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The Dreams do their thing in the spotlight

Similarly, Beyoncé Knowles has always been pretty bland whenever she gets in front of a movie camera, and Dreamgirls is no exception. But you have to give her credit for having the guts to play a character who is told, years after the fact, that she was made lead singer in Effie's place "because your voice has no personality, no depth." While Beyoncé's singing isn't that bad, it does sum up her acting rather well.

The music itself is hit-and-miss. The first hit song that Curtis commissions for Jimmy is "Cadillac Car," an early indicator of the fact that Curtis, a car salesman, cares nothing for artistry and is interested in music for its product-moving potential—and it has an awkward, clunky chorus, which is unfortunate, given the pivotal role this song is supposed to play. The song, incidentally, is written by Effie's brother C. C. (Keith Robinson), who is deeply offended when Jimmy's recording is eclipsed by a white band's cover version. You can understand his reaction, on one level, but you still can't help thinking, isn't C. C. getting royalties no matter who sings it?

Ah, but why look for characters to make sense, or for the film to offer any insight into the complexities of the music business. What matters is the songs, some of which do work rather well; you're likely to come out of the theater humming one or two of them, and you might even feel the urge to get the soundtrack. But this isn't anywhere near the year's best picture; like the "soulless" music Curtis pushes on an unsuspecting public, this shallow film is a product to be sold, pure and simple.

1. Do any of these characters change over the course of the film? If so, which ones? What do we learn from the way they change
2. Is Curtis a bad man from the beginning, or does he become a bad man? Does the film give us any reason to believe that he has been, or will be, redeemed? If so, how
3. The film often contrasts music that has "soul" versus music that is designed to sell a product. Does the film itself seem "authentic" to you? How would you define "soul"? Why is "soul" considered so essential to a person's authenticity
4. Curtis begins his music-producing career by complaining about how white singers have "stolen" songs from black performers; but by the end of the film, Curtis is "stealing" songs, too. Was his original complaint justified? Do his actions later on compromise his original complaint?

Dreamgirls is rated PG-13 for language (about a dozen four-letter words), some sexuality (spoken references to adultery, a nudity-free shot of a man and woman in bed, a child born out of wedlock) and drug content (a musician gets ready to do cocaine in two scenes).

Photos © Copyright Paramount Pictures

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