Dreamgirls (2006)
#40 in my movie challenge for the year was Dreamgirls. Imbalanced. Pretty to look at and sporadically fun to watch. The two actors whose characters are most compelling are Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy. When the focus is on Beyonce and Jamie Foxx, the 2-hour-plus movie drags. Some of the musical numbers are good, especially the early Motown-inspired ones. Hudson’s wows in “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” and Beyonce finally shows some spark in “Listen”, but other songs were so dull I got up to do laundry, and didn’t bother to pause the DVD. Beyonce dressed and made up as Diana Ross was worth seeing, but would’ve worked just as well as a magazine spread. The image didn’t translate to character, and did nothing to engage me in the story, and little to move it forward.