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Dreamgirls
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 Here's something light for the weekend.
Back in college my guitar teacher, who was black, insisted I had to hear George Benson's Breezin' album. I bought it and listened to it three times, but something wasn't registering. It sounded like it was in the Chuck Mangione/Steely Dan pop-jazz bin, and in fact had little guitar on it at all. Later at the mall I was discussing this with one of my honky peers who had the same guitar teacher. He said, "I think if you're...," he looked side-to-side before whispering, "black, it's great. Otherwise, no."
I was afraid the DVD Dreamgirls would be a similar experience: great if you were black, otherwise no. It would be music that wasn't my style sang against a cultural setting I could only barely relate to. However my mom wanted to see it so I rented it Memorial Day weekend. I figured Beyonce might shake around in a tight, glittery dress at some point to make it worth my while, and I was also curious to see if past American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson lived up to her Oscar hype.
Dreamgirls was great. Much better than Ray and Walk the Line for my money. I felt like Ray and Walk the Line were whitewashed memoriams. Dreamgirls depicts the real struggles of a group trying to make it. It doesn't matter that the group itself is a fabrication. For example, it's rumored the movie was based on the Supremes, but it's likely the story of any girl group, particularly those where one is thought to have the musical talent and another the looks. Eddie Murphy as Johnny Early also does a great portrayal of a star in his later years trying to keep up with the times.
Jennifer Hudson...believe the hype. I couldn't believe this was a girl from the wrong side of Chicago who said she had been fired from Burger King just a few years ago. She takes over the driver's seat of the movie from the first scene and steers it in the fast lane from then on. Beyonce Knowles...I read on the Internet that Beyonce was supposedly jealous of the attention Jennifer Hudson was getting, and didn't invite Hudson to her post-Grammys party. Looking at this movie she should have expected Jennifer Hudson to steal her spotlight. The movie centers on Hudson's character, not Beyonce's, and at one point Beyonce's character even looks at Jennifer Hudson and says, "I can't sing crazy like you." No shit! It wasn't just a line in the script, it's a fact in real life, too! Keep up those Sports Illustrated and Vibe spreads, Beyonce! You're made to be looked at and lusted over, not heard. Really, starring in a movie where the theme of your character is all-looks-and-no-talent might not have been a astute career steer from Papa Knowles.
So, yes, I enjoyed Dreamgirls. I thought about renting a movie more appropriate for a middle-aged white male when I saw Eragon nearby on the Blockbuster shelves, but I expect it would be 30 minutes of a good plot followed by one hour of CGI cartoon graphics. Maybe I should re-rent Dreamgirls and see if the DVD extras included any Beyonce bikini photo shoots.
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Posted by Art | 12:23 AM EST |
3 comments
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That serves that pompous smug limey right:-)
Art~ what's your opinion of 'On the Lot'?