Sunday, December 23, 2007

Less is Motown: "Dreamgirls"

People were surprised when this wasn't nominated for "Best Picture." They shouldn't have been. Hard for me to see how anyone can watch this without thinking, "And again, with the singing."

Our story follows the rise of a Motown singing group comprised of three women, guided by a ruthless manager and attached to a dynamic James Brown type. In relatively quick order, the girls go from backup singers to their own group -- complete with a dubious lineup change -- then through a sort-of breakup.

It actually covers a lot more ground -- some 20 years, it seems -- than I expected. That was a plus, as were the stage performances. What worked not so much for me was the singing in between those other songs, which makes "Dreamgirls" a full-fledged musical, I guess, but also stretched the movie out too long and made it weaker overall.

There's star power to burn here. Jamie Foxx plays the group's manager, who starts out as a car dealer and ends up as a bonafide a$$hole. (I know. What's the difference?) Eddie Murphy is the James Brown type, which was some inspired casting; remember, the guy could sing when on "Saturday Night Live." Danny Glover is Murphy's manager. Beyonce Knowles -- you know, as opposed to Beyonce Johnson or Beyonce Mason -- is the group's bombshell and eventual lead singer. (Think Diana Ross. It isn't hard.) Jennifer Hudson is the real singer who ends up shut out because, well, she's too fat to be the front woman. Not to be blunt, but hey, the movie is.

Like I said, we get some early Motown sound, then watch the Dreams crossover to the pop charts. After Hudson can't handle being behind Beyonce anymore, the group becomes even more famous, while Hudson drops off the face of the earth. It's all very poignant, or at least it would have been if people just talked a little more than they sang.

Maybe I'm harping on this a bit much, and it's not like I don't like musicals. I still thoroughly enjoy "Oliver!", and I thought "Chicago" was good. Heck, if you want to consider the category broadly, I could claim "The Wizard of Oz," "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," "The Producers" (the original) and "The Blues Brothers" as musicals I like. So don't go calling me uncultured, you d*cks.

With "Dreamgirls," though, the stage and studio stuff is so good that the other musical numbers -- you know, the parts where they otherwise would just talk -- pale by comparison and just drag the movie down. Cut some of that stuff, and this movie goes from two hours and 11 minutes to a shade under two hours and would have zipped along.

The performances are all solid; people raved about Hudson and Murphy, but Beyonce and Foxx are equally good in more subdued roles. As director, Bill Condon may not show the same mastery as with "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh," but he's more than capable here. No, the big thing is those other numbers and the movie's length. Those keep this below "Ray" and even "Walk the Line" in my book. It's still ahead of "The Wiz," though.

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