Dreamgirls (film)

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Dreamgirls
Directed by	Bill Condon
Produced by	Laurence Mark Executive producer: Patricia Whitcher Co-producer: David Geffen
Written by	Book, 1981 musical: Tom Eyen Screenplay: Bill Condon Lyrics: Tom Eyen Siedah Garrett Anne Preven Willie Reale
Starring	Jamie Foxx Beyoncé Knowles Eddie Murphy Danny Glover Jennifer Hudson Anika Noni Rose Keith Robinson Sharon Leal Hinton Battle
Music by	Songs: Henry Krieger Scott Cutler Beyoncé Knowles Song producers: The Underdogs Score: Stephen Trask
Cinematography	Tobias A. Schliessler
Editing by	Virginia Katz
Distributed by	DreamWorks SKG/ Paramount Paramount/UIP
Release date(s)	December 15, 2006 January 18, 2007 February 2, 2007
Running time	131 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Official website
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Dreamgirls is a 2006 Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning musical film jointly produced and released by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures. The film debuted in three special road show engagements beginning December 15, 2006, with a nationwide release on December 25, 2006, and a wide release on January 12, 2007. On May 1, 2007, Dreamgirls will debut on DVD, Blu-ray, and HD DVD. Dreamgirls won three awards at the 64th Golden Globe Awards ceremony in 2007, including Best Picture - Musical or Comedy, and won two Oscars at the 79th Academy Awards.

A musical set in the 1960s and 1970s with a predominantly African-American cast, Dreamgirls is adapted from the 1981 Broadway musical of the same name. The musical was loosely based upon the history and evolution of American R&B music over the years, and contained several allusions to the lives and careers of Motown Records act The Supremes, allusions which the film version expands upon.^[1]. Dreamgirls follows the lives of three women — Effie White, Deena Jones, and Lorrell Robinson — who, as members of an R&B singing group called "The Dreamettes," become famous as the backing group for soul singer James "Thunder" Early, thanks to manipulative manager and record label executive Curtis Taylor, Jr. Conflict arises when Curtis desires to transform the Dreamettes into "The Dreams," a pop-friendly act, particularly when he has Deena replace Effie, as both lead singer of the group and as his romantic interest.

The film adaptation of Dreamgirls, which had been in development at various times during the 1980s and 1990s, stars Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, and Eddie Murphy. The film also features Danny Glover, Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose, Keith Robinson, Sharon Leal, and Hinton Battle. Produced by Laurence Mark, Dreamgirls was written and directed for the screen by Bill Condon, screenwriter of the Academy Award-winning film adaptation of Chicago, working from the original Broadway book by Tom Eyen and the Broadway songs by Eyen and Henry Krieger. Jennifer Hudson, an American Idol alumnus who made her film debut in Dreamgirls, won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Effie White.

Contents 1 Plot summary 1.1 Act I 1.2 Act II 2 Production history 2.1 Pre-production 2.2 Stage to script changes 2.3 Casting notes 2.4 Production notes 2.5 Music 3 Reception 3.1 Premieres, road show engagements, and general releases 3.2 Critical and celebrity reaction 3.3 Awards 3.4 Related promotions and products 4 Allusions to factual events 5 Cast 6 Songs 6.1 Act I 6.2 Act II 7 Awards 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

[edit] Plot summary

As in the original stage musical, the plot of Dreamgirls can be broken up into two acts: the first taking place from 1962 to 1965, and the second taking place from 1973 to 1975.

[edit] Act I

The film begins in Detroit, Michigan in 1962, as an amateur African-American girl group known as The Dreamettes enter a talent competition at the Detroit Theater. Backstage, the three girls — full-figured lead singer Effie White (Jennifer Hudson), Deena Jones (Beyoncé Knowles) and Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose) — meet Curtis Taylor, Jr. (Jamie Foxx), an ambitious Cadillac dealer with plans of breaking into the music business. Placing himself as their manager, Curtis arranges for the Dreamettes to tour as backup for a regional R&B star, James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy), by striking a deal with Jimmy's manager Marty (Danny Glover). The tour takes Jimmy and the girls across the country on the chitlin' circuit.

Hoping to help Jimmy and the girls cross over to mainstream audiences, Curtis starts his own record label, Rainbow Records ("The Sound of Tomorrow"), out of his car dealership's office, and makes Effie's brother C.C. (Keith Robinson) his head songwriter. However, when Rainbow's first single fails after a white pop group releases a cover version, Curtis, his sidekick Wayne (Hinton Battle), and C.C. turn to payola. By paying the right people, Curtis manages to get Jimmy and the Dreamettes to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and into a headlining gig at the Apollo Theater. Offstage, Effie is quickly becoming infatuated with the slick-talking Curtis, and Jimmy - a married man - begins an adulterous affair with Lorrell, who becomes equally as lovesick as Effie.

Marty grows weary of Curtis' plans to make Jimmy's image and sound more pop-friendly, to the point that he walks out on Jimmy. However, when Curtis finds that he cannot completely remake Jimmy into a pop act, he shifts his attention back to the Dreamettes. Feeling that Effie's voice is too "special" (read: black) and her figure too large to attract white audiences, Curtis appoints the slimmer and softer-voiced Deena as the lead singer of the Dreamettes.

With the aid of new songs and a new more glamorous image, Curtis and C.C. transform The Dreamettes into The Dreams, a top selling pop act whose popularity comes to rival that of The Beatles by 1965. However, the betrayed Effie does not take kindly to being reduced to Deena's backup, and begins acting out, becoming even more unruly when Curtis's affections also turn towards Deena. When Effie, feeling ill, does not turn up to rehearse for the Dreams' Las Vegas debut, Curtis replaces Effie with his secretary, Michelle Morris (Sharon Leal). Effie, who has just learned she is pregnant, arrives at the Caesar's Palace venue to discover Michelle has replaced her, and after a nearly violent argument, finds herself without her group, without her brother, and without Curtis.

Ratings
Australia:	M
Brazil:	12
Canada (Brit.Col):	PG
Ireland:	12A
Singapore:	PG
United Kingdom:	12A
United States:	PG-13

[edit] Act II

The film jumps ahead to 1973. Effie is broke (having fallen into alcoholism after being fired from the Dreams), and is raising her eight-year-old daughter Magic (Mariah I. Wilson) alone on welfare in the burnt-out inner city of Detroit. On the other hand, Rainbow Records has moved to Los Angeles, where it prospers with Deena Jones & the Dreams - as the group is now known - and many other pop acts. Curtis and Deena are now married, and, wanting to expand the Rainbow empire into film, Curtis plans to have the unwilling Deena star in a blaxploitation musical version of Cleopatra. Hoping that the struggling film project will never get off the ground, Deena begins secretly meeting with other studios to take a part in another film.

Though still part of the Rainbow roster, Jimmy Early's star has long faded, and Curtis has little interest in revitalizing his career. Unsatisfied with both his wife Melba (Dawnn Lewis) and his long-term mistress Lorrell, Jimmy turns to drugs for affection. C.C., although in an ironic relationship with Michelle, continues to reach out to Effie, who stubbornly ignores the letters and money he sends. Eventually, Effie swallows her pride and, with Marty as her manager, returns to singing and secures gigs at a small Detroit club.

In 1974, Rainbow Records hosts a tenth anniversary TV special featuring its roster of stars. Midway through his performance of a pop-friendly love song, Jimmy breaks out into a wild James Brown-esque funk number and drops his pants on live TV. Curtis resultantly terminates Jimmy's contract, and Lorrell, weary of their eight-year affair, leaves Jimmy behind as well. Some time later, Jimmy dies of a heroin overdose.

Angry over Jimmy's death and frustrated with Curtis' attempts to "drain the soul" out of his music to create a "new sound" (disco), C.C. walks out on Rainbow Records, going back to Detroit to find Effie. The two siblings reconcile at a wake for Jimmy and work together to produce Effie's comeback single, "One Night Only". Just as the record begins gaining radio play, however, Curtis strikes. Using payola, he forces radio DJs to play a disco cover of "One Night Only" by Deena Jones & the Dreams instead of Effie's original.

Curtis has also learned of Deena's covert meetings with other film producers, and asserts his control over his wife. Rebuffed, Deena sneaks into Curtis' office and unwittingly discovers information about Curtis' payola schemes and how he stopped Effie's record. She calls Effie and C.C., who arrive at the Rainbow offices with Marty and a lawyer. As Deena and Effie reconcile, Curtis works out a deal with the lawyer to avoid being reported to the FBI for payola: Rainbow Records will fund a new label for C.C., which will allow Effie's record national distribution. Curtis confronts Deena, only to find that Effie's victory has inspired Deena to leave Curtis and make it on her own.

As a result, Deena Jones & the Dreams give a farewell performance at the Detroit Theater. At the conclusion of the concert, Effie joins Deena, Lorrell, and Michelle onstage, and the reunited Dreams give one final performance of their signature song, "Dreamgirls". Fittingly, it is Effie who sings lead, while the other three ladies sing back-up. As the concert ends, Curtis takes notice of Magic in the front row, and realizes that he is the girl's father.

[edit] Production history

[edit] Pre-production

Since the 1980s, several different attempts have been made to produce a film adaptation of Dreamgirls, a Broadway musical loosely based upon the story of The Supremes and Motown Records which won six Tony Awards in 1982. David Geffen, the stage musical's co-financier, retained the film rights to Dreamgirls, although he turned down many offers to adapt the story for the screen, feeling a need to preserve the integrity of Dreamgirls stage director Michael Bennett's work after his 1987 death.^[2] Geffen, who ran his Warner Bros.-associated Geffen Pictures film production company at the time, began talks with Broadway lyricist and producer Howard Ashman to adapt it as a star vehicle for Whitney Houston, who was to portray Deena. The production ran into problems when Houston wanted to sing both Deena's and Effie's songs (particularly "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"), and the film was eventually abandoned.^[3]

When David Geffen co-founded DreamWorks SKG in 1994 and dissolved Geffen Pictures, the rights to Dreamgirls remained with Warner Bros. Warner planned to go ahead with the film, to have been directed by Joel Schumacher, in the late 1990s following the success of the Tina Turner biopic What's Love Got to Do with It (1993). This version was planned to have starred Lauryn Hill as Deena and Kelly Price as Effie. After Warner's Frankie Lymon biopic Why Do Fools Fall in Love failed at the box office, the studio shut down development on Dreamgirls.^[3]

DreamWorks' Dreamgirls adaptation came about after the film version of the Broadway musical Chicago was a success at both the box office and the Academy Awards. Screenwriter and director Bill Condon, who wrote the screenplay for Chicago, met producer Laurence Mark at a Hollywood party in 2002, where the two discussed a long held "dream project" of Condon's - adapting Dreamgirls for the screen. They were able to convince David Geffen to lease them the rights to the musical by presenting Condon's concept of telling the Dreamgirls story in a larger context, incorporating the significant changes and events that took place in the United States during the American Civil Rights Movement which occurs at the time of the story.^[4]

[edit] Stage to script changes

While much of the stage musical's story remains intact, a number of significant changes were made. The Dreams' hometown - the setting for much of the action - was moved from Chicago to Detroit, the real-life hometown of The Supremes and Motown Records. The roles of many of the characters are fleshed out and further developed giving them more substance and relating them more closely to their real-life inspirations, following a suggestion by Geffen.^[2] For example, Curtis Taylor's music empire expands beyond Deena Jones & the Dreams, to more closely resemble that of Berry Gordy's Motown, and C.C. White, as the head of songwriting and production at Rainbow Records, is more clearly a Smokey Robinson analogue than he was in the original play. Also, the story's first locale is not the Apollo Theater, as in the stage musical, but a local talent show in Detroit, as the film version of Jimmy Early builds up to the level of star power he already has in the play.

Warner Bros., who still retained the film rights to Dreamgirls, agreed to co-produce the film with DreamWorks. However, after casting was completed, the film was budgeted at $73 million. Worried about the budget, Warner backed out of the production, and Geffen, taking the role of co-producer, instead had Paramount Pictures co-finance and release Dreamgirls. During the course of production, Paramount's parent company, Viacom, would purchase DreamWorks, aligning the two studios under one umbrella.^[2]

[edit] Casting notes

Jamie Foxx was the first actor approached to play Curtis Taylor, Jr. However, the actor turned the part down because DreamWorks could not meet his salary demands. Denzel Washington, Will Smith, and Terrence Howard were among the actors approached after Foxx turned down the part of Curtis.^[5] R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles was cast as Deena Jones; she was the only actress tested for the part. Comedian Eddie Murphy, who had a brief musical career in the 1980s, was approached to play James "Thunder" Early and accepted. As a result, Dreamgirls became Murphy's first film for Paramount since 1995; the actor at one time had an exclusive contract with the studio.

Upon learning that Knowles and Murphy had signed on, Foxx rethought his original decision and accepted the role at a lower salary than he originally requested.^[6] R&B star Usher was to have been cast as C.C. White,^[7] but contract negotiations failed: Usher was unable to dedicate half a year to the film project. Rapper Andre 3000 was also offered the role, but declined.^[8] After briefly considering R&B singer Omarion,^[9] singer/actor Keith Robinson was cast in the role.^[10]

The most crucial casting decision involved the role of Effie White, the emotional center of the story. It was decided that a relative unknown would be cast, paralleling the casting of then-21-year-old Jennifer Holliday in that role for the original Broadway production. Seven hundred eighty-three singing actresses auditioned for the role of Effie White, with two of the top contenders being American Idol alumnae Fantasia Barrino and Jennifer Hudson. Although Barrino had won the title of "American Idol" during the year she and Hudson were on the show, David Geffen rejected the idea of having Barrino play the part, and Hudson was cast as Effie.^[11][12]

Anika Noni Rose, a Broadway veteran and a Tony Award winner, won the part of Lorrell Robinson after an extensive auditioning process. At five feet and two inches, Rose is at least four inches shorter than most of her co-stars. Therefore, she was required to wear (and dance in) four and five-inch heels for much of the picture, which Rose later stated caused her discomfort.^[6] This is not Rose's first screen appearance with an American Idol contestant; she was also in the unsuccessful From Justin to Kelly with Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini.

Loretta Devine, who played Lorrell in the original Broadway play, has a cameo in the film as a jazz singer who performs the song "I Miss You, Old Friend" in Jimmy's wake scene. Another Dreamgirls veteran present in the film is Hinton Battle, who was a summer replacement for James "Thunder" Early onstage and here portrays Curtis' aide-de-camp Wayne.

[edit] Production notes

After Hudson was cast in November 2005, the Dreamgirls cast began rehearsals with Condon, choreographer Fatima Robinson, composer Henry Krieger, and others. Hudson was made to gain twenty pounds, as it was felt she was not quite heavy enough to play Effie.^[13] After rehearsals ended just before Christmas 2005, Bill Condon called Hudson back for a week of one-on-one rehearsals, to help her more fully become the "diva" character of Effie. Hudson was required to be rude and come in late both on set and off, and she and Condon went over Effie's lines and scenes throughout the week.^[6] In the meantime, Beyoncé Knowles began studying Diana Ross' recordings and working with an acting coach.^[14]

Principal photography began on Dreamgirls on January 9, 2006. The film was shot primarily at the Los Angeles Center Studios, with location work done in the Los Angeles area, and some second unit footage shot in Detroit, Miami, and New York City.^[15] The award-winning Broadway lighting team of Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer were brought in to create theatrical lighting techniques for the film's musical numbers.^[16]

Beyoncé Knowles elected to lose weight to give the mature Deena Jones of the 1970s a different look than the younger version of the character. By sticking to a highly publicized diet of water and cayenne pepper (known as the Master Cleanse), Knowles rapidly lost twenty pounds, which she gained back once production ended.^[17] Principal photography was completed on April 8, 2006, after four days were spent shooting Jennifer Hudson's production number "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going".

[edit] Music

Much of the dialogue in the Dreamgirls stage musical is delivered as recitative: it is sung rather than spoken. For the film version, Condon replaced much of the recitative with spoken dialogue. For example, an early scene in a jazz club has Curtis, C.C., Jimmy, and Marty discuss trying a new sound for Jimmy. On stage, this was sung-through as the first section of "Cadillac Car". Jimmy's band, seen performing in the film version as the other characters confer, is in fact playing the underscore from the stage version of "Cadillac Car".

While the majority of the original 1981 songs are present in the film, among the major omissions from the musical's score are Lorrell's "Ain't No Party", both instances of "Press Conference", the "Party, Party" sequence, and the musical's choral refrain of "showbiz...it's just showbiz". C.C. and Effie's "Effie, Sing My Song" was shot for the film, but replaced with an alternative spoken version after preview screenings.^[18]

Four new songs were added for the film, "Love You I Do", "Patience", "Perfect World", and "Listen". All of the new songs feature music composed by original Dreamgirls stage composer Henry Krieger. "Love You I Do", with lyrics by Siedah Garrett, is performed in the film by Effie during a rehearsal at the Rainbow Records studio. Willie Reale wrote the lyrics for "Patience", a song performed in the film by Jimmy, Lorrell, C.C., and a gospel choir as the characters attempt to record a "message song" for Jimmy. "Perfect World", also featuring lyrics by Garrett, is performed during the Rainbow 10th anniversary special sequence by Jackson 5 doppelgangers The Campbell Connection. "Listen", with additional music by Scott Cutler & Beyoncé Knowles, and lyrics by Anne Preven, is presented as a defining moment for Deena's character late in the film.

All of the songs in the film were arranged and produced by R&B/pop production team The Underdogs (Harvey Mason, Jr. and Damon Thomas), with music video veteran Fatima Robinson serving as choreographer.^[19] In addition, composer Stephen Trask provided additional score material for the film.^[20]

The Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture soundtrack album was released on December 5 by Music World Entertainment/Columbia Records, in both a single-disc version containing highlights and a double-disc "Deluxe Version" containing all of the film's songs. The single-disc version of the soundtrack peaked at number-one on the Billboard 200 during a slow sales week in early January 2007.^[21] "Listen" was the first official single from the soundtrack, supported by a music video featuring Beyoncé. "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" is the Dreamgirls soundtrack's second single; though a different music video was once planned,^[22] the final video is comprised entirely of the corresponding scene in the actual film.

[edit] Reception

[edit] Premieres, road show engagements, and general releases

Dreamgirls premiered on December 4, 2006 at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City, where it received a standing ovation.^[23] The film's Los Angeles premiere was held on December 11 at the Wilshire Theater in Beverly Hills.^[24]

Harking back to the releases of older Hollywood musicals such as The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, and West Side Story, Dreamgirls debuted with three special ten-day road show engagements beginning on December 15, 2006 at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City, the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles, and the AMC Metreon 15 in San Francisco. Tickets for the reserved seats were $25 each; the premium price included a forty-eight page full-color program and a limited-print lithograph. This release made Dreamgirls the first American feature film to have a road show release since Man of La Mancha in 1972.^[25]

The road show's opening weekend was a success for DreamWorks and Paramount. All of the film's weekend shows sold out, resulting in a gross of $378,950, or an average of $126,316 per screen - the ninth highest per-theater average in cinema history, and the highest for a movie musical.^[26][27] By the end of its roadshow run on December 24, Dreamgirls had earned a gross of $851,664.^[28]

The film's national release, at regular prices, began on December 25 in 852 theaters in the United States and Canada. Despite opening on the last reporting day of the 2006 Christmas box office weekend, Dreamgirls made $8.7 million and earned itself seventh place in the weekend box office top ten. Dreamgirls expanded wider on January 12, eventually playing in 2,792 U.S. theaters at the peak of its theatrical run.^[28] Outside of the U.S., Dreamgirls opened in Australia on January 18, and in the United Kingdom] on February 2. Releases in other countries began on various dates between January and early March. As of March 15, 2007, Dreamgirls has grossed $102 million in the United States, and $146 million worldwide.^[28]

Dreamgirls will make its home video debut on May 1, 2007.^[29] The film will be available on standard DVD in both one-disc and two-disc versions. Both versions will included extended and alternate versions of song performances from the film, including "Effie, Sing My Song".^[29] On the same day, two-disc HD-DVD and Blu-ray versions of Dreamgirls will be issued, making Dreamgirls the first DreamWorks film to be issued in a high definition home entertainment format.^[30]

[edit] Critical and celebrity reaction

Reviews for Dreamgirls were generally positive, resulting in an 78% composite critical approval rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website.^[31] Tom O'Neil of The Envelope.com proclaimed Dreamgirls "a perfect film" and as "an Academy Award for Best Picture frontrunner that's going to be hard to beat".^[32] Rolling Stone's Peter Travers gave the film three and a half stars (out of four) and the number-two position on his "best of 2006" list, stating that "despite transitional bumps, Condon does Dreamgirls proud".^[33][34] David Rooney of Variety reported that the film featured "tremendously exciting musical sequences" and that "after The Phantom of the Opera, Rent and The Producers botched the transfer from stage to screen, Dreamgirls gets it right."^[35]

On the December 8 episode of Ebert and Roeper, Richard Roeper and Aisha Tyler (filling in for an ailing Roger Ebert) gave the film "two thumbs up", with Roeper's reservations that it was "a little short on heart and soul" and "deeply conventional".^[36] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter was less enthusiastic, stating that while the film was "a damn good commercial movie, it is not the film that will revive the musical or win over the world".^[37] Ed Gonzales of Slant magazine found the entire picture too glossy, and declared that "the film doesn't care to articulate the emotions that haunt its characters".^[38] Michael Medved gave Dreamgirls two and a half stars (out of four) calling it "..ambitious and overlong.." and saying "Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy are both terrific and Oscar worthy, but other performances, especially by Jamie Foxx, seemed phoned in and uneven."^[39]

Many reviews, regardless of their overall opinion of the film, cited Jennifer Hudson's and Eddie Murphy's performances as standouts, with Peter Travers proclaiming Murphy's performance of "Jimmy's Rap" as "his finest screen moment."^[33] Television host Oprah Winfrey saw the film during a November 15 press screening, and called Jennifer Hudson on the Oprah episode airing the next day, praising her performance as "a religious experience" and "a transcendent performance".^[40] A review for The Celebrity Cafe adds that Hudson's voice "is like nothing we’ve heard in a long time, and her acting is a great match for that power-house sound."^[41]

Jennifer Holliday, who originated the role of Effie onstage, expressed her disappointment at not being involved in the film project in several radio and print interviews.^[42] Holliday in particular objected to the fact that her 1982 recording of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" was used in an early Dreamgirls film teaser trailer created before production began. Many of the other original Dreamgirls Broadway cast members, among them Obba Babatundé, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Cleavant Derricks, were interviewed for a Jet magazine article in which they discussed their varying opinions of both the Dreamgirls film's script and production.^[43]

[edit] Awards

DreamWorks and Paramount began a significant awards campaign for Dreamgirls while the film was still in production. In February 2006, the press were invited onset to a special live event showcasing the making of the film, including a live performance of "Steppin' to the Bad Side" by the cast.^[44] Three months later, twenty minutes of the film - specifically, the musical sequences "Fake Your Way to the Top", "Family", "When I First Saw You", and "Dreamgirls" - were screened at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, with most of the cast and crew in attendance.^[45][46] The early positive publicity these two events generated earned Dreamgirls the status of "front-runner" for the 2007 Academy Award for Best Picture and several of the other Oscars as well.^[47]

Following the success of the Cannes screening, DreamWorks and Paramount began a widespread "For Your Consideration" advertisement campaign, raising several eyebrows by demoting Jennifer Hudson to consideration for Best Supporting Actress and presenting Beyoncé Knowles as the sole Best Actress candidate, as opposed to having both compete for Best Actress awards.^[12] By contrast, the actresses who portrayed Hudson's and Knowles' roles on Broadway, Jennifer Holliday and Sheryl Lee Ralph, respectively, were both nominated for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress, with Holliday winning the award.^[12]

Dreamgirls received eight 2007 Academy Award nominations covering six categories, the most of any film for the year, although it was not nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, or either of the lead acting categories. The film's nominations include Best Supporting Actor (Eddie Murphy), Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson), Best Achievement in Costume Design, Best Achievement in Art Direction, Best Achievement in Sound Mixing, and three nominations for Best Song ("Listen", "Love You I Do", and "Patience"). Dreamgirls is the first live-action film to receive three nominations for Best Song; previously the Disney animated features Beauty and the Beast (1991) and The Lion King (1994) had each received three Academy Award nominations for Best Song.^[48] In addition, Dreamgirls is the first film in Academy Award history to receive the highest number of nominations for the year, yet not be nominated for Best Picture.^[49] The film's failure to gain a Best Picture or Best Director nod was widely viewed by the entertainment press as a "snub" by the Academy.^[50] Some journalists registered shock,^[51] others cited a "backlash".^[52] On the other hand, director Bill Condon stated that "I think academy members just liked the other movies better"^[53] and that he believed that "we were never going to win even if we were nominated."^[53]

At the Academy Awards ceremony on February 25, 2007, Dreamgirls won the awards for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Jennifer Hudson) and Achievement in Sound Mixing. In what was considered an upset, Eddie Murphy lost the Best Supporting Actor award to Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine.^[54] Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose, and Keith Robinson performed a medley of the three Dreamgirls songs nominated for Best Original Song, although all three songs lost the award to "I Need to Wake Up" from An Inconvenient Truth.

For the 2007 Golden Globe Awards, Dreamgirls was nominated in five categories: Best Picture - Comedy or Musical, Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical (Beyoncé Knowles), Best Supporting Actor (Eddie Murphy), Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson), and Best Original Song ("Listen"). The film won the awards for Best Picture - Comedy or Musical, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.^[55] Dreamgirls received eight NAACP Image Award nominations, winning for Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson) and Outstanding Album (the soundtrack LP). It was also named as one of the American Film Institute's top ten films of 2006.

The film also garnered Screen Actors Guild Awards for Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson) and Supporting Actor (Eddie Murphy), as well as a nomination for its ensemble cast. The film was also nominated by the Producers Guild of America for Best Picture and the Directors Guild of America for Bill Condon's directing. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts gave the film nominations for Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson) and Music (Henry Krieger). Furthermore, Dreamgirls was nominated for eleven 2007 International Press Academy Satellite Awards, and won four of the awards: Best Picture - Comedy or Musical, Best Director (Bill Condon) (tied with Clint Eastwood for Flags of Our Fathers), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Jennifer Hudson), and Best Sound (Mixing & Editing).^[56] Dreamgirls also received a record eleven Black Reel Award nominations, and won six of the awards, among them Best Film.

[edit] Related promotions and products

To give the story more exposure for the upcoming film release, DreamWorks Pictures and the licensee of the original play, The Tams-Witmark Music Library, announced that they would pay the licensing fees for all non-professional stage performances of Dreamgirls for the calendar year of 2006. DreamWorks hoped to encourage amateur productions of Dreamgirls, and familiarize a wider audience with the play. As a result, more than fifty high schools, colleges, community theaters, and other non-commercial theater entities staged productions of Dreamgirls in 2006, and DreamWorks spent up to $250,000 subsidizing the licensing.^[57]

The Dreamgirls novelization was written by African-American novelist Denene Millner, and adapts the film's official script in chapter form, along with fourteen pages of photographs from the film. The book was released on October 31, 2006. A scrapbook, entitled Dreamgirls: The Movie Musical, is set for release in mid 2007. The limited edition program guide accompanying the Dreamgirls road show release was made available for retail purchase in February. In addition, the Tonnor Doll Company released "The Dreamettes" collection, featuring dolls of the characters Deena, Lorrell, and Effie, to coincide with the release of the film.

[edit] Allusions to factual events

Aside from the overall plot of the film and elements already present in the stage musical, many direct references to Supremes Motown or R&B/soul history in general are included in the film, among them album cover designs adapted from Supremes LP covers,^[58] the use of a Motown-issued Martin Luther King, Jr. album as a plot point in the film,^[59][60] and a pointed reference to the 12th Street Riot in Detroit.^[61][62]

Diana Ross, long a critic of Dreamgirls for what she saw as an appropriation of her life story,^[14] denied having seen the film version.^[63] On the other hand, Mary Wilson stated that the film moved her to tears, adding that Dreamgirls was "closer to the truth than they even know".^[64]

Smokey Robinson, however, was less than pleased about Dreamgirls' allusions to Motown history. In a January 25, 2007 interview with NPR, Robinson expressed offense at the film's portrayal of its Berry Gordy analogue, Curtis Taylor Jr., as a "villainous character" who deals in payola and other illegal activity.^[65] He repeated these concerns in a later interview with Access Hollywood, adding that he felt DreamWorks and Paramount owed Gordy an apology.^[66] On February 23, a week before the Oscars ceremony, DreamWorks and Paramount issued an apology to Gordy and the other Motown alumnae.^[67] Gordy issued a statement shortly afterwards expressing his acceptance of the apology.^[67]

The payola scheme used in the film's script, to which Robinson took offense, is identical to the payola scheme allegedly used by Gordy and the other Motown executives, according to sworn 1998 court depositions from Motown executive Michael Lushka.^[68][69] Several references are also made to Mafia-backed loans Curtis uses to fund Rainbow Records.^[70] Berry Gordy was highly suspected, though never proven, to have used Mafia-backed loans to finance Motown^[71]

[edit] Cast

• Jamie Foxx as Curtis Taylor, Jr. Based upon Motown founder Berry Gordy, Jr.,^[72] Curtis is a slick Cadillac dealer-come-record executive who founds the Rainbow Records label and shows ruthless ambition in his quest to make his black artists household names with white audiences.
• Beyoncé Knowles as Deena Jones. Based upon Motown star Diana Ross,^[73] Deena is a naive, sheltered girl who allows Curtis to transform her into the Dreams' lead singer and Rainbow's biggest star, at the expense of her personal freedom.
• Eddie Murphy as James "Thunder" Early. "Jimmy" Early, inspired by R&B/soul singers such as James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and Marvin Gaye,^[72] is a raucous performer on the Rainbow label who falls into depression and drug abuse as his career declines.
• Danny Glover as Marty Madison. Jimmy's original manager before Curtis steps into the picture, Marty serves as both counsel and confidant to Jimmy, and later to Effie as well.
• Jennifer Hudson as Effie White. Inspired by Supremes member Florence Ballard^[73] and soul singer Etta James,^[72] the plus-sized Effie is a talented yet temperamental singer who suffers after Curtis, the man she loves, replaces her as lead singer of the Dreams with Deena and later drops her altogether.
• Anika Noni Rose as Lorrell Robinson. Lorrell, inspired by Supremes member Mary Wilson,^[74] is a good-natured background singer with the Dreams who falls deeply in love with the married Jimmy Early and becomes his mistress.
• Keith Robinson as C.C. White. Inspired by Motown vice president, artist, and songwriter Smokey Robinson,^[75] Effie's soft-spoken younger brother C.C. (Clarence Conrad) serves as the main songwriter for first the Dreamettes and later the entire Rainbow roster.
• Sharon Leal as Michelle Morris. Michelle, based upon Supremes member Cindy Birdsong^[76] replaces Effie in the Dreams and becomes C.C.'s love interest.
• Hinton Battle as Wayne. Wayne is a salesman at Curtis' Cadillac dealership who becomes Rainbow's first record producer and Curtis' henchman.

Dreamgirls also features supporting performances from Mariah I. Wilson as Magic, Yvette Nicole Brown as Deena's mother, Ken Page as club owner Max Washington, and Alexander Folk as Ronald, Effie and C.C.'s father. Cameo appearances in the film are made by John Lithgow and John Krasinski as a film producer and his screenwriter, Jaleel White as a talent booker at the Detroit Theater, Dawnn Lewis as Jimmy's wife Melba, and Loretta Devine, who originated the role of Lorrell on Broadway, as a jazz singer in Max Washington's club.

[edit] Songs

[edit] Act I

1. "I'm Lookin' For Something" - The Stepp Sisters
2. "Goin' Downtown" - Little Albert & the Tru-Tones
3. "Takin' The Long Way Home" - Tiny Joe Dixon
4. "Move" - The Dreamettes
5. "Fake Your Way To The Top" - James "Thunder" Early & the Dreamettes
6. "Cadillac Car" - James "Thunder" Early & the Dreamettes and Dave & the Sweethearts
7. "Steppin' To The Bad Side" - Curtis Taylor Jr., C.C. White, Wayne, James "Thunder" Early & the Dreamettes, and Chorus
8. "Love You I Do" - Effie White
9. "I Want You Baby" - Jimmy Early & the Dreamettes
10. "Family" - C.C. White, Effie White, Curtis Taylor Jr., Deena Jones, Lorrell Robinson
11. "Dreamgirls" - The Dreams
12. "Heavy" - The Dreams
13. "It's All Over" - Effie White, C.C. White, Curtis Taylor Jr., Deena Jones, Lorrell Robinson, Michelle Morris
14. "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" - Effie White
15. "Love Love Me Baby" - Deena Jones & the Dreams

[edit] Act II

1. "I'm Somebody" - Deena Jones & the Dreams
2. "When I First Saw You" - Curtis Taylor Jr.
3. "Patience" - Jimmy Early, Lorrell Robinson, C.C. White, and Chorus
4. "I Am Changing" - Effie White
5. "Perfect World" - The Campbell Connection
6. "I Meant You No Harm" - Jimmy Early
7. "Jimmy's Rap" - Jimmy Early
8. "Lorrell Loves Jimmy" - Lorrell Robinson
9. "Family (Reprise)" - Deena Jones & the Dreams
10. "Step On Over" - Deena Jones & the Dreams
11. "I Miss You Old Friend" - Jazz Singer
12. "Effie, Sing My Song" - C.C. White and Effie White (deleted from theatrical version, present on DVD)^[18]
13. "One Night Only" - Effie White
14. "One Night Only (Disco)" -Deena Jones & the Dreams
15. "Listen" - Deena Jones
16. "Hard To Say Goodbye" - Deena Jones & the Dreams
17. "Dreamgirls (Finale)" -Effie White with Deena Jones & the Dreams

[edit] Awards

• Academy Awards
  • Best Supporting Actor (Eddie Murphy) - Nomination
  • Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson) - Winner
  • Art Direction - Nomination
  • Costume Design - Nomination
  • Sound Mixing - Winner
  • Original Song
    • "Listen" (Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler and Anne Preven) - Nomination
    • "Love You I Do" (Henry Krieger and Siedah Garrett) - Nomination
    • "Patience" (Henry Krieger and Willie Reale) - Nomination

• African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2006
  • Best Picture - Winner
  • Best Supporting Actor (Eddie Murphy) - Winner
  • Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson) - Winner
  • Best Director (Bill Condon) - Winner

• American Film Institute (AFI) Awards 2006
  • Movies of the Year - Inclusion

• BAFTA Film Awards^[77]
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Jennifer Hudson) - Winner
  • Best Film Music (The Anthony Asquith Award) - Nomination

• Black Reel Awards
  • Best Film - Winner
  • Best Actor (Jamie Foxx) - Nomination
  • Best Actress (Beyoncé Knowles) - Nomination
  • Best Supporting Actor (Eddie Murphy) - Nomination
  • Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson) - Winner
  • Best Breakthrough Performance (Jennifer Hudson) - Winner
  • Best Original Score (Harvey Mason, Jr. & Damon Thomas) - Winner
  • Best Original Soundtrack (DreamWorks SKG/Music World/Columbia) - Winner
  • Best Song, Original or Adapted
    • "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" (performed by Jennifer Hudson) - Winner
    • "Listen" (performed by Beyoncé Knowles) - Nomination
    • "One Night Only" (performed by Jennifer Hudson) - Nomination

• Broadcast Film Critics Association
  • Best Picture - Nomination
  • Best Supporting Actor (Eddie Murphy) - Winner
  • Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson) - Winner
  • Best Acting Ensemble - Nomination
  • Best Director (Bill Condon)- Nomination
  • Best Song "Listen" (Henry Krieger, Anne Previn, Scott Cutler, Beyoncé Knowles)- Winner
  • Best Soundtrack - Winner

• Golden Globe Awards
  • Best Picture: Comedy or Musical - Winner
  • Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical (Beyoncé Knowles) - Nomination
  • Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Eddie Murphy) - Winner
  • Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Jennifer Hudson) - Winner
  • Best Original Song in a Motion Picture ("Listen"; music & lyrics by Henry Krieger, Anne Previn, Scott Cutler, Beyoncé Knowles) - Nomination

• NAACP Image Awards
  • Outstanding Motion Picture - Nomination
  • Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture (Jamie Foxx) - Nomination
  • Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture (Beyonce Knowles) - Nomination
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Danny Glover) - Nomination
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Eddie Murphy) - Nomination
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Jennifer Hudson) - Winner
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Anika Noni Rose) - Nomination
  • Outstanding Album (Dreamgirls Soundtrack) - Winner

• Satellite Awards
  • Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical - Winner
  • Best Director (Bill Condon) - Winner', tied with Flags of Our Fathers (Clint Eastwood)
  • Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical (Beyoncé Knowles) - Nomination
  • Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Jennifer Hudson) - Winner
  • Best Screenplay - Adapted (Bill Condon) - Nomination
  • Best Original Song
    • "Love You I Do" (Henry Krieger, Siedah Garrett) - Nomination
    • "Listen" (Henry Krieger, Anne Previn, Scott Cutler, Beyoncé Knowles) - Nomination
  • Film Editing (Virginia Katz) - Nomination
  • Sound (Editing & Mixing) (Willie Burton, Michael Minkler, Bob Beemer, Richard E. Yawn) - Winner
  • Art Direction & Production Design (John Myhre, Tomas Voth, Nancy Haigh) - Nomination
  • Costume Design (Sharen Davis) - Nomination

• Screen Actors Guild Awards
  • Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture - Nomination
  • Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role (Jennifer Hudson) - Winner
  • Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role (Eddie Murphy) - Winner

[edit] See also

• Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture
• Dreamgirls (Broadway musical)
• Dreamgirls (Original Broadway Cast Album)
• Dreamgirl: My Life As a Supreme, the 1986 autobiography of former Supremes member Mary Wilson

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official DreamWorks/Paramount Dreamgirls feature film website
• Dreamgirls at the Internet Movie Database
• Dreamgirls reviews at Metacritic
• Dreamgirls at Rotten Tomatoes
• Official Dreamgirls profile at MySpace

Preceded by Walk the Line

Golden Globe: Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy 2007

Succeeded by Incumbent