Dreamgirls

This was a film that I was really up for seeing but John was not really keen truth be told. John isn't a big Beyonce fan and this is her star turn (although the real star turned out to be Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson in the role of Effie White) It is based on the Broadway musical of the same name and the film includes many of the original songs along with some new ones just for the film.

The story follows Effie White (Hudson), Deena Jones (Knowles), and Lorrell Robinson - three friends from Chicago - who are a promising singing trio called The Dreamettes. Accompanied by their songwriter C.C. White (Effie's brother), they travel to New York to compete in a talent show at the Apollo Theatre. Although they lose out in the competition, they have the chance to sing back up for superstar James "Thunder" Early (Murphy) where their talent attracts an ambitious manager by the name of Curtis Taylor, Jr. (Foxx) who uses unscrupulous tactics to move the girls from backup singers to superstars of their own. Curtis reshapes the group to "crossover" from R & B to the lucrative pop music scene. Lead singer Effie gets replaced by the more attractive Deena, both in the band lineup and as Curtis' love interest and is eventually dropped from the trio. As the group evolves into a bestselling, slick group, The Dreams, with a lighter sound and chic look Effie is forgotten. They successfully attract a "whiter" audience and The Dreams rise to international stardom. The money, fame, and adulation, however, doesn't bring them happiness. A big show number at the end of the film see's the original Dreamettes lineup reunited in a suprisingly non sickening 'Happy Ending' way.

All in all I really enjoyed it, you can hum along and it was a film filled with music I enjoyed and a good cast with Jamie Foxx (who originally turned the part of Curtis down) Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson and Danny Glover. I even think John enjoyed it!