I finally saw Dreamgirls because I was under threat of having my gay card revoked and not having anything to talk about at any theater party for the next year. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but it didn’t live up to any of it’s expectations. Yet another case of media overkill for poor Miss Hudson. There’s no doubt she will nominated and possibly win and an Academy Award just because when the lemmings are told that something is good long enough they usually comply. Having seen another supporting actress contender, Cate Blanchett I can fairly say, that if it were between the two of them, Cate’s performance is far more skillful and interesting, but as we know so much more then talent factors into the nomination and actual winning of awards. Particularly talent. Just ask the folks at the Jeff Committee. Mira Sorvino, Julia Roberts and Marisa Tomei are all very happy about this.

Dreamgirls was good, not fantastic, not spectacular, not amazing, but good. Nice. It was like a Lifetime movie with a big budget. The thing with Dreamgirls is, well, it’s a musical, and unlike Chicago, it is basically the story of The Supremes and Motown, but with a Disney ending… so it’s extremely predictable. The only way to really go one step beyond a biopic picture is with casting and direction. Am I right?

The casting is good. Very good. The surprises for me were Danny Glover, Eddie Murphy and…Beyonce Knowles. I thought her portrayal of the wooden little puppet girl was really good…or as good as it could be with the script. The actors barely had a chance to sink their teeth into anything substantial when yet another song started as soon as they uttered a few words. The dialogue was just an excuse to get to the next song as it should be I suppose since it’s a musical, but boy did it get boring. Jennifer Hudson was really good too, but she had the best part. A chunky, tempermental diva with amazing pipes. It’s kind of hard NOT to steal a scene. People did applaud for ‘you’re Gonna Love Me’, and yeah , it’s amazing but I can’t imagine it being anymore amazing then when crazy ass Jennifer Holliday did it. I don’t mean to smite Miss Hudson. I think her story is incredible and obviously so does the press. But like anything halfway decent, the press seems determined to shove it down our throats until it makes us sick and want no more to do with it and I’m afraid that might happen to Jennifer.

The direction was…well I expected a little more, but given the predictable Lifetime script it was well, not meant for the screen in the first place. It’s a stage musical, and the sets and costumes and songs are the thing. People never went to see that show for it’s script. They wanted the divas and the sequins. I mentioned Chicago earlier. At least Chicago had imaginative abstract, surreal moments and I expected Mr. Condon to come up with fresher approaches to some of the scenes, but he didn’t.

Oh, and Urkel’s in the movie, and apparently nobody ages in 9 years in Dreamgirls time.

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