Dreamgirls (Widescreen Edition)

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Actor(s):

Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé Knowles

Director(s):

Bill Condon

Label: DreamWorks
Publisher(s):

DreamWorks

Studio: DreamWorks
Manufacturer: DreamWorks
Binding: DVD
Brand: Paramount
MPN: PARD347824D
Format(s): AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
List Price: $19.99
Our Price: $13.99
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Director Bill Condon brings Tom Eyen's Tony award-winning Broadway musical to the big screen in a tale of dreams, stardom, and the high cost of success in the cutthroat recording industry. The time is the 1960s, and singers Effie (Jennifer Hudson), Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose), and Deena (Beyoncé Knowles) are about to find out just what it's like to have their wildest dreams come true. Discovered at a local talent show by ambitious manager Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx), the trio known as "the Dreamettes" is soon offered the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of opening for popular singer James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy). Subsequently molded into an unstoppable hit machine by Taylor and propelled into the spotlight as "the Dreams," the girls quickly find their bid for the big time taking priority over personal friendship as Taylor edges out the ultra-talented Effie so that the more beautiful Deena can become the face of the group. Now, as the crossover act continues to dominate the airwaves, the small-town girls with big-city dreams slowly begin to realize that the true cost of fame may be higher than any of them ever anticipated.

Amazon.com

The spirit of Motown runs through the long-awaited film adaption of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, which centers around a young female singing trio who burst upon the music scene in the '60s, complete with bouffant hairdos, glitzy gowns, and a soul sound new to the white-bread American music charts. Sound familiar? You aren't the first one to draw comparisons to the meteoric rise of the Supremes, and despite any protests to the contrary, this is most definitely a thinly veiled reinterpretation of that success story. The Dreamettes--statuesque Deena (Beyonce Knowles), daffy Lorell (Anika Noni Rose) and brassy Effie (Jennifer Hudson)--are a girl group making the talent-show rounds when they're discovered by car salesman and aspiring music manager Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx). Sensing greatness (as well as a new marketing opportunity) Curtis signs the Dreamettes as backup singers for R&B star James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy). But when Early's mercurial ways and singing style don't mesh with primarily white audiences, Curtis moves the newly-renamed Dreams to center stage--with Deena as lead singer in place of Effie. And that's not the only arena in which Effie is replaced, as Curtis abandons their love affair for a relationship with star-in-the-making Deena.

Besides the Supremes comparison, one can't talk about Dreamgirls now without revisiting its notorious Oscar snub; though it received eight nominations, the most for any film from 2006, it was shut out of the Best Picture and Director races entirely. Was the oversight justified? While Dreamgirls is certainly a handsomely mounted, lovingly executed and often vibrant film adaptation, it inspires more respect than passion, only getting under your skin during the musical numbers, which become more sporadic as the film goes on. Writer-director Bill Condon is definitely focused on recreating the Motown milieu (down to uncanny photographs of Knowles in full Diana Ross mode), he often forgets to flesh out his characters, who even on the Broadway stage were underwritten and relied on powerhouse performances to sell them to audiences. (Stage fans will also note that numerous songs are either truncated or dropped entirely from the film.) Condon has assembled a game cast, as Knowles does a canny riff on the essence of Diana Ross' glamour (as opposed to an all-out impersonation) and Rose makes a peripheral character surprisingly vibrant; only Foxx, who never gets to pour on the charisma, is miscast. Still, there are two things even the most cranky viewers will warm to in Dreamgirls: the performances of veteran Eddie Murphy and newcomer Jennifer Hudson. Murphy is all sly charm and dazzling energy as the devilish Early, who's part James Brown, part Little Richard, and all showman. And Hudson, an American Idol contestant who didn't even make the top three, makes an impressive debut as the larger-than-life Effie, whose voice matches her passions and stubbornness. Though she sometimes may seem too young for the role, Hudson nails the movie's signature song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," with a breathtaking power that must be seen and heard to believe. And for those five minutes, if not more, you will be in Dreamgirls' thrall. --Mark Englehart

Beyond Dreamgirls

Other Musicals on DVD

More Motown on DVD

The Soundtrack

Stills from Dreamgirls (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

Stunning quality! No regret for BD purchase

This BD version of Dreamgirls is just great.
Besides the movie itself (which is very good), Dreamgirls is beautifully reborn on BD.

Video and Sound quality is just awesome!!
This is my first Blu Ray disc and I feel no regret at all spending money on different format (I own DVD version too).

The movie is good and the price ir right... WHY NOT.

A dream on blu-ray

Dreamgirls was the very first musical I ever had the pleasure of seeing live on Broadway. I loved the story and music then and, with a few reservations, love it nearly just as much now. I won't spend time reviewing the content of the movie beyond saying that Dreamgirls has some truly great musical setpieces, mired in a fragmeted, episodic presentation that I do not remember being so prevalent in the stage production.

As far as this blu-ray release goes, this is 5-star demo material through and through. The source is literally flawless, with colors, contrast and black levels all rock solid. Images are crystal clear with stunning texture detail and depth of field. Like Hairspray, this film appears somehow more colorful than real life. This appears to be the intent of the filmakers and is not a knock against the excellent transfer at all.

Regarding the audio, there is NO HI-RES AUDIO on this disc! This is inexplicable given that it is a musical. However, the included 640kbps Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track is among the best non-hi-res soundtracks I've ever heard. It just makes me wonder how much better it could have sounded in a lossless format (sigh).

In summary, I have some issues with the film overall but would own it anyway for the great music and setpieces. The hi-def video is unadulterated demo material, but the lack of corresponding hi-res audio is a criminal oversight and costs this review one star.

Dream Girls DVD

Received prompt delivery. Since the movie was so highly rated and had good reviews, I was a little disappointed, as it just wasn't to my taste.
Excellent acting, well done -- just not something I'd want to watch again.

In the tradition of the great American musicals.

If they were alive today I am quite sure that Rogers and Hammerstein, Loerner and Lowe and all the others who brought us the great American musicals of the 1940's and 1950's would stand up and cheer for "Dreamgirls". For this is a film steeped in the tradition of those fabulous M-G-M musicals of days gone by. Executive Producer Patricia Whitcher pushed all of the right buttons in assembling an incredibly talented ensemble that makes "Dreamgirls" one of the finest musicals of the past quarter century.
As most people know, "Dreamgirls" is loosely based on the story of Berry Gordy's Motown records and the popular 1960's girl group The Supremes. The star-studded cast includes Eddie Murphy in what just might be the finest performance of his career, the multi-talented Jamie Fox, Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Hudson who earned herself an Acadamy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Effie White. Those of you who are not familiar with the meteoric rise of Gordy's Motown empire in the early 1960's will get yourself a pretty good history lesson here. The rest of us can focus on the splendid acting performances by just about everyone involved. What can you say about the musical score for this film? SImply outstanding! Among the tunes I enjoyed the most were "Patience", "I Miss You Old Friend" and Jennifer Hudson's remarkable performance on a pair of tunes "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and most of all "One Night Only". Add to this mix the terrific choreography throughout "Dreamgirls" and what you have is one thoroughly enjoyable motion picture experience. Frankly, I thought that the first 30 minutes or so of "Dreamgirls" was rather ordinary. Perhaps this is a consequence of the film losing something in the translation from the original stage show. But the film rapidly gains momentum after that and ends in a flourish. I must admit that I am disappointed that I missed seeing "Dreamgirls" on the big screen but this is a flick that I am definitely going to want to see again. Kudos to everyone involved! Very highly recommended!

not for me

i got this for my mom and she loves it so its a good chick flick

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