Simply stated – this movie, this musical, bowled me over and completely enveloped me in its acting, its production value and its music. In my opinion, Dreamgirls creators have done the impossible – they have taken an award winning Broadway musical and made it better than the Broadway show that it was based upon.
The production on screen allowed for a more complete telling of the story behind these women, their successes and their fears. Success in this movie is directly associated with sacrifice – what will these women surrounder to in order to get the dream they want and what will it take for them to claim control over their lives in order to fulfill their destinies.
There are however three production issues that could have been done differently that would have more firmly knitted the music to the storyline:
* First, Beyonce’s “Listen” number was misplaced in a recording studio; its should have played out that evening when she told Curtis she was leaving.
* Secondly, Effie should have received another number – and expansion of “Effie White is Going to Win” in Curtis’ office.
* Finally, the producers should have addressed the most blatant oversight – a musical number for Lorelle. It appeared in the stage version and was cut from th script or the film. Anika Noni Rose did an outstanding job in her role, and the lack of a solo hurt her chances at the recognition that she should have received.
Finally, after you see this movie you need to listen to the soundtrack and see how well the songs express the drama. “And I’m Telling You” is NOT the best song in the movie. That honor belongs to “I am Changing” The unsettling “We Are Family” is meant to stop the story, send a double message, and set the stage for Effie’s impending removal from the group. It works if you understand it, otherwise it feels misplaced.
The message of the movie is that everyone has dreams, and that those dreams can come true if you seize your destiny and make those dreams come true for yourself.