comment #1

Rob says ...

Really, this single scene is so good that it upstages the entire movie.

comment #2

sardine says ...

Dreamgirls is SHITTY!

comment #3

FNG says ...

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2006-12-14-dreamgirls-review_x.htm

USA TODAY says that Beyonce' Knowles is "the weakest link."

comment #4

insidah says ...

It's hard to get behind Beyonce. She's that popular girl in school who you naturally don't root for. And knowing how aggresive her stage parents are, etc...it makes one wonder: did we choose Beyonce? Or was she thrust upon us...

That said, she's gorgeous, can certainly sing and seems like a gracious person. But it's understandable why most critics/moviegoers are going to be inclined to get behind Hudson...she's our relatable, vicarious thrill ride.

comment #5

Thrudvangar says ...

Which over-hyped film is worse, Borat or Dreamgirls? I don't plan on seeing either. Just curious.

comment #6

Devin Faraci says ...

Spoken like a true cineaste.

comment #7

nola says ...

Beyonce is close to be over exposed. There is some serious hate flowing her way.

My beef is not that she is the popular girl, it's what she did (kicking the two orginal members out of Destiny's child, nose job, blond weave, making sure she is the lightest member of the group) to reach the top. She wants to be a triple threat like Steisand or hell even J.Lo, but we'll see. At least J. Lo has Out of Sight and Selena under her belt.

comment #8

Mark says ...

The last time was 11 years ago when Angelina's lips upstaged Lorraine Brocco (Oscar nominated), Marc Antony (pop divo), and Fischer Stevens (greatest actor of all time) in Hackers.

comment #9

Mike Schaefer says ...

"Beyonce is close to be over exposed. There is some serious hate flowing her way.

My beef is not that she is the popular girl, it's what she did (kicking the two orginal members out of Destiny's child, nose job, blond weave, making sure she is the lightest member of the group) to reach the top."

Not to mention acting as Jay-Z's beard. Does she get paid extra for that? :-)

comment #10

christian says ...

beyonce is a soul singer without soul.

and she can't act. period.

comment #11

nola says ...

Mike, no you didn't!!

comment #12

Bilge says ...

"But it's not often you go to the movies and see a big-boned, sexually assertive, self-confident black woman -- not played for laughs or impersonated by a male comedian in drag -- holding the middle of the screen..."

Isn't this the same thing everyone was saying when audiences went nuts for Queen Latifah in CHICAGO? Modern-day musicals love this sort of stuff.

comment #13

christian says ...

salon.com fairly trashed the film too.

not a steamroller as suspected...

comment #14

bmcintire says ...

And hilariously, while trashing it, they said the following:
"Maybe the picture would be more pleasurable . . . if it were constructed as a sharp, sly entertainment like Rob Marshall's film of Bob Fosse's "Chicago"
You can practically see the steam coming out of Jeff's ears already.

comment #15

NYCBusybody says ...

Whenever a minority has an important moment or role in any form of media, idiot writers breathlessly ask, "when have you seen this before, my GOSH!"

Please. As was pointed out above, "Chicago" had the exact same damn thing, a fat black woman singing a boisterous song, that everyone loved. So there. That's where I've seen it before.

I'm all for minority representation in media, but to act like it hasn't been there for years and years smacks of an agenda. As The Onion once hilariously said, "remember a time where almost all the most popular music wasn't all made by black people and children?"

But of course, Stephen Merritt is "racist", so what do I know?

comment #16

MattyC says ...

NYC, honestly.

Queen Latifah's ONE SONG was comic relief, and certainly not comparable to Jennifer Hudson's role in Dreamgirls, which is the emotional heart of the movie.

"When You're Good to Mama" was a flukey song, not the showstopping highlight of the film. That's the difference.

comment #17

NYCBusybody says ...

Fair enough, but I think it's silly to gasp about minority representation in musicals, of all places. About the only minority I can't think of as being well-represented in musical theater (and musical film) recently are Jews. There simply aren't enough Jewsicals.

comment #18

NYCBusybody says ...

Nevermind, I just thought of "The Producers".

Bengali dwarves. That's the ticket.

comment #19

MattyC says ...

"Jewsicals"

lol. Somewhere, a lightbulb just went on over Mel Gibson's head.

comment #20

LYTrules says ...

(kicking the two orginal members out of Destiny's child, nose job, blond weave, making sure she is the lightest member of the group)

Particularly ironic given the plot of Dreamgirls and its real-life origins.

comment #21

Argen says ...

And to be fair, I think the point was more that a basic nody came along and outshown the stars of the movie. Musicals (on stage and on film) have a long history of having a number that one of the supporting characters gets and can sell. But if JH is really having this effect, it is a first in a very long time.

I realize you don't believe that non-whites have a more difficult time making a place for themselves in the industry, NYC, but really just calm down and stick to subjects you are knowledgable about. Which would lead to another leave of absebce like the one you took after the elections. (Please, sir, can we have some more?)

comment #22

Argen says ...

And by "nody", I of course mean "nobody". Sorry to switch languages on you like that.

comment #23

nemo says ...

I yield to no man in my occasional irritation with NYCBusybody. But if he keeps coming up with occasional gems like "Jewsicals", then I hope he keeps posting occasionally.

By the way, didn't New York Jews more or less invent the musical back in the 20s and 30s? The Gershwins, Irving Berlin, etc. etc. etc. with an occasional token gay WASP such as Cole Porter.