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Dreamgirls

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Dreamgirls (2006)

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Reviews Counted:198

Fresh:154

Rotten:44

Average Rating:7.2/10

Consensus: Dreamgirls' simple characters and plot hardly detract from the movie’s real feats: the electrifying performances and the dazzling musical numbers.

Rated: 12A

Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins 1 sec

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:02-02-2007

Synopsis: In 1960s Detroit, a good night onstage can get you noticed but it won't get your song played on the radio. Here, a new kind of music is on the cusp of being born – a sound with roots buried deep in... In 1960s Detroit, a good night onstage can get you noticed but it won't get your song played on the radio. Here, a new kind of music is on the cusp of being born – a sound with roots buried deep in the soul of Detroit itself, where songs are about more than what's on the surface, and everyone is bound together by a shared dream. Curtis Taylor, Jr. (Jamie Foxx) is a car salesman aching to make his mark in the music business – to form his own record label and get its sound heard on mainstream radio at a time when civil rights are still only a whisper in the streets. He just needs the angle, the right talent, the right product to sell. Late for their stint in a local talent show, The Dreamettes – Deena Jones (Beyoncé Knowles), Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose), and lead singer Effie White (Jennifer Hudson) – show up in their cheap wigs and homemade dresses, rehearsing songs and steps by Effie's brother, C.C. (Keith Robinson), with hopes that talent and sheer desire will break them out of the only life that seems available to them. They're young. They're beautiful. They're just what Curtis is looking for. All they have to do is trust him. James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy) is a pioneer of the new Detroit sound, spellbinding audiences all along the "Chitlin' Circuit" with his electrifying blend of soul and rock 'n' roll. Curtis finesses The Dreamettes a gig singing backup for Early, and suddenly, for all of them, the gulf between what they want and what they can have draws closer for the first time. Curtis launches the girls as a solo act, rechristening them The Dreams, knowing in his gut that success lies not with the soulful voice of Effie, but with the demure beauty and malleable style of Deena – despite their history…and Curtis' promises. Deena is ready to step into the spotlight, even as Effie fades away. As a new musical age dawns, Curtis' driving ambition pushes this one-time family to the forefront of an industry in the throes of music revolution. But when the lights come up and the curtains part, they hardly recognize who they've become. Their dreams are finally there for the taking, but at a price that may be too heavy for their hearts to bear. The groundbreaking Tony Award-winning Broadway phenomenon comes to life as an all-new motion picture adaptation written and directed by Academy Award®® winner Bill Condon. A Laurence Mark production presented by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, "Dreamgirls," is a compelling story of love and loyalty, fame and betrayal that tracks the struggle, sacrifices and triumphs of a group of outsiders carrying their landmark sound into mainstream America in the 1960s and '70s. --© DreamWorks [More]

Starring: Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson

Starring: Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Danny Glover, Keith Robinson, Hinton Battle, Anika Noni Rose, John Lithgow, Sharon Leal, Tom Voth, Robert Cicchini

Director: Bill Condon

Director: Bill Condon
Screenwriter: Bill Condon
Producer: Laurence Mark
Composer: Henry Krieger, Stephen Trask
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution LLC

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Reviews for Dreamgirls

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81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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It's fun. It's candy. With colorful costumes, often effervescent tunes (the original production's Henry Krieger wrote four new ones), it's a champagne cocktail.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
12/29/06
Lisa Kennedy
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post

Dreamgirls sizzles most of the time, giving us a slightly Broadway-ized look at an important part of the history of American pop music.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
12/29/06
Lawson Taitte
Lawson Taitte
Dallas Morning News

Soapy story line, campy dialogue-to-song transitions balanced by top notch production, hardy performances. Overall - good musical fun. Jennifer Hudson break-out rocks!

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
12/29/06
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

...The film soars in the right places, especially when powerful newcomer Jennifer Hudson sings, and the charismatic supporting cast keeps it chugging forward.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
12/29/06
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer

Any director hoping to capture racism, catfights, and urban decay with music this square, and filmmaking this haphazard, is a fool.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment 2 Comments
12/29/06
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe

Dreamgirls is like a really fabulous party. The next morning, you don't remember anything special that happened, but you know you had a blast.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
12/29/06
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An excellent performance by a relatively unknown soon-to-be-superstar forms the foundation of "Dreamgirls," the cinematic cover of the stage hit.

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
12/28/06
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

A dream come true? Not quite. But enough sass and brass -- plus a crucial touch of class -- to spark dreams of an at-long-last musical revival.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal | comment Comment
12/28/06
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

A film that in spite of its shiny veneer actually hits all the high notes through its underlying rawness.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
12/28/06
Stephen Saito
Stephen Saito
Premiere Magazine

A well-mounted, gloriously eye-filling and often exhilarating entertainment that brings back some of the delicious excitement of the great movie musicals.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
12/28/06
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

What [director] Condon cannot do is instill in Dreamgirls any beguiling qualities, any magic that would make even those resistant to musicals fall under its spell.

Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
12/28/06
Phoebe Flowers
Phoebe Flowers
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Bill Condon's screen adaptation of the 1981 Broadway sensation is, if possible, as dazzling and energizing as its source.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
12/28/06
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer

If what you value in a movie musical is visual extravagance and a show-stopping performance or two, Dreamgirls will leave you with a feeling of absurd, unreasoning happiness.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment 1 Comment
12/28/06
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

The film is constantly moving, but Condon's camera feels as if it's anchored next to the energy and enthusiasm of Hudson and Murphy.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
12/28/06
Duane Dudek
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

If only a few numbers were less screechy, the movie would be solid gold.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
12/28/06
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

You can feel the music down to your soul.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
12/27/06
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

This is a big, brassy, sometimes messy, often electric musical experience.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
12/27/06
David Cornelius
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com

Condon... propels Dreamgirls like a freight train, hard-charging and unstoppable.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
12/27/06
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

Nightmare on 42nd Street ... Dreamgirls may have wowed Broadway with its ersatz Supremes hits, but it only made me want to yell, "Stop, in the name of love!" in my Diana Ross wig.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
12/26/06
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

While Dreamgirls doesn't quite measure up to Chicago in terms of sheer, self-assured exhilaration, it's strong and sure enough to be declared a resounding success.

Full Review Source: Fresno Bee | comment Comment
12/26/06
Donald Munro
Donald Munro
Fresno Bee
 
 
81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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