FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Dreamgirls (1 Disc Edition) [DVD] [2006]

Dreamgirls (1 Disc Edition) [DVD] [2006]
enlarge	Director: Bill Condon Actors: Beyonce Knowles, Danny Glover, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment Category: DVD List Price: ~~£19.99~~ Buy New: £2.48 as of 21/11/2009 19:00 GMT details You Save: £17.51 (88%) New (25) Used (38) from £2.00 Seller: selectcheaper Rating: 28 reviews Sales Rank: 1434 Format: Anamorphic, PAL Language: English (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over Region: 2 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 125 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5014437913937 ASIN: B000NQRE3M Theatrical Release Date: 2006 Release Date: May 28, 2007 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review The spirit of Motown runs through the long-awaited film adaption of the Broadway musical iDreamgirls/i, which centres 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 RB 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. p Besides the Supremes comparison, one can't talk about iDreamgirls/i 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 iDreamgirls/i 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.p Still, there are two things even the most cranky viewers will warm to in iDreamgirls/i: 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 iAmerican Idol/i 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 iDreamgirls/i' thrall. i--Mark Englehart/i

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 28 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next » Jennifer Hudson as Effie White is a name to reckon with May 29, 2007 Jay (Mauritius) 12 out of 14 found this review helpful A stellar cast ;Eddy Murphy, Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles and Danny Glover. This mockumentary on Diana Ross and The Supremes (so you thought it was a work of pure fiction ?)has a brilliant soundtrack and great performances from everybody. However, in addition to the 4 names above, there is one newcomer who steals the show; Jennifer Hudson as Effie White is a name to reckon with. The former American Idol contestant shines in her first film; bright enough to win an Oscar. br /Her feisty approach and confident demeanour even when she is eclipsed by Beyonce and sidelined by Foxx is memorable. She has it; reminiscent of Queen Latifah in 'Chicago'. She will go far. br / Amazing Film April 17, 2007 jules 7 out of 8 found this review helpful You either love it, or hate it! br /I loved it, I think Hudson is amazing and Beyoncé and Anika both put in strong performances. br /the only fault I have is that Beyoncés voice is too strong for us to believe she shouldn't be lead! Good Film FANTASTIC singing from Jennifer Hudson March 31, 2008 MJ King (Birmingham, England) 3 out of 3 found this review helpful First of all, this film is NOT the story of Diana Ross the Supremes, no one in it sounds like either Ms Ross or the Supremes there are no obvious Motown sounding songs in the film. br / br /The film's story does take bits of the Supremes Motown's history clearly intends viewers to make the connections. br / br /As such, 'Berry Gordy' (Curtis Taylor Jr. in the film, well acted by Jamie Foxx) comes out badly, being depicted as a money chasing white wannabe, dumbing down the `blackness' of his acts in order to sell records to (white) pop music buyers. br / br /What the movie doesn't do is put this in context; making a success as a black person in 1960s America was harder than most modern day viewers could ever imagine. If it meant some compromises along the way in putting black artists on TV in the charts out of poverty then surely it was worth it. Today's black stars such as Oprah Whitney Destiny' Child have testified how they were inspired by Diana Ross etc. br / br /Anyway, back to the film. The acting is uniformly good, Eddie Murphy shows he can really sing, Beyoncé Knowles shows she can act as well as sing the film is consistently interesting in showing glimces of a long gone time as well as how tough the music business can be. br / br /In truth, if you don't like soul music then you might find the film boring though the amazing vocal performances of Jennifer Hudson should cure you of that pretty quick! (go to the scene where she sings "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" then see if soul music still bores you!!) br / br /Jennifer Hudson is the star of the film well deserves the Oscar she got for her performance. Her acting is surprising good but her singing - sounding a lot like Aretha Franklin at her best - is simply out standing, worth the price of the disk 100 times over! br / br /She shows that Simon Cowell may know what music sells but knows nothing about quality also effortlessly destroys the notion that singers like Duffy, Amy Winehouse Joss Stone are `soul' singers. br / br /This is a real `feel good' film that thanks to the quality of the singing, can be watched over over again! All about Effie White April 6, 2007 Classic Movie watcher 5 out of 6 found this review helpful br /This definitely is the vehicle for Jennifer Hudson's success. She exudes the emotional depth and subtleties of the well-written character Effie White. I could not help admire how the numbers were cleverly arranged with no dialogue needed. The singing itself and the shots spoke for all, as "Family" demonstrated when all tried to persuade Effie to cede singing lead. Jennifer Hudson's powerful, rich, brassy voice is unforgettable - a desperate voice to be heard. Whether she was protesting being replaced by Sharon Leal in the trio, they sang "It's all over" and she sang "And I'm telling you I'm not going" or fighting for a living in "I'm changing", her performances were marvelous. When the Dreamgirls bade farewell in the end, she was exuberant and sang her heart out to her little darling. It is simply a delight to watch the ups and downs (or rather the downs and ups) of Jennifer Hudson. br / br /Other characters are also very watchable and their voices very creditable - Jamie Fox, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover, Keith Robinson (as C.C. White), Anika Noni Rose, Sharon Leal, Queen Lativah. Needless to say, Beyonce Knowles paled in comparison because of her difficult role. Maybe she was too beautiful, maybe her character, Deena Jones, was too perfect and thus appeared unreal and weak when compared with the struggles of those around her. Jennifer Hudson's role as Effie White, by contrast, was all flesh and blood. This could easily have been a movie more on Effie White and less on Deena Jones. The movie could have been more like All about Eve, placing equal emphasis on Bette Davis and Anne Baxter. Jennifer Hudson fully deserves an Oscar - not just for a Supporting Role but for a Leading Role. br / A Dream . . . July 18, 2007 Liz (SA!) 4 out of 5 found this review helpful I disagree with the other reviews -- this movie was beautiful! br / br /It almost seemed to be like a musical, as a lot of conversations ended up in song. br /It gives an eye-opening glimpse into how ruthless the music business can be, and that was in the 1960's! br /The acting and singing was very well done as with the filming. The glittery lights and ever-changing dresses, wigs and make-up also added a thrill. br /Well done to Jeniffer Hudson - I'm sure greater things are to come. She did win many awards (Golden Globe an Oscar etc. etc.)for her performance in Dreamgirls. br / br /A movie for girls and woman who are "girly". [I'm not sure if any guys would tolerate this movie] Showing reviews 1-5 of 28 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next »

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