Theatre It's one of those movies that makes you feel good every time you watch it!
I feel that Dreamgirls is one of those movies that makes you feel good every time you watch it! I think that everything about it is memorable and quotable.
As you all know, it is loosely based on the careers of such R&B groups as the Supremes and others. Anyhow, I'd like to give my thoughts on this movie:
Plot: Though loosely based on the true life story of the Supremes, it is rather original in its own way. We get to see and understand the struggles and dramas that a lot of stars have to face when they become big and when generations take their toll on those people's image.
Characters: Well, all the characters are fairly likable. Effie may seem "pushy, arrogant, rude, inconsiderate, selfish, and delusional", as one reviewer on here put it, but she's actually a poor, troubled soul whose peers are only blinded by Curtis' overbearing authority. Now Curtis, well, some may not see him as a bad person, but he actually is, considering the fact that he pulled a Face Heel Turn earlier on when the hit "Cadillac Car" failed. He's not one to root for, I can tell you that.
Music/Songs: All the songs are quite original, for songs that are supposed to take place in the 60s and 70s, though some might seem out of place, and I think that the kind of style that Dreamgirls incorporates pretty much categorizes it as a musical of its own kind. All good material.
Overall, this is a very good movie, and I think that everybody should watch it if they wanna have anything to feel good about. Jennifer Hudson did deserve an Oscar for her role as Effie, and I think this movie does deserve the praise that it gets. Anybody who writes a review that speaks otherwise about this movie is tasteless. This movie is taste all around. I highly recommend it.
Theatre Poorly done
Dreamgirls is not a good movie, it fails completely at creating likable protagonists and unlikable antagonists, drags, and is filled with boring, uninspired musical numbers that waste our time, which simply kill a musical.
Let me start with the music, I hated it, it was as bland and unoriginal as music can be, I seriously can't remember a single bar or lyric. Maybe sixties music was this bland and they're just trying to imitate, but I really don't think so. The singing was decent enough when Effie wasn't trying way to damn hard, but with such bad material nobody could save it.
Now onto the big problem, the characters, namely Effie and Curtis. I'll say it simply, Effie White is the least likable protagonist I have ever seen. She's pushy, arrogant, rude, inconsiderate, selfish and delusional, her treatment of the Dreams and her associates borders on the sociopathic, she insults Deena and Lorrell and takes advantage of their kindness to hog the spotlight constantly, she hides her pregnancy from the father then runs off for ten years denying Curtis the chance to be a part of Hope's life, and her repeated efforts to immediately embark on a solo career before she even gets established in the music industry is insane.
Now to Curtis, he's not a bad person, he tries (and succeeds) to make those he manages stars, gets them jobs and popularity in white America (which probably did a lot more to help racial relations than a thousand crooning divas) and if it wasn't for his two abrupt and out of character dog kickings I would've continued rooting for him till the end. His plan works, you have to game the system sometimes, and any artist with as many things going against them as Effie had (look, ethnicity, gender and background) would've never made it as a star without some compromises, to think otherwise is ridiculous. Hell, Effie only made it because her friends were there to help her.
All in all, this movie is bad, Jennifer Hudson did not deserve an Oscar for her role and I have no idea whatsoever why it received so much praise, I understand the interest in the rise of African-American's in music, but for the love of God, watch Ray instead, it's much better and Jamie Foxx is supposed to be likable in it.