Tank

Driis Music

reviewsextraslinksguestbooksitemap

Dreamgirls
Trailer Review


Dreamgirls one-sheet

Bill Condon's adaptation of Dreamgirls has from the jump been touted as something fairly innovative and special, so it's a bit disappointing that the official trailer for the film plays rather conventionally, painting the film as a fairly standard rise and fall showbiz story. Disappointing though the approach may be, it cannot be terribly surprising given that the most recent crop of live action movie musicals have not exactly broken the bank--and so, despite the presence of proven-selling artists Beyoncé Knowles and Jamie Foxx, the trailer curiously obscures what could be one of the film's selling major points: Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen's classic score. Although the film has a number of mass audience-friendly, on-stage performance numbers in addition to the stage-convention book/recitative numbers, footage of said performance numbers are not allowed to play at any substantial length, as tunes such as Eddie Murphy's take on "Fake Your Way to the Top," Knowles' "Dreamgirls," and Jennifer Hudson's "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" (along with instrumental excerpts of "I"m Looking for Something" and "One Night Only") are largely used as mere background score to expository dialogue passages. Also rather expectedly the trailer leans heavily on star power as the three above-the-title stars--Foxx, Knowles, and Eddie Murphy--and not fresher faces such as Hudson and Anika Noni Rose, dominate the run time.

That all said, glimpses of distinctive and highly promising qualities shine through, and they do their job in enticing the viewer to watch more. The most immediately striking aspect is the production and costume design, and as if it weren't already a foregone conclusion, John Myhre and Sharen Davis should be locks for Oscar nominations. As James "Thunder" Early, Murphy looks noticeably invigorated, and this could be the key for an escape hatch from the cuddly family film rut in which he's been stuck for years; he and his love interest Rose also display palpable chemistry. And while this taste offers very little of her delivering spoken dialogue, Hudson's expressive face as we see her character being gradually shunned as the trailer progresses makes one all the more curious to witness the whole of her heavily buzzed-about performance. But in the event the film itself falls short of the potential, the featured song excerpts (given a polish by the Underdogs) at least promises that a terrific new recording of Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen's enduring score is on its way.

(written October 23, 2006)



BUY THE:
DVD!
BLU-RAY!
MOVIE POSTER!
MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK CD!
MOVIE BOOK!
COLLECTOR'S PROGRAM!
MOVIE SHEET MUSIC!
BROADWAY CAST CD!
CONCERT CD!
BROADWAY POSTER!
SHEET MUSIC!

Dreamgirls
The Review
News
Set Visit
"Showstopper Edition" DVD Review
"One Night Only" Review
"Listen" Review
Home



External links:
Underdog Entertainment
Dreamgirls: The Official Movie Site
Keith Robinson @ MySpace
Jennifer Hudson @ MySpace
Anika Noni Rose @ MySpace
Sharon Leal @ MySpace
Jamie Foxx Official Site
Beyoncé Knowles Official Site
Jennifer Hudson Official Site
Dreamgirls Fans @ BlogSpot
Dreamgirls @ The Internet Movie Database
Dreamgirls: Your Virtual Coffee Table Book of the Musical



Dreamgirls @ The Movie Report/Mr. Brown's Movie Site/© Michael Dequina
Image courtesy DreamWorks Pictures
All images and multimedia files are copyright their respective copyright holders and no rights are given or implied
Presented by A-Frame Studios

Fifty Filmmakers

Driis Music

7wallace

Headshell Ltd

Tank

Keith Robinson

Subscribe to Mr. Brown's weekly movie newsletter, The Movie Report:
Name:
Email:
Want a Movie Site shirt, mousepad, or mug? Check out
Mr. Brown's
Movie Merchandise.

BUY!
Dreamgirls one-sheet
  • Dreamgirls Movie Poster
    Dreamgirls DVD
  • Dreamgirls DVD
  • Dreamgirls Blu-Ray
    Dreamgirls - Music from the Motion Picture CD
  • Dreamgirls Motion Picture Soundtrack CD
    Dreamgirls Movie Book
  • Dreamgirls Movie Book
  • Dreamgirls Collector's Program
  • Dreamgirls Movie Sheet Music
    Dreamgirls Original Broadway Cast CD
  • Dreamgirls Broadway Cast CD
    Dreamgirls in Concert CD
  • Dreamgirls Concert CD
    Dreamgirls Broadway poster
  • Dreamgirls Broadway Poster
    Dreamgirls Sheet Music
  • Dreamgirls Sheet Music

  • Please keep The Movie Report/
    Mr. Brown's Movie Site alive
    by generously submitting a PayPal donation.

    Quick Stop Entertainment

    Film Flam Flummox

    web log free