Dreamgirls

Dreamgirls recently won three Golden Globes including Best Picture (Musical or Comedy),and prior to its release last December the film has garnered an overwhelming amount of positive attention,but as a reviewer from Washington Post describes it-[this is] an uneven success.Firstly,the movie did have its share of right things-casting Jennifer Hudson and Beyonce as Effie White and Deena Jones respectively was undoubtedly a good choice-even though Hudson largely outshines Knowles;perhaps this is due to the way the characters were written-Effie seems textured and compelling,having to deal with self-destructive habits while unrelentingly pursuing her ambitions,whereas Deena,effortlessly beautiful and born a neatly-packaged artiste,is mostly spoon fed and her inner character remains slightly unchanging despite experiencing a shift of priorities/principles,hence there is little to Deena we're given to sympathise for.Eddie Murphy didn't impress me much,but it's worth mentioning he's bearable to watch in Dreamgirls.The biggest problem Dreamgirls suffers is in the way it dutifully,obligingly follows the typical musical movie routine-heavy emphasis is placed on its musical performances rather than storyline,hence the story features an embarrassing amount of emotional depth,character development is done impatiently as to not steal the thunder that rightfully belongs to the musical performances (it is based on an on-stage musical after all).Moreover,the movie proceeds in a pattern that predictably becomes aggravating very fast-good/bad things happen one after another,each followed by its own performance,hence half the movie's running time when the characters aren't singing,things happen very quickly (and we're supposed to mindlessly nod along).The relationships seem incomplete and halfheartedly constructed,the most obvious example being how neither of Curtis (Jamie Foxx) romances with Deena or Eddie seem genuine or properly developed at all.Following this route wouldn't lead to a crash&burn if the musical performances had the strength to sustain all other damage,unfortunately none of the material featured here can.Aside from Hudson's ''And I'm Telling You'' (this is when the movie starts gaining momentum,so take it as a cue to wake up) and ''I Am Changing'',as well as Beyonce's ''Listen'',the rest of the songs seem tiresome,dull and uninspiring.Even Chicago,with its Hollywood-ish characters and bloody Renee Zellweger (complete with ugly blond wig and annoying squeaky voice) in it,at least it had an AMAZING soundtrack that was full of personality and charm.By the time the credits rolled at the end of Dreamgirls,all i had to say was ''So that's it?''.Briefly summed-half the time you'll be waiting for things to happen or for Jennifer Hudson to appear,the rest of the time you'll enjoy the few performances that truly impress-hence,it's appropriate to call this an uneven success.Don't expect too much.

*Random Note-John Lithgow (Dick,3rd Rock From The Sun) & John Krasinski (Jim,The Office US) have a brief cameo as Beyonce's film (titled Cleopatra.how tacky) creators.If only John Lithgow had a cameo in The Office.Wow that'd make me poop butterflies and see stars in my dinner plate.Must not put hopes too high.