Official Movie Website Theatrical Release 2/251/06 Home Video 05/01/07 MPAA Rating Rated PG-13 for language, some sexuality and drug content Running Time 2 hours 5 minutes Genre Drama Director Bill Condon Writer Bill Condon Cast Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover, Anika Noni Rose, Jennifer Hudson, Keith Robinson Studio Dreamworks Pictures |
DREAMGIRLS
SYNOPSIS
In 1960s Detroit, a good night onstage can get you
noticed but it won't get your song played on the
radio. Here, a new kind of music is on the cusp of
being born – a sound with roots buried deep in the
soul of Detroit itself, where songs are about more
than what's on the surface, and everyone is bound
together by a shared dream.
Curtis Taylor, Jr. (Jamie Foxx) is a car salesman
aching to make his mark in the music business – to
form his own record label and get its sound heard
on mainstream radio at a time when civil rights are
still only a whisper in the streets. He just needs the
angle, the right talent, the right product to sell.
Late for their stint in a local talent show, The
Dreamettes – Deena Jones (Beyoncé Knowles),
Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose), and lead singer
Effie White (Jennifer Hudson) – show up in their
cheap wigs and homemade dresses, rehearsing
songs and steps by Effie's brother, C.C. (Keith
Robinson), with hopes that talent and sheer desire
will break them out of the only life that seems
available to them.
They're young. They're beautiful. They're just what
Curtis is looking for.
In 1960s Detroit, a good night onstage can get you
noticed but it won't get your song played on the
radio. Here, a new kind of music is on the cusp of
being born – a sound with roots buried deep in the
soul of Detroit itself, where songs are about more
than what's on the surface, and everyone is bound
together by a shared dream.
Curtis Taylor, Jr. (Jamie Foxx) is a car salesman
aching to make his mark in the music business – to
form his own record label and get its sound heard
on mainstream radio at a time when civil rights are
still only a whisper in the streets. He just needs the
angle, the right talent, the right product to sell.
Late for their stint in a local talent show, The
Dreamettes – Deena Jones (Beyoncé Knowles),
Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose), and lead singer
Effie White (Jennifer Hudson) – show up in their
cheap wigs and homemade dresses, rehearsing
songs and steps by Effie's brother, C.C. (Keith
Robinson), with hopes that talent and sheer desire
will break them out of the only life that seems
available to them.
They're young. They're beautiful. They're just what
Curtis is looking for.
© 2003 St. Louis Movie Review Weekly. All rights reserved, except where indicated.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
| ST. LOUIS MOVIE REVIEW WEEKLY |
All they have to do is trust him.
James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy) is a pioneer of the new Detroit sound, spellbinding audiences all
along the "Chitlin' Circuit" with his electrifying blend of soul and rock 'n' roll. Curtis finesses The
Dreamettes a gig singing backup for Early, and suddenly, for all of them, the gulf between what they want
and what they can have draws closer for the first time.
Curtis launches the girls as a solo act, rechristening them The Dreams, knowing in his gut that success
lies not with the soulful voice of Effie, but with the demure beauty and malleable style of Deena – despite
their history…and Curtis' promises. Deena is ready to step into the spotlight, even as Effie fades away.
As a new musical age dawns, Curtis' driving ambition pushes this one-time family to the forefront of an
industry in the throes of music revolution. But when the lights come up and the curtains part, they hardly
recognize who they've become. Their dreams are finally there for the taking, but at a price that may be too
heavy for their hearts to bear.
The groundbreaking Tony Award-winning Broadway phenomenon comes to life as an all-new motion
picture adaptation written and directed by Academy Award®® winner Bill Condon. A Laurence Mark
production presented by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, "Dreamgirls," is a compelling
story of love and loyalty, fame and betrayal that tracks the struggle, sacrifices and triumphs of a group of
outsiders carrying their landmark sound into mainstream America in the 1960s and '70s.
--© DreamWorks
James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy) is a pioneer of the new Detroit sound, spellbinding audiences all
along the "Chitlin' Circuit" with his electrifying blend of soul and rock 'n' roll. Curtis finesses The
Dreamettes a gig singing backup for Early, and suddenly, for all of them, the gulf between what they want
and what they can have draws closer for the first time.
Curtis launches the girls as a solo act, rechristening them The Dreams, knowing in his gut that success
lies not with the soulful voice of Effie, but with the demure beauty and malleable style of Deena – despite
their history…and Curtis' promises. Deena is ready to step into the spotlight, even as Effie fades away.
As a new musical age dawns, Curtis' driving ambition pushes this one-time family to the forefront of an
industry in the throes of music revolution. But when the lights come up and the curtains part, they hardly
recognize who they've become. Their dreams are finally there for the taking, but at a price that may be too
heavy for their hearts to bear.
The groundbreaking Tony Award-winning Broadway phenomenon comes to life as an all-new motion
picture adaptation written and directed by Academy Award®® winner Bill Condon. A Laurence Mark
production presented by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, "Dreamgirls," is a compelling
story of love and loyalty, fame and betrayal that tracks the struggle, sacrifices and triumphs of a group of
outsiders carrying their landmark sound into mainstream America in the 1960s and '70s.
--© DreamWorks