Dreamgirls (2006)

A trio of black female soul singers cross over to the pop charts in the early 1960s, facing their own personal struggles along the way.

Director:

Bill Condon

Writers:

Bill Condon (screenplay), Tom Eyen (book)

Stars:

Beyoncé Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy

Won 2 Oscars. Another 67 wins & 68 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jamie Foxx	...	Curtis Taylor Jr.
Beyoncé Knowles	...	Deena Jones
Eddie Murphy	...	James 'Thunder' Early
Danny Glover	...	Marty Madison
Jennifer Hudson	...	Effie White
Anika Noni Rose	...	Lorrell Robinson
Keith Robinson	...	C.C. White
Sharon Leal	...	Michelle Morris
Hinton Battle	...	Wayne
Mariah Iman Wilson	...	Magic (as Mariah Wilson)
Yvette Cason	...	May
Ken Page	...	Max Washington
Ralph Louis Harris	...	M.C. (as Ralph Harris)
Michael-Leon Wooley	...	Tiny Joe Dixon
Loretta Devine	...	Jazz Singer

Storyline

Detroit, the early 1960s. Curtis Taylor, Jr., a car salesman, breaks into the music business with big dreams. He signs a trio of young women, the Dreamettes, gets them a job backing an R&B performer, James "Thunder" Early, establishes his own record label and starts wheeling and dealing. When Early flames out, Curtis makes the Dreamettes into headliners as the Dreams, but not before demoting their hefty big-voiced lead singer, Effie White, and putting the softer-voiced looker, Deena Jones, in front. Soon after, he fires Effie, sends her into a life of proud poverty, and takes Deena and the Dreams to the top. How long can Curtis stay there, and will Effie ever get her due?

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Plot Keywords:

singer | trio | 1960s | pop chart | fire | 

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Taglines:

Fame Comes And Goes, Stars Rise And Fall, But Dreams Live Forever

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Musical

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Dreamworks [United States] Official site [Spain]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dreamgirls

Filming Locations:

Alexandria Hotel - 501 S. Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,329,817 (UK) (2 February 2007)

Gross:

$103,338,338 (USA) (13 April 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks SKG, Paramount Pictures, Laurence Mark Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jamie Foxx initially declined to play Curtis Taylor Jr. because the salary offered was insufficient. Denzel Washington was offered the part after Foxx, but declined because he cannot sing. Once Beyoncé Knowles and Eddie Murphy were attached to the production, Foxx rethought his decision and accepted the role.

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Goofs

During "Steppin' to the Bad Side", tambourines appear just before the gospel break. It's part of the choreography, using an old stage and film musical technique.

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Quotes

C.C. White: [knocking on the dressing room door] You ladies decent?
Deena Jones: I am. I can't speak for these two.

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Crazy Credits

The film begins immediately after the distribution studio logos, with no opening titles/credits of any kind.

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Connections

Referenced in Building the Dream (2007)

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Soundtracks

Steppin' to the Bad Side
Written by Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen
Performed by Jamie Foxx, Keith Robinson, Hinton Battle, Eddie Murphy,
Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé Knowles, and Anika Noni Rose
Produced by The Underdogs (Harvey Mason Jr. and Damon Thomas)
Published by Dreamgirls Music (ASCAP) admin. by Universal-Geffen Music and Dreamettes Music (BMI) admin. by Universal-Geffen Music

User Reviews

Fast-Paced Film, Incredible Score, Truthful Performances, Sumptuos Physical Design-What More Do You Want?

I went to a trade screening of "Dreamgirls" a few days ago and from the first seconds of the film, you can tell that you're in for the time of your life. To put it shortly, Bill Condon (director-writer) delivers the goods with this film. It's most definitely the first of its kind. It moves at a rapturous pace that leaves you breathless and delivers performances that are both subtle and fittingly over the top.

The movie explains plot holes from the Broadway musical and adds many historical occurrences (Martin Luther King Jr., etc.) that gives the film a much more social awareness. Most of the sung dialogue from the musical is replaced with spoken with the exception of a few scenes. The music itself has always been wonderful, and this able cast performs it spectacularly.

The performances are something else. Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murhpy, and Anika Noni Rose will blow you away. Murphy's vocals, though not as strong as his leading ladies, suit his character perfectly and shows a vulnerable side to him towards the end that we never knew he had. Rose makes the transition from a giggly little girl into a full-blossomed woman seamlessly, and Hudson-well, let's just say that any major hype you've heard about her does not do her performance justice. Beyonce Knowles will catch you off guard with her beautifully subtle performance, brilliantly channeling Diana Ross with her musical performances. Jaime Foxx, Keith Robinson, Danny Glover, and Sharon Leal also hand in admirable performances.

I could not recommend this film more. It gives hope AGAIN to the movie musical that "Chicago" revived and "The Phantom of the Opera", "Rent", and "The Producers" almost killed. I can't say whether this film will be the next "Chicago" (I do foresee MANY Oscar noms, including Best Pic and others), I certainly hope it will be. I dream it will be bigger. It is definitely not the next "The Producers". I can say this though: It is the first, and only, "Dreamgirls" that we will ever encounter.