Pop Culture Yay

…for cutting Jennifer Hudson.  Had Jennifer Hudson advanced, perhaps she would’ve won. Had she won, perhaps she would’ve strived for the Kelly Clarkson-type stardom for which all Idols aim. But, like the majority of Idol stars she would more likely attain mediocre ratings and highly produced and “cheesified” albums that disappear from the charts faster than Simon Cowell buys tight t-shirts.

Instead, Jennifer Hudson has snagged herself numerous accolades and nominations for a stellar performance in Dreamgirls.  She made an incredible debut, although, as much as I enjoyed her performance, it was very much that: a debut. I don’t think it will nor should win the Oscar at which many hint. Clearly, singing is her true talent, but I would be interested to see her acting chops put to the test in a non-musical forum.  

Despite rave reviews by critics, and more importantly, Oprah, I was still a little hesitant at this musical turned movie. I loved Chicago, also directed by Michael Condon. Yet, I was nervous for 2 main reasons:

1. Beyonce Knowles

2. The threat of actors randomly breaking into song at unlikely times. Moreover, the secondhand embarrassment it arouses in viewers.

I’m not going to lie, I am a Beyonce fan. I might claim not to be, but ever since Naughty Girl I’ve been guilty of humming Beyonce songs and even (legally) downloading them. Ok, ok, that is not entirely true. I’ve actually been a fan since Destiny’s Child. The FIRST Destiny’s Child. You know, when there were four of them. I was afraid that the whole time I watched Dreamgirls I would be watching Beyonce the superstar, not Beyonce the actress in Dreamgirls. Could her diva-like status translate subtley to the big screen?

 Indeed, it could. And, mad props to her for her performance. Not only did I buy into her portrayal as the Dina Ross-esque character, but I forgot about most things Beyonce. No Jay-Z. No Irreplaceable at the top of the charts. No Tina Knowles and her crazy performance costumes.  I was even able to push aside the fact that many of these musical-group shake ups on screen seem to closely resemble the history of Beyonce’s own musical past.  Her performance of “Listen” is especially noteworthy. (In fact, you should download it. Legally, of course.)

In regards to my second concern, I was pleasantly surprised. There were only few performances where the actors actually sang songs that weren’t performed on stage as part of a concert. Yet even those were appropriate and well done. They were edited in a way that made them seem natural (as natural as emotional eruptions of song can be) and necessary. I mostly enjoyed the way ballads were incorporated as part of the soundtrack, a background rather than a focal point. Music was the main element of this film, but was placed in a way to enhance the story and the actors. There was no unnecessary finger-snapping or jazz hands to be found. Thank God.  

 While most of the praise has been cast upon Jennifer Hudson’s performance, I must attribute a few gold stars to Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx. Jamie Foxx, once again, proves that he was deserving of the Oscar that was bestowed upon him for Ray.

Overall, I think Dreamgirls is well worth seeing on the big screen. It’s a fun concert-like event, and is especially interesting to anyone who loves getting the inside scoop and seeing behind-the-scenes of stardom.

3 popcorn buckets

Posted on January 8th, 2007 by Lindsay
Filed under: Uncategorized