"Dreamgirls": Jennifer Shines, But...

As most of you probably know, “Dreamgirls” came out on DVD this week.

I had never seen the movie, so I was pretty excited to finally get the chance to watch what everyone was talking about. And now that I’ve seen it, I’m still wondering what everyone was talking about…

Let’s get this out of the way now. Jennifer Hudson is the star of this movie. Her singing is amazing and her acting is good, but Academy Award-worthy? I’m honestly not sure about that. Of course, next to the in-over-her-head Beyonce and the surprisingly stiff Jamie Foxx, her good acting was bound to look spectacular.

Anika Noni Rose, though, gives Jennifer some real talent to work with. Of course, she was great in "From Justin to Kelly"...

I admit that I got goosebumps during Jennifer’s rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”—the true highlight of the movie. But that comes so early in the movie, it’s hard to care about the rest of it—especially since the characters are so underdeveloped. The evolution of the sweet Deena (Beyonce) into a major diva would have been a good story, but it gets summed up in a film reel. And some of the movie’s most crucial scenes—when Deena finally faces the truth about her husband—are summed up in a musical montage just so Beyonce can have a showstopper of her own. But as good as that song is, it’s no “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.” And Beyonce is no Jennifer Hudson. Plus, that scene makes absolutely no sense since “Listen” is exactly the kind of song Curtis (Jamie Foxx) would have never let her record anyway…

If you want to see showstopping musical performances by a young up-and-comer, then check out “Dreamgirls.” But if you just want to see a good movie musical with great performances and a plot that makes sense, check out “Chicago”…