Any way you look at it, "Dreamgirls" works. As a showcase for individual performers, this film adaptation of the Broadway musical will launch the relatively unknown Jennifer Hudson to full-fledged stardom and revive the reputation of veteran Eddie Murphy.
As a slice of social commentary, it examines nearly two decades of popular entertainment, from African-American culture's suppression by a white establishment to its ultimate triumph.
And as pure entertainment, "Dreamgirls" grabs us from the first scene and never lets go. Director Bill Condon (who wrote the screenplay for "Chicago") masterfully blends all the elements of the movie musical, giving us a story that, despite its broad strokes, has moments of shattering intimacy and ribald humor.
Roughly inspired by the story of Diana Ross and the Supremes, "Dreamgirls" begins in the early '60s in Detroit with a trio of teenaged singers struggling for recognition at a talent show.
Deena (Beyonce Knowles) is the slender, pretty one. Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose) is the silly one. The most talented of the three is Effie (Hudson), a big girl with a bigger voice.
Calling themselves the Dreamettes, the three fall under the spell of fast-talking car salesman Curtis Taylor (Jamie Foxx), who takes charge of their careers, dictating their look and repertoire and transforming them from naive young things in frilly frocks to well-coiffed stars of the chiltlin circuit.
But Curtis, a manipulative schemer of Machiavellian intensity, is only getting started. He believes the Dreamettes can be molded to appeal not only to black audiences but to whites as well.
In fact, the girls can be the foundation of Curtis's own record label (if you're thinking Berry Gordy and Motown, you're on the mark).
"Dreamgirls" is positively bristling with terrific musical numbers. The film's re-creation of old-style soul revues is dead on, and Condon cannily explores the evolution of black music during this era.
The film moves along at such a brisk pace there's not a lot of time for conventional character development. Indeed, these are mostly stock characters, stereotypes we've encountered before. But here's the magic of musicals: The songs illuminate the inner life of the characters well beyond what's in the script.
Among the movie's many joys is Murphy's scintillating turn as James "Thunder" Early, a substance-abusing soul man who bears more than a passing resemblance to James Brown. Murphy turns out to be a terrific singer, and his portrayal of a performer who struggles to conform to changing audience tastes provides a cautionary tale about straying too far from one's roots.
"Dreamgirls" has it both ways.
You can look beneath its glitzy and you'll find an incisive commentary on the broad sweep of American popular culture. Or you can just sit and stare. Either way, you'll have a great time.
Cast: Jamie Fox, Eddie Murphy, Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Hudson
Running time: 2 hrs., 11 min.
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