Review: Dreamgirls

UK release date: 2nd February

Showered with Oscar nominations and winner of the best musical Golden Globe, this backstage drama from Chicago screenwriter Bill Condon fulfils the glamour and glitz expectations in spades.

Jennifer Hudson excels as the lead singer of 1960s backing group the Dreamettes, who is sidelined by their new manager, Jamie Foxx, when he decides to promote Beyoncé Knowles to head up the trio.

Plot sound familiar? It is, of course, the thinly disguised story of the rise to fame and fortune of Motown supergroup Diana Ross and the Supremes, with Beyoncé as “Deena Jones”, the statuesquely striking backing singer who catches Foxx’s eye, and American Idol contestant Hudson, a deserved winner of the Golden Globe for best supporting actress, as the rejected and dejected Effie White (think Florence Ballard).

Although uplifting and moving by turns, the tale — based on the hit Broadway musical — too closely follows its real-life equivalent to make any sense as fiction. And, for fans of the Supremes, the admittedly rousing score is simply a frustration and even slows the action in places. However, keeping pace with Hudson, Eddie Murphy (the other Golden Globe winner) is a revelation as a James Brown-style showman, revealing a dramatic depth and maturity previously only hinted at.

Radio Times rating:

***

UK cinema certificate 12A
Running time 130mins

Review by Sue Oates

News: Jennifer Hudson

It’s been a pretty impressive couple of years for this girl from Chicago, who crops up alongside some pretty big names in heer acting debut in this week’s Dreamgirls. Having come a mere 6th in the 2004 edition of the American Idol reality talent show, she beat 750 other actresses to the Dreamgirls role – including someone who’d played the part on Broadway.

The end result? One of those rare acting debuts which has attracted the attention of the Academy, and a Best Supporting Actress nomination – alongside nominations for 20 other awards from around the world. Not only that, but having already won the Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe, she’s considered by most to be the Oscar front-runner, despite being up against the A-list likes of Cate Blanchett. Not bad going for a reality show runner-up… She has, however, got no other films currently in the works.