Webbready

Dreamgirls (2006)

Production Company: DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures
Director and Screenwriter: Bill Condon
Adapted from the musical Dreamgirls written by Henry Krieger (music) and Tom Eyen (lyrics).

“Dreamgirls” is admittedly not a movie that I was interested in seeing at the movie theater. While I would not mind watching a movie such as this on DVD, I’m not necessarily a fan of musicals that play at the cinema. Though the movie theater offers better sound than I have at home, unlike an action-filled motion picture with special effects, I do not see the advantage of being immersed in a world where characters burst into song for little reason other than the necessities of the genre. Although musicals offer the spectacle necessary for me to consider venturing out of the house for the cinema, many try to root themselves in reality at the same time. This works for the stage, which allows this duality to be felt as the audience watches real actors as they perform. With a format such as a DVD or a videocassette, this visceral nature is lost but in its place is the ability to rewind, fast forward, and to analyze the composite piece. However, as movies on the large screen, most musicals simply don’t appeal to me, because they neither carry me away in their whimsy nor have the roots necessary for me to actually care about the actors in front of me.

Fortunately, “Dreamgirls” isn’t a musical that happens to be on the big screeen, but is instead a great movie.

The plot of the movie is rather uncomplicated, with a story that spans the 1960’s and 1970’s. A trio of amateur singers, the Dreamettes (Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé Knowles, and Anika Noni Rose), are given a chance to sing professionally as backup singers to a popular singer, James Thunder Early (played wonderfully by Eddie Murphy). This opportunity takes the three on a ride where success strains their relationships with each other and those around them such as their manager (Jamie Foxx), and family members. There are no attempts to introduce complicated conspiracies or plot twists that make you revisit the movie to understand it. As a result, every scene feels as though it is a natural consequnce of what has come before it and nothing is difficult to understand, even when it is never explicitly stated.

What makes this movie work are two elements. One critical element that exists in any movie is direction. There’s a sense that the director, instead of adapting the play has instead taken great care to flesh out the plot through visuals and to make the tie between the music of this era and how it reflected the larger social questions of the day. Despite the escapist nature of a musical, Dreamgirls never forgets the reality. At the same time, while “Dreamgirls” educates as well as entertains, it is never preachy. The direction brings depth to characters that, if mishandled, could become caricatures.

However, what makes this movie better than most movies is that it is perfectly cast.

Casting is important in all movies, to be sure, but is essential for a musical because the actor’s voice must define his or her character. Where other genres of movies can rely on the subtleties of an actor’s movements to carry a scene, a musical is about spectacle and more importantly the voice. The actor’s voice does not have to be merely great. It must fit the part and carry the emotions of a character. Fortunately, every actor’s voice in this movie fits his or her character perfectly. One could listen to both the dialogue and the songs without opening one’s eyes and still feel the despair, defiance, and triumph in the sound.

To be sure the writing of “Dreamgirls” is not perfect, although as someone who is woefully ignorant of the source material I cannot tell if it were due to deviations from the original musical or a strict adherence to it. Indeed, one of the characters appears to be more of a plot device compared to the fleshed out characters who were introduced prior to her arrival. One can also complain against the contrivances that make the resolution work, or that the ending is far too neat. Finally, some reviewers have argued that while the songs and voices have depth, there is not much new or groundbreaking to those who have lived through the eras the movie takes place in and listened to its music. However, I contend that “Dreamgirls” is meant to have a cross-generational appeal, by featuring popular, younger performers whose characters are very similar to certain popular performers of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Baby boomers and Motown enthusiasts can enjoy the on-screen adaptation of the events of the era, while a younger audience will be moved by the performances of familiar faces in unfamiliar roles.