Mini-Review – “Dream Girls”

Just before I left on my trip to Europe, I was able to catch one of the first screenings of “Dreams Girls.” It is a film I had been awaiting with eager anticipation. When the show was playing on Broadway beginning in 1981, I saw it several times, and fell in love with the show – the music, the story, the talent, the staging. I wondered how the story would be adapted to the big screen. The adaptation works wonderfully. This is a very well told tale of a fictional group much like the Supremes. Through the lens of the group, “The Dreamettes” – later renamed “The Dreams,” the story of R&B and the story of race relations in American society in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s is told with power and artistry.

The cast has been wisely assembled – including Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx and the amazing Jennifer Hudson, whose show-stopping rendition of “And I Am Telling You (I’m Not Going)” is worth the price of admission. In the screening of the film that I attended, the audience clapped and shouted its approval of her rendition of the song.

This is cinematic story telling of the first order. While telling a tale of the evolution of R&B, the film also addresses issues of artistic integrity, the payola scandal, personal ambition and cut-throat tactics employed in the music industry. This is a movie I will see again. I encourage you to see it, as well, even if this type of music is not your first love.

Enjoy!

Al