by Eric Anderson
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (August 13, 2006) — ?Dreamgirls,? starring Beyonce, Jamie Foxx and ?American Idol? alum Jennifer Hudson may not hit theaters until December, but the movie is already receiving rave reviews.
A San Diego theater recently showed a screening of the film to a private audience, and judging by the online reviews, the movie is a hit waiting to happen.
?Definitely the best I’ve seen for a long, long time,? says a blogger on AintItCool.com who goes by the name of ?Nightmare.? ?I loved this movie, and the whole audience there went completely bananas for it. I saw the trailer probably six months ago but didn’t have a feeling one way or the other about it. I didn’t have any idea it was going to be as good as it is.?
?Dreamgirls? follows the paths of Effie White, Deena Jones, 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 the girls lose this first bid for fame, their talent attracts an ambitious manager by the name of Curtis Taylor, Jr., (played by Jamie Foxx) who uses unscrupulous tactics to move the girls from backup singers of superstar James “Thunder” Early (Eddie Murphy) to superstars of their own.
Curtis reshapes the group to “crossover” from R & B to the lucrative pop music scene. Lead singer Effie (Jennifer Hudson) gets replaced by the more attractive Deena (Beyonce) 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.
And as far as ?Nightmare? is concerned, this movie has Oscar written all over it.
?There are so many funny scenes I can’t remember them all. But Eddie is also incredible as a dramatic actor and it all gets quite dark. This is a complete return to form for Eddie. He will get an Oscar for this, and so will Jennifer Hudson. Even Beyonce is great in this – believe me,? says ?Nightmare.?
On PerezHilton.com, a reviewer by the name of Mark also was at the screening and chimed in with more glowing reviews.
?Beyonce, well let’s just say I think its clear she put all her energy into this movie?She’s quite stunning to watch. The role of Deena has never been a deep one, but Beyonce does what the part requires and she DOES act. Her vocals are out of this world!? Mark writes.
He also showered praise on Jennifer Hudson.
?I have saved the best for last…. Jennifer Hudson…. this has to be the most unexpected performance I have seen in like years. This is one of those newcomer performances that comes along in a blue moon. Everything the queens came to worship the character of Effie for are beautifully realized by Hudson,? he added.
?Dreamgirls? opens in limited release on December 22 and goes nationwide in January 2007.
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