Buy Dreamgirls on DVD

Dreamgirls

DVD More Info Region Code: 1 UPC: 097363478249 Languages: English (Primary)	Usually ships in 5-10 days	$12.49 (3% off) List Price: ~~$12.99~~
Blu-ray More Info Region Code: 1 UPC: 097361449746 Languages: English (Primary)	Usually ships in 5-10 days	$21.99 (4% off) List Price: ~~$22.99~~

When new special editions or price reductions are announced.

Synopsis

Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx star in this legendary film adaptation of the Broadway hit musical about a singing group not unline the Supremes.

Review

A star is born and her name is Jennifer Hudson! This "American Idol" reject blows the roof off the house in a film we want to see again and again. Openly gay writer/director Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Chicago) has crafted a musical masterpiece that will join the classics and hopefully collect Oscars® in February. With an all-black cast, the film tells the story of a singing group not unlike the Supremes and their success on Berry Gordy's new record label, Motown Records. Packed with songs you'll be singing along with and high drama you'll love, Dreamgirls is a ton of fun!

Effie White (Hudson), Deena Jones (Knowles) and Lorrell Robinson (Rose) form a singing trio called the Dreamettes. With Effie's songwriting brother C.C. (Robinson) they travel to the Apollo in Harlem for an amateur night. Although they lose they end up attracting the attention of manager Curtis Taylor, Jr. (Foxx) and his star James "Thunder" Early (Murphy) who hire the women as backup singers. Curtis reshapes the group casting the thin and plain-voiced Deena as the lead and pushing chubby Effie to the rear, regardless of her superior talents. When Effie is dropped from the trio she sings the classic belter "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going". It's from moments like these that legends are born. One cannot convey in words just how powerfully Ms. Hudson sings this song – it's a career-defining moment for this amazing young woman. Taylor is successful in grooming the group and their success, without Effie is huge. While the Dreams rise, Early's star falls which Eddie Murphy captures with deep levels of pathos.

While we could rant and rave about all the songs, the story, the singing and the acting, this film is a legend that will sell itself!

-- Scott Cranin

Product Format Information

DVD : $12.49

Availability: Usually ships in
5-10 days
Region Code: 1
UPC: 097363478249

Studio : DreamWorks SKG, Paramount

Languages: English (Primary)

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Blu-ray : $21.99

Availability: Usually ships in
5-10 days
Region Code: 1
UPC: 097361449746

Studio : DreamWorks SKG, Paramount

Languages: English (Primary)

Keywords

African-American/People of Color, Gay Icon, GLBT Creator / Performer / Writer, Music/Musician, Musical, Performing Arts

Genres

Music & Theater

Customer Reviews

A Dream of a Film

Amos Lassen wrote on 02/12/2011:

“Dreamgirls”
A Dream of a Film
Amos Lassen
What can I say about “Dreamgirls” that has not already been said? It is not just a movie, it’s an experience. From the moment that the movie starts, you are dazzled by performances with passion, wonderful staging, amazing direction and the costumes…what can I say? It is an emotional spectacle even though the storyline is not new and the clichés are well…clichés but all dressed up and embraced and played for all they are worth by a very creative group of people both before and behind the camera.
Beyonce is gorgeous and has talent galore unlike other crossover singers. Jamie Foxx is less flashy than the rest of the cast and his subdued performance gives grounding to the film. The true stars are Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson. Murphy gives the performance f his career and that he did not win the Oscar is a huge oversight. Hudson is unbelievable and whenever she is on screen she owns the movie. Her “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” had the audience on its feet—something we rarely see in movies. This was one of the most intense scenes ever filmed. Hudson exhibits vulnerability and an innocence that we have not seen on the screen in a long, long time. She is, quite literally, breathtaking and even if you do not like the movie you will remember her performance.

Bill Condon, the writer-director, has beautifully realized the entire concept and wrapped it up for us. He has brought a legendary Broadway musical to the screen with all of the excitement of the original. Movie musicals are not easy to feed to the masses but “Dreamgirls” is an exception—it pleases throughout. It even gives a new definition of movie musical as it uses the music to heighten emotions when words don’t do it alone. Condon handed these transitions with a stroke of genius and he directed the entire project with a love that seems to jump off of the screen. The film is artful and exquisitely rendered. It is a crowd pleaser and an absolute fun time.

Amazing

Manticore wrote on 04/21/2007:

For some reason, the Academy thought it would be cute to snub Dreamgirls for Best Picture and Best Director nods. Not cute at all. Bill Condon orchestrates a stunning film that restores some hope into the movie musical genre, tainted by post-Chicago let-downs like Rent and The Producers. Brace yourself for Jennifer Hudson: she didn't win that Oscar for nothing. Dreamgirls is a triumph.