KEY POINTS:
Herald rating: * * *
Dreamgirls might be set in the late 60s and early 70s but this story about the commercial nature of the music industry will resonate with the current Idol generation.
Originally a Broadway stage show, Dreamgirls is loosely based on the story of Diana
Ross and the Supremes, and has been adapted and directed for the big screen by Bill Condon, the screenwriter of award-winning Chicago.
Condon's film looks glossy, and an enormous amount of detail has gone into the visual impact of the film. The sets are sexy, the costumes, wigs and makeup are all stunning, and the film twinkles and shines with the glitz of the entertainment industry.
And then, there's the acting, or rather, lack of it. We expect that the film's big names - Knowles, Foxx, and Murphy - can sing and perform on stage, but singing and dancing on stage is about all they do, which makes justifying the three Golden Globe Awards (and Oscar nominations) this film has nabbed a stretch.
Dreamgirls is the simple story of the Dreamettes, three young woman - Deena, Effie and Lorrell - who have been singing together since they were 12 and dream of making it big in the music industry.
They get their break when ambitious car salesman Curtis Taylor jnr (Foxx) gets them a gig supporting singer James "Thunder" Early (Murphy), and from there they launch out on their own, but only after replacing fuller-sized lead singer Effie (Hudson) with Deena (Knowles), who has the right look to front a successful group.
Dreamgirls is a lengthy affair. You get to the point that when Effie turns to camera and opens her mouth you can't help but think, no, please, no more. To be fair it's not so much the singing that's the problem - it is a musical after all - but that the songs just aren't that great. Apart from a few standout tracks they tend to fade into one another.
Hudson might have landed herself a Golden Globe for best performance by an actress in a supporting role, but she overcooks the intensity. She's a force of nature, proving she can do stroppy and angry and belt out a tune, but I'm not sure where Hudson goes from here as an actress.
Dreamgirls looks great and sticks largely to the original stage show, which will delight fans, but it's an endurathon that only occasionally manages to create an emotional impact.
Cast: Danny Glover, Eddie Murphy, Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson
Director: Bill Condon
Running time: 130 mins
Rating: M, contains drug references
Screening: SkyCity, Hoyts, and Berkeley
Reviewer: Francesca Rudkin
Verdict: Glitzy but exhausting