Life Through Ebony Colored Lenses

So I broke a promise to myself which was not to see the movie Dreamgirls at any cost. I was adamant about seeing the flick because Beyonce was involved. I am so not into Beyonce that she almost turns me off as much as the non-sangin’ Mary J.

I will admit that I like to watch Beyonce’s video when she does the hot body moves but that is as far as her talent stops for me.

Anyway after a fair/good review of “Dreamgirls” by Cousin Dee & my assistant @ work, I decided to check it out today after work at the last minute. As always in true Bygbaby fashion, I was running late for the movie so I was not able to get my large mixed icee & medium sized popcorn not to mention missing the damn previews but I was ale to get a good seat.

The movie started out with a very entertaining talent show when the Dreamgirls blew it out then got let down but yet blew up at the same time almost a schizophrenic scene with so much going on but from this point I was loving the girls.

As the movie/musical went on, I became more & more drawn in not really hating Beyonce who played “Deena” as much as I thought I would & I fell in love with Jennifer Hudson’s “Effie” character. She was loud, demanding & ultra talented & somewhat reminded me of Sophia from “The Color Purple” in regards to how strong they were.

As all of the reviews have stated, Jennifer Hudson was the true star of the movie; she had so much to offer & pulled it off like I have never seen it before. I mean I felt the soul of Effie. Not much has been said about actor Anika Noni Rose but she was also great in her role as “Lorrell” who was a bit of a sweet girl/piece of ass to Eddie Murphy’s character “James ‘Thunder’ Early”.

I wash I was old enough to have seen the original stage play from back in the day so that I could have something to compare the movie to but I don’t. With that said, I will flat out recommend this movie unequivocally. The story line & character development through the eras and genres of great music was seamless. I mean they started off with big wigs & waves to afros & the beginnings of the Jerhi Curl.

I need to mention that Jamie Foxx’s Curtis was an impeccable bastard & Jamie played that role to the bone. He deserves another Oscar based on his performance & I feel the same way of Eddie Murphy whose character was out of the box for Eddie & lovable; that is until he… ( I won’t spoil it for you)

Bottom line is that this is a must see! Suite Suzy & I are taking the girls to see it this weekend on one of our family dates, I think the girls will really enjoy it.

What I loved:

• Everything Effie
• Seeing Beyonce without all that wild ass blond shit on her head
• The costumes (I mean their wardrobe/make up person needs to be recognized big time)
• The James ‘Thunder’ Early & The Dreamette’s get freaky on stage at the Crystal Room in Miami
• The Steppin’ to Bad Side sequence (this was off the hook)
• The It’s All Over/And I am telling you sequence (somebody should have got bitch slap during this scene, that would have topped it off)
• Deena’s photo shot (the photos were hot & Beyonce looks better dark skinned IMHO)
• When James cracked out & lost it all, literally @ the Rainbow Records show
• Deena’s reality check
• The One Night Only disco version
• When Effie finally won
• The Loretta Divine cameo
• Seeing Erkel Jaleel White not looking a hot mess

What turned me off:

• The Patience song (it was kinda cheesy)
• The Detroit race riot scene (only because remnants can still be seen today, the truth hurts)
• Not seeing Jennifer Holiday & Cheryl Lee Ralph not making cameo appearances
• The people sitting behind me moving around all the way through the movie

Advertised Synopsis:

Effie White, Deena Jones, and Lorrell Robinson – three friends from Chicago – 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 the girls lose this first bid for fame, their talent attracts an ambitious manager by the name of Curtis Taylor, Jr., who uses unscrupulous tactics to move the girls from backup singers of superstar James “Thunder” Early 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 and is eventually dropped from the trio. The group evolves into a more sophisticated group, The Dreams, with a lighter sound and chic look. They successfully attract a “whiter” audience and The Dreams rise to international stardom. The money, fame, and adulation, however, doesn’t bring them happiness.

Fun Facts:

• Dreamgirls generated ticket sales of $8.7 million as it expanded on Monday (12/25/2006)to a national roll-out in 852 theaters from an early run in just three venues.
• Dreamgirls has been nominated for the Black Reel Awards, which is the most prestigious African American Film Ceremony of the year.
• Dreamgirls won 4 awards from the African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA)
• Dreamgirls” scored seven nominations this month for the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) awards and five nominations for the Golden Globes
• Dreamgirls the Broadway musical opened on Dec. 20, 1981, and was nominated for numerous Tony Awards including best actress

Check out the trailer