Hello fellow Cinephiles
This week on our "Monday's Match", I'm bringing a movie I had hidden in the back of my mind but thankfully to a Jamie Foxx appearance on TV, it brought me back.
I'm talking about:
- Title: "Dreamgirls"
- Director: Bill Condon
- Cast: Eddie Murphy; Jamie Foxx; Beyoncé; Jennifer Hudson;
(best yet, it wasn't until I re-watched it this week that I figured John Krasinski there)
- Genre(s): Drama; Musical;
- Released: 2006
- Runtime: 2h 10m
- Plot: The plot takes place back in the 60s in the city of Detroit.
Deena (Beyoncé), Effie (Jennifer Hudson), and Lorrell (Anika) are part of a soul singing trio - "The Dreamettes"; They perform with cheap wigs and dresses until they are discovered by Curtis (Jamie Foxx), a musical manager eager to leave his mark in the music world. Giving them chances of growing as backup singers for James "Thunder" (Eddie Murphy), but eventually, he starts taking charge, and a name change is the least of the problems.
(Note: The movie was inspired in the Broadway show with the same name and that tells the story of the female band "The Supremes" that later we came to know as "Diana Ross & The Supremes)
- My opinion: For those who are familiar with "The Supremes" and their story, this movie is a great depiction of what they went through when the industry rings louder than the music.
It's a great musical, which is rare nowadays.
The songs are very aligned with the plot so that at times some songs are real dialogues! (No flashmobs at the Brooklyn bridge please)
All the actors were in character, so as much that up to this day "Listen" is still a worldwide Beyoncé anthem.
While I love Beyoncé just as much as the girl next door and she did put some effort into her acting (I really believe she was trying to consolidate an acting career back then - hence Pink Panther), she delivered the vocals but the acting was not as good.
However, Jennifer Hudson appears for the first time on screen and steals the show. Eddie Murphy was also great, his character was based on many known artists of the time such as Little Richard, Marvin Gaye, and James Brown.
With such cast, story, and it is an award-winner movie, I totally recommend it. Even if you don't appreciate musicals that much...
