Dir.
Bill Condon, 2006, US, 131 mins
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles,
Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover and Jennifer Hudson
Review by Hemanth Kissoon
“Music is supposed to sell.” Curtis
Taylor, Jr. (Foxx)
Musicals arguably take a greater willing suspension of disbelief
than say watching the Death Star blow up or Julia Roberts'
movie star fall in love with a West London travel-bookstore
owner. Whether a film is sci-fi or wish-fulfillment it attempts
to put credible actions in unreal situations, whereas, musicals
uniquely do the reverse by having the characters suddenly
break into song to reveal concealed emotions or to push the
narrative along. Dreamgirls is no exception to this. How
an audience approaches this film is how they approach the
genre generally.
Dreamgirls is a morality tale about
self-fulfilment, ambition, oppression and arrogance. We
follow the rags-to-riches story of The Dreamettes (Knowles,
Hudson and Anika Noni Rose) as they enter an amateur talent
contest which precedes the main event of James “Thunder” Early
(Murphy). The Dreamettes are innocent but motivated and
their passion and talent (backed by songwriter C.C., played
by Keith Robinson) are recognised by opportunist Curtis
Taylor Jr. who transforms them into a pop force of nature.
Starting in 1960's Detroit and covering over a decade,
this is epic storytelling, as the highs and lows of success,
racism, romance and betrayal are catalogued lovingly and
with great eye for detail. Whereas Chicago, with all its
razzle-dazzle is really just a superficial take on celebrity
with a nod towards female empowerment, here is a film with
a greater attempt at substance.
The best musicals have catchy, passionate songs that can
be listened to without the need for imagery, and Dreamgirls
certainly has many of them. The film references the hey-day
of Motown music with a seemingly thinly veiled look at Diana
Ross and The Supremes, and the turbulent times in America
of segregation, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. There is
also a look at the corruption of the drive for success and
its maintenance once achieved, as well as the situation when
talent and traditional attractiveness are at odds. Parallels
can perhaps be drawn cheekily between The Dreamettes and
Destiny's Child. While the messages are not original at least
something is being said.
Production design, costumes and make-up
are all impressively rich, from Murphy’s James Brown/Little Richard-esque
hair to Foxx’s office fetishising the beauty of Knowles.
There is much to entertain the eye. It has a red-hot cast:
a recent Oscar winner (Foxx), one of the world’s top
modern pop luminaries (Knowles), a reality TV star (Hudson
of American Idol fame), gravitas (Glover), and a revelatory
performance by a comedian in a serious role, à la
Robin Williams in Dead Poet’s Society and Jim Carrey
in The Truman Show, from Murphy. The direction is a little
flat though. Condon has certainly taken a step up from Gods
and Monsters and Kinsey, but he relies on editing rather
than interesting camera-work, which is reminiscent of cookie-cutter
pop videos rather than great cinema.
Dreamgirls is truly entertaining for musical lovers with
its energetic pacing and distinct character creations, which
elevate it above lackluster fair such as the highly over-rated
Chicago adaptation, but it does not reach the imaginative
and stylistic verve of Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge. |
