I’m a Dreamgirl! Me! I AM!

Big Hair, Soul Music, Female empowerment, showbiz cliches: abandoned starlets, drug addled ego tripping lead singers, misunderstood songwriters, race riots, pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, a secret lovechild, svengali managers and astounding performances from Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy.

You want Beyonce in a big hat getting in and out of a stretch limo, or acting the glacial disco queen in a 70s disco complete with neon tubes and gay go-go dancers while trouncing anyone who gets in her way? You want a totally exciting showtune packed piece of musical fluff that entertains and blows you away?

Then this is the one for you.

I loved it.

Dreamgirls is an awesome movie. The music is great. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack since it came out. But the movie is amazing. It is not a dancing and singing movie, although there is some dancing and singing. It’s a drama. An journey of three women. The singing is mainly performances of the talented Dreamettes. It’s not all happy and cheery, there is some grit as there is in real life.

Eddie Murphy does a great job as a James Brown type of character. At the beginning I didn’t have much faith in his performance because I kept picturing his James Brown imitations from Saturday Night Live, but he is real. Each and every member of the cast does a great job. Even Beyonce, who I usually don’t like all that much, was excellent. She plays the sugar-sweet star. She really is gorgeous and she really shines. And she sings her heart out too. Jamie Foxx is a bastard, and he does a hell of a job in that role.

It gave me chills when they were running the credits and they made a big deal with the music and graphics “and introducing, Jennifer Hudson.” She definitely is a star. What a voice. I loved her on American Idol and I love her in the role of Effie. I want to watch it all again.