries to maintain a relationship with the married Jimmy Early. And Deena finds that Curtis—her manager and, eventually, her husband—controls everything she does.
This big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical is every bit as entertaining as it promises to be. The music is almost always fantastic. The story is captivating. And even though it’s well over two hours in length, it never feels long or drawn-out.
Eddie Murphy is in his element as Early, proving that he really needs to back away from the kids’ movies and get back to doing what he does best. In playing the animated R&B singer, he channels his old “James Brown’s Celebrity Hot Tub Party” SNL sketch—and that alone makes the movie worth seeing. Beyoncé gives a surprisingly understated performance as Deena. Instead of showing up in all of her diva splendor, she tones things down—and it really works for her. In fact, it’s her best on-screen performance yet.
But Beyoncé isn’t the one you’ll be talking about when you walk out of the theater. There’s no question that former American Idol contestant Hudson steals the show as Effie. She may not have won the Idol recording contract, but I’d say she’s got a good chance of earning an Oscar nod—if not a win—for her mind-blowing performance. At the screening I attended, members of the audience actually applauded whenever she performed a musical number. Some even gave the occasional standing ovation—and she deserved it.
Dreamgirls is, without a doubt, the perfect holiday release. It’s not heavy or preachy. It doesn’t try to make a statement or prove a point. It’s just plain fun to watch—exactly what you need to help you unwind from the hectic holiday season.
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