Dreamgirls (2 Disc Special Edition) [2006]

See Larger Image	Manufacturer: Paramount Home Entertainment Starring: Danny Glover, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy Directed By: Bill Condon Average Customer Rating:


Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Audience Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over Binding: DVD EAN: 5014437933935 Format: Anamorphic Label: Paramount Home Entertainment Manufacturer: Paramount Home Entertainment Number Of Items: 2 Publisher: Paramount Home Entertainment Region Code: 2 Release Date: 2007-05-28 Running Time: 125 Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment Theatrical Release Date: 2006
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Editorial Reviews: The spirit of Motown runs through the long-awaited film adaption of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, which centres around a young female singing trio who burst upon the music scene in the '60s, complete with bouffant hairdos, glitzy gowns, and a soul sound new to the white-bread American music charts. Sound familiar? You aren't the first one to draw comparisons to the meteoric rise of the Supremes, and despite any protests to the contrary, this is most definitely a thinly veiled reinterpretation of that success story. The Dreamettes--statuesque Deena (Beyonce Knowles), daffy Lorell (Anika Noni Rose) and brassy Effie (Jennifer Hudson)--are a girl group making the talent-show rounds when they're discovered by car salesman and aspiring music manager Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx). Sensing greatness (as well as a new marketing opportunity) Curtis signs the Dreamettes as backup singers for R&B star James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy). But when Early's mercurial ways and singing style don't mesh with primarily white audiences, Curtis moves the newly-renamed Dreams to center stage--with Deena as lead singer in place of Effie. And that's not the only arena in which Effie is replaced, as Curtis abandons their love affair for a relationship with star-in-the-making Deena. Besides the Supremes comparison, one can't talk about Dreamgirls now without revisiting its notorious Oscar snub; though it received eight nominations, the most for any film from 2006, it was shut out of the Best Picture and Director races entirely. Was the oversight justified? While Dreamgirls is certainly a handsomely mounted, lovingly executed and often vibrant film adaptation, it inspires more respect than passion, only getting under your skin during the musical numbers, which become more sporadic as the film goes on. Writer-director Bill Condon is definitely focused on recreating the Motown milieu (down to uncanny photographs of Knowles in full Diana Ross mode), he often forgets to flesh out his characters, who even on the Broadway stage were underwritten and relied on powerhouse performances to sell them to audiences. (Stage fans will also note that numerous songs are either truncated or dropped entirely from the film.) Condon has assembled a game cast, as Knowles does a canny riff on the essence of Diana Ross' glamour (as opposed to an all-out impersonation) and Rose makes a peripheral character surprisingly vibrant; only Foxx, who never gets to pour on the charisma, is miscast. Still, there are two things even the most cranky viewers will warm to in Dreamgirls: the performances of veteran Eddie Murphy and newcomer Jennifer Hudson. Murphy is all sly charm and dazzling energy as the devilish Early, who's part James Brown, part Little Richard, and all showman. And Hudson, an American Idol contestant who didn't even make the top three, makes an impressive debut as the larger-than-life Effie, whose voice matches her passions and stubbornness. Though she sometimes may seem too young for the role, Hudson nails the movie's signature song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," with a breathtaking power that must be seen and heard to believe. And for those five minutes, if not more, you will be in Dreamgirls' thrall. --Mark Englehart
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Breathtaking Musical - Mind Blowing Performances. Comment: I've watched this film a couple of times since i've had it, i knew it was going to be brilliant, so i invested a little bit more in getting the 2 - disc showstopper edition, and i'm certainly glad i did. Back in 1981 this film was originally performed as a Broadway musical, written by Tom Eyen and staring Jennifer Holiday, since then it has had a number of changes & new features added to it, the person most responsible for these changes being screenwriter & director Bill Condon, who I must point out did a brilliant job in bringing Dreamgirls to the big screen, the story itself is set in the 60's, has strong references to Motown, and is reminiscent of the Diana Ross and the Supremes era. The film includes a strong, super talented cast including Beyonce Knowles who plays the beautiful girl who's secretly talented, and in the foreshadow of Effie (Jennifer), newcomer Jennifer Hudson who apparently won the part over 782 actresses, very much well deserved as she is an extraordinary singer and really fits her role as Effie, Eddie Murphy who plays James `Thunder' Early and imitates the vocal style of James Brown, Jamie Foxx who plays Curtis, a more deceitful character, and finally Anika Noni rose who joins up with Effie and Deena in the `Dreams`. I never expected the film to be as extravagant, or as well put together as it was, it makes you laugh, cry and it draws you in and makes you feel that you are involved, the film has countless performances each song performed in a different setting, the songs also mark the events in the film, those were the things that really impressed me. If you are planning to buy Dreamgirls, i highly recommend that you buy the 2-disc showstopper edition, as it takes you behind the scenes, and shows you how they made the film, it also contains exclusive interviews with various cast members, original auditions and screen tests and much more, you don't get this on the standard version. Customer Rating: Summary: Unfortunate Comment: There's a half-decent, 90 minute, old-style biopic lurking in here somewhere, but it's unbalanced by too much back story or (more accurately) side-story, viz the whole Florence Ballard thing. A sad story for sure, but unfortunately - and surely unintentionally - the film makes a pretty good case for why she was given the boot. Great technique, amazing voice, but that that's not what pop and selling millions of records is all about. And not exactly what you'd call a team player either... Beyonce's good for the lead - she has the lightweight vocal and personal qualities which made Diana Ross a great pop star (if not a technically great singer) without whom the Supremes would have been just another production line girl group. The rest of the cast is good too, if not exactly stretched. Good to see Eddie Murphy turning it down a bit and just acting. The film seems confused about what it's supposed to be though... the stage songs and the performances are good-ish, if a bit sort of conventional and linear (reminds you how great the original Supremes material was, for sure), but the digressions into conventional musical tropes - what were they thinking? The Florence Ballard aria in the middle bemoaning the injustice dealt her seems to go on for about a month, to the point where you really just wish she would go. So... good cast, decent story, some interesting angles but clumsily executed. Unfortunate. Would have been interesting to see what someone like Paul Thomas Anderson would have done with it. Customer Rating: Summary: All that and then some! Comment: I think my only regret is not watching this movie in the cinema, on a big screen, to get the full experience. It's wonderful! The opening scene, the music, the script, the characters evoke a myriad of emotions. There is, however, no way of mentioning Dreamgirls without giving a mental standing ovation to Jennifer Hudson. She simply stole the show, which is actually a compliment to the other stars, especially Beyonce, that they allowed a 'newbie' to take such role while they played off her. With the famous 'I'm telling you I'm not going', she sealed the deal for her oscar. The DVD is a collector's item, the movie is all that, and then some! Customer Rating: Summary: feels good Comment: THIS IS FANTASTIC!!Entertainment with a capital E.I don't agree with the slating this movie has had.As the blurb says -Sassy,Stylish and Sexy-what more do you want?Jennfer Hudson -What a voice!!I really enjoyed this musical joy and if you don't have this in your collection your missing a rare treat.The film now sits in proud position of my collection alongside Lady Sings The Blues,Fame and Chicago.Buy this NOW! Customer Rating: Summary: Great adaptation but it's no Chicago, Comment: I deliberately waited until all the hype was done; all the awards were won, and until I was no longer tired of Beyonce to view "Dreamgirls." It is indeed an excellent presentation. This film is a roman à clef about the onset and heyday of Motown and in particular one of the most popular R&B groups, The Supremes. We witness their ascent to fame, the divisions between the manager's wants and public tastes and their struggle to remain in vogue in a changing world of popular music. Director of Chicago, another fantastic musical, wheels in a star cast fully showcasing the razzle-dazzle and enchantment of the songs and glittery costumes and wigs by bringing in "Dreamgirls" to the screen. This excellent Broadway production of the 80s put Jennifer Holiday on the map. Apart from top-notch production standards, wonderful costumes, fantastic music, and excellent performances all around, "Dreamgirls" is indeed another wonderful presentation of a slice of African-American life/culture. After watching this I didn't think it was much of a musical so I don't feel its right to compare this to `Chicago' excluding one major scene on stage. I thought all performances were equally fascinating. It's a shame Florence did not have the happy ending Effie did, but such is life. Jamie Foxx gave an understated performance which I found believable. Eddie Murphy also gave a great performance whose impact and appreciation may have been lost due to Eddie's past comedic roles where he basically did the same kind of voice and facial expressions he used here for the Character of Jimmy and I am so glad he got a chance to sing a few songs. I felt this was a strong performance by Eddie especially the scenes where he didn't say a word and his face said it all. It would have been nice to see him win the Academy Award. But there is no denying that Jennifer Hudson overshadows all these Hollywood heavies in this movie with her knockout performance as Effie White. She owns every scene she is in. The part given more meaning for those of us who saw her through the "Idol" drama where she was accused of not having the "Depth" to compete. Well, after I first heard her sing on Idol I too believed she did not belong there....She belonged in a higher place....her voice was a force of nature. Her talent was bigger than IDOL. The dream has really come true for this dreamgirl and I certainly understand the standing ovations it got in some theaters and friends of mine who went to see it in theaters I attest to that. More Reviews