Dreamgirls [WS]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Director Bill Condon brings Tom Eyen's Tony award-winning Broadway musical to the big screen in a tale of dreams, stardom, and the high cost of success in the cutthroat recording industry. The time is the 1960s, and singers Effie (Jennifer Hudson), Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose), and Deena (Beyonce Knowles) are about to find out just what it's like to have their wildest dreams come true. Discovered at a local talent show by ambitious manager Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx), the trio known as "the Dreamettes" is soon offered the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of opening for popular singer James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy). Subsequently molded into an unstoppable hit machine by Taylor and propelled into the spotlight as "the Dreams," the girls quickly find their bid for the big time taking priority over personal friendship as Taylor edges out the ultra-talented Effie so that the more beautiful Deena can become the face of the group. Now, as the crossover act continues to dominate the airwaves, the small-town girls with big-city dreams slowly begin to realize that the true cost of fame may be higher than any of them ever anticipated.

~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital Surround
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • 12 never-before-seen extended musical numbers including a Jennifer Hudson performance not seen in theaters
  • Beyonce music video "Listen"

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Sound Mixing - 2006 (Willie D. Burton, Michael Minkler, Bob Beemer)
•     Won Best Supporting Actress - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)
•     Nominated Best Art Direction - 2006 (John Myhre, Nancy Haigh)
•     Nominated Best Costume Design - 2006 (Sharen Davis)
•     Nominated Best Song - 2006 (Willie Reale, Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, Siedah Garrett, Henry Krieger)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actor - 2006 (Eddie Murphy)

• American Cinema Editors Guild

•     Won Best Edited Comedy or Musical Feature - 2006 (Virginia Katz)

• American Film Institute

•     Won Best Picture - 2006

• Art Directors Guild

•     Nominated Best Art Direction in a Period Film - 2006 (John Myhre)

• Austin Film Critics

•     Won Breakthrough Artist - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)

• Black Reel Awards

•     Nominated Best Actor - 2006 (Jamie Foxx)
•     Nominated Best Actress - 2006 (Beyoncé Knowles)
•     Nominated Best Breakthrough Performance - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)
•     Nominated Best Original Score - 2006 (Harvey Mason, Jr., Damon Thomas)
•     Nominated Best Original Soundtrack - 2006
•     Nominated Best Picture - 2006
•     Nominated Best Song - 2006 (Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actor - 2006 (Eddie Murphy)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)

• British Academy of Film and Television Arts

•     Won Best Supporting Actress - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)
•     Nominated Best Film Music - 2006 (Henry Krieger)

• Broadcast Film Critics Association

•     Won Best Song - 2006 (Beyoncé Knowles)
•     Won Best Soundtrack - 2006
•     Won Best Supporting Actor - 2006 (Eddie Murphy)
•     Won Best Supporting Actress - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)
•     Nominated Best Director - 2006 (Bill Condon)
•     Nominated Best Ensemble Acting - 2006
•     Nominated Best Picture - 2006

• Chicago Film Critics Association

•     Nominated Best Supporting Actor - 2006 (Eddie Murphy)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)

• Costume Guild Awards

•     Nominated Best Costumes in a Period Film - 2006 (Sharen Davis)

• Dallas/Fort Worth Film Critics Association

•     Nominated Best Picture - 2006

• Directors Guild of America

•     Nominated Best Director - 2006 (Bill Condon)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pictu - 2006 (Eddie Murphy)
•     Won Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)
•     Won Best Picture - Musical or Comedy - 2006
•     Nominated Best Original Song - 2006 (Scott Cutler, Beyoncé Knowles, Anne Preven, Henry Krieger)
•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Com - 2006 (Beyoncé Knowles)

• Las Vegas Film Critics Association

•     Won Best Supporting Actress - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 2006

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association

•     Won Best Supporting Actress (Runner-up) - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)

• National Board of Review

•     Won Breakthrough Performance by an Actress - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)

• National Society of Film Critics

•     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)

• New York Film Critics Online

•     Won Best Breakthrough Performance - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)
•     Won Best Supporting Actress - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)

• New York Film Critics Society

•     Won Best Supporting Actor (Runner-up) - 2006 (Eddie Murphy)
•     Won Best Supporting Actress - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)

• Oklahoma Film Critics Circle

•     Won Breakout Performance - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)

• Online Film Critics Association

•     Nominated Best Supporting Actor - 2006 (Eddie Murphy)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)
•     Nominated Breakthrough Performer - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)

• Phoenix Film Critics Association

•     Won Best Use of Music - 2006
•     Won Breakout Performance of the Year - On Screen - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)

• Producers Guild of America

•     Nominated Producer of the Year - 2006 (Laurence Mark)

• Satellite Awards

•     Won Best Director - 2006 (Bill Condon)
•     Won Best Picture - Musical or Comedy - 2006
•     Won Best Sound - 2006 (Richard E. Yawn, Willie D. Burton, Michael Minkler, Bob Beemer)
•     Won Best Supporting Actress - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)
•     Nominated Best Adapted Screenplay - 2006 (Bill Condon)
•     Nominated Best Art Direction/Production Design - 2006 (John Myhre, Nancy Haigh, Tomas Voth)
•     Nominated Best Costume Design - 2006 (Sharen Davis)
•     Nominated Best Editing - 2006 (Virginia Katz)
•     Nominated Best Original Song - 2006 (Scott Cutler, Beyoncé Knowles, Anne Preven, Siedah Garrett, Henry Krieger)
•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Com - 2006 (Beyoncé Knowles)

• Screen Actors Guild

•     Won Best Supporting Actor - 2006 (Eddie Murphy)
•     Won Best Supporting Actress - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)
•     Nominated Best Ensemble Acting - 2006

• Southeastern Film Critics Association

•     Won Best Supporting Actress - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)

• Toronto Film Critics Association

•     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)

• Washington D.C. Film Critics Association

•     Won Best Supporting Actress - 2006 (Jennifer Hudson)

• Women Film Critics Circle

•     Won Best Music - 2006

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Jamie Foxx - Curtis Taylor Jr.
       Beyonce Knowles - Deena Jones
       Eddie Murphy - James "Thunder" Early
       Jennifer Hudson - Effie White
       Danny Glover - Marty Madison
       Anika Noni Rose - Lorrell Robinson
       Keith Robinson - C.C. White
       Sharon Leal - Michelle Morris
       Hinton Battle - Wayne
       John Lithgow - Jerry Harris
       John Krasinski - Sam Walsh
       Loretta Devine
       Jocko Sims - Elvis Kelly

• Director:

  Bill Condon

• Producer:

  Laurence Mark

• Screenwriter:

  Bill Condon

• Book Author:

  Tom Eyen

• Cinematographer:

  Tobias Schliessler

• Songwriter:

  Scott Cutler

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Randy Spendlove

• Songwriter:

  Beyoncé Knowles, Willie Reale

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Matt Sullivan

• Composer (Music Score):

  Henry Krieger

• Songwriter:

  Henry Krieger

• Musical Arrangement:

  Harvey Mason, Jr., Damon Thomas

• Songwriter:

  Anne Preven, Siedah Garrett

• Editor:

  Virginia Katz

• Production Designer:

  John Myhre

• Art Director:

  Tomas Voth

• Executive Producer:

  Patricia Witcher

• Set Decorator:

  Nancy Haigh

• Costume Designer:

  Sharen Davis

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Willie D. Burton, Richard E. Yawn

• Choreography:

  Fatima Robinson

• Casting:

  Debra Zane

• Sound Mixer:

  Bob Beemer, Michael Minkler

REVIEW:

• Bill Condon's Dreamgirls is a good entertainment. The flashy costumes and art direction humorously and quickly establish the various time periods, and the thinly veiled references to Motown history help make the film an enjoyable exercise. However, there is something off throughout the movie that keeps it from greatness. Some of the musical numbers occur while the performers are on-stage or in the recording booth, and these songs help express the characters' thoughts and feelings, but other times the characters break into song in everyday life, and these moments -- so natural in the best movie musicals -- feel forced in Dreamgirls. The problem first becomes apparent in the famous "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" sequence where Effie (Jennifer Hudson) pours her heart out both to her bandmates and to the man she loves after being kicked out of the band. The song requires a near-operatic expression of emotion and the movie grinds to a halt, visually as well as dramatically. It is quite literally a showstopper, but while Hudson gives a strong vocal performance, the sequence goes on for so long that the audience becomes aware she is lip-synching. The song is so personal, such an individual expression of anger, grief, and inner turmoil, that even though it plays so powerfully on the stage, it loses something vital in the translation to film, and this disconnect will take some viewers out of the moment. Hudson's hard work impresses, but that may be indicative of just what is off about the entire movie: the filmmakers never let you forget how hard everyone is working. This is underscored during the closing credits, where each craft is spotlighted just as it is during the annual Oscar telecast. The costume director's name appears alongside images of wardrobe sketches and the final costumes made from them. All this work is appreciated, and one is thankful that they cared so much, but the best musicals make all of that hard work seem effortless. The most memorable and evocative moments in movie musicals happen when song and dance are simply the only avenues by which the characters can express the scope of their emotions. There is a lightness to great musicals, and Dreamgirls is certainly not light. Dreamgirls is good, but it would impress more if it weren't so eager to impress. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi