| Dreamgirls (Widescreen Edition) | 
 enlarge | Director: Bill Condon
Actors: Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce Knowles
Studio: DreamWorks
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.99
Buy Used: $2.17
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Avg. Customer Rating:  280 reviews
Sales Rank: 6299
Format: Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 130
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 347824
UPC: 097363478249
EAN: 0097363478249
ASIN: B000O1799U
Theatrical Release Date: December 25, 2006
Release Date: May 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product 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 (Beyonc 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.System Requirements:Running Time: 130 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG - 13 UPC: 097363478249 Manufacturer No: 347824
Amazon.com
The spirit of Motown runs through the long-awaited film adaption of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, which centers around a young female singing trio who burst upon the music scene in the '60s, complete with bouffant hairdos, glitzy gowns, and a soul sound new to the white-bread American music charts. Sound familiar? You aren't the first one to draw comparisons to the meteoric rise of the Supremes, and despite any protests to the contrary, this is most definitely a thinly veiled reinterpretation of that success story. The Dreamettes--statuesque Deena (Beyonce Knowles), daffy Lorell (Anika Noni Rose) and brassy Effie (Jennifer Hudson)--are a girl group making the talent-show rounds when they're discovered by car salesman and aspiring music manager Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx). Sensing greatness (as well as a new marketing opportunity) Curtis signs the Dreamettes as backup singers for R&B star James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy). But when Early's mercurial ways and singing style don't mesh with primarily white audiences, Curtis moves the newly-renamed Dreams to center stage--with Deena as lead singer in place of Effie. And that's not the only arena in which Effie is replaced, as Curtis abandons their love affair for a relationship with star-in-the-making Deena. Besides the Supremes comparison, one can't talk about Dreamgirls now without revisiting its notorious Oscar snub; though it received eight nominations, the most for any film from 2006, it was shut out of the Best Picture and Director races entirely. Was the oversight justified? While Dreamgirls is certainly a handsomely mounted, lovingly executed and often vibrant film adaptation, it inspires more respect than passion, only getting under your skin during the musical numbers, which become more sporadic as the film goes on. Writer-director Bill Condon is definitely focused on recreating the Motown milieu (down to uncanny photographs of Knowles in full Diana Ross mode), he often forgets to flesh out his characters, who even on the Broadway stage were underwritten and relied on powerhouse performances to sell them to audiences. (Stage fans will also note that numerous songs are either truncated or dropped entirely from the film.) Condon has assembled a game cast, as Knowles does a canny riff on the essence of Diana Ross' glamour (as opposed to an all-out impersonation) and Rose makes a peripheral character surprisingly vibrant; only Foxx, who never gets to pour on the charisma, is miscast. Still, there are two things even the most cranky viewers will warm to in Dreamgirls: the performances of veteran Eddie Murphy and newcomer Jennifer Hudson. Murphy is all sly charm and dazzling energy as the devilish Early, who's part James Brown, part Little Richard, and all showman. And Hudson, an American Idol contestant who didn't even make the top three, makes an impressive debut as the larger-than-life Effie, whose voice matches her passions and stubbornness. Though she sometimes may seem too young for the role, Hudson nails the movie's signature song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," with a breathtaking power that must be seen and heard to believe. And for those five minutes, if not more, you will be in Dreamgirls' thrall. --Mark Englehart Beyond Dreamgirls 
Other Musicals on DVD | 
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The Soundtrack | Stills from Dreamgirls (click for larger image)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 275 more reviews...
 Too Much Singing ! July 2, 2008
Knowing it was a musical I was prepared for a fair portion of singing but had not expected a movie hardly with any spoken lines! There must have been about 1 full hour of song and to make matters worse most of the material ranged from forgettable to outright unmelodious or awkward. The cast certainly proved they could sing but with hardly a spoken line and without a decent storyline it made for very long and dull viewing.
 I couldn't "dream" of a better movie!!! June 29, 2008
This movie is so good. It depicts the story of an African American singing group through their journey of fame and fortune in the '60s and '70s. I love this movie. The acting and singing is great. This is by far my favorite musical. The songs are so well written and beautifully song.
 You've got to be kidding me... June 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
One of the more difficult to get through movies you'll experience in a long time. Do not be fooled by the "Best Picture" award. Most musicals feel a need to advance some hint of a plot either with - or between - the songs. Not this film. It simply enjoys its own awful songs too much to let the audience in on any sense of what is going on.
And did they give Jennifer Hudson the Best Stereotype Award? In a one-dimensional role requiring exactly no range from an actress, she hit all the right notes. They give ACTING awards for being yourself in front of a camera now?
Might be the worst "Best Picture" ever.
wonderful June 18, 2008
The great Jennifer Hudson comes out of nowhere to wow us. The audience stood in the movie theater!
Motown Gets the Modern Hollywood Treatment June 14, 2008
2 out of 15 found this review helpful
It isn't really motown. It is more MoWood or HollyTown. Any big budget production out of Hollywood comes with the Hollywood gloss. Always has, always will. Hollywood is not in the business of educating the public. Hollywood's business is to make movies that appeal to the widest possible audience. Once I accept that simple fact, I'm able to just relax and enjoy the flick.
Beyonce can't act and Jamie Foxx can't sing. The script is good but not great. Jennifer Hudson gives a great performance and can sing like a bird. Eddie Murphy's performance is great only in the sense that it is great in relation to the rest of his career. Fortunately, there is nothing so bad in the movie that it kills the fun. Amazing how a high production value can compensate for a lot of venial sins. The singing is great and story perfectly functional. Dreamgirls didn't change my life or inspire me in the slightest but it did entertain me for the entire running time. Dreamgirls did the job it was made to do.
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