I'm calling shenanigans at the Academy Awards. There's no chance in hell that DreamGirls should come away with only 2 wins.Eddie Murphy should have taken the award for Best Supporting. He was brilliant as Jimmy Early. Who could ever imagine that he could sing so well and with so much soul? It was stellar acting that reminds us that he is a serious acting beyond slap stick comedy. Although he loses points for storming out like a little kid after he lost the award.
The movie was great. It was a nice storyline that mirrored Diana Ross & The Supremes as well as Motown Records. It had its immense highs but unfortunately, some very bad moments as well.
First, the bads. The transitions were way off. The movie seemed too short and lacking in character development in most areas. Also some scenes ought to be cut short. When Jennifer Hudson sang "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" when she confronted the rest of the group about being replaced, sure she had a good set of pipes but the song should have ended about 8 verses earlier.
But there are good things to add. The music was great all around. Beyonce's "Listen" showed us that there is more to her than booty-shaking. That girl's got some lungs on her. 2 nights later I still have that song "Patience" and "One Night Only" stuck in my head.
On a separate note, to the twit who said she was skeletal, you are blind my friend.
The story line is much more than the simple rags to riches story. I like the look into how record labels can both kill and make stars. I never thought I'd see Diana Ross as a sock puppet forced to be famous.
What really put this script up was the acting. Eddie Murphy should have taken the award. Jennifer Hudson was great in her break-out role. That girl can sing. In a movie like this, that's all she needs to do.
Special note on Jamie Foxx. He played his role to the hilt. At the end of the film, I hated the guy.
For that... Mission Accomplished... Although the script writer is an idiot for trying to humanize him at the end. If you spend so much time demonizing him in the movie and succeed, why mess it all up later?
Splendid acting, a good idea and brilliant music have turned this movie into one of the best I've seen and probably see this year.
My Rating (Out of 10):
7.5
1 comment:
I agree mostly but I don't think the writer / director Bill Condon actually tried to humanize Curtis Taylor Jr. in the end. I hated him & I doubt that last part where he discovers he has a daughter was part of efforts to "humanize" him. It's just natural he was shocked to find out.
And if Beyonce looked "skeletal" in the later part of the film, it was because she DID lose weight (20 pounds, in fact) to provide a contrast between the younger & older Deena Jones. So, yeah. :)
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