Dreamgirls (Movie Reaction)

Dreamgirls- Thank you so much for great reaction to this beautifully acted and incredible movie, Reds!! I really love this movie, and all of its music! It isn't quite one of my favorite musicals, because I absolutely love the classic musicals most of all. However, Dreamgirls is powerful, beautiful, and full of talent by all of the actors who play these amazing characters. First... Jennifer Hudson is absolutely phenomenal!! And she deserved every award she won for her role as Effie White. Especially including her Oscar for Best Actress. It is difficult for anyone to outshine a powerful performer like Beyoncé. However, Jennifer Hudson not only does so here in Dreamgirls, but she excels. And she sings so many heartbreaking and fantastic songs! Especially her number one song that put Jennifer Hudson on top... And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going. Wow! You can absolutely feel her pain and desperation in this moment. Just as we are absolutely meant to feel. This song is heartbreaking and powerful, and I doubt that the people who first casted Jennifer Hudson for this movie, expected her to be able to sing like this at first. After all... This is not only her first movie and big role, but this is also the real start of her music career as well. She started out on American Idol, but she didn't win, and she didn't even get into the top five. Jennifer Hudson proved herself here in Dreamgirls. She proved to everyone who doubted she had the talent just how wrong they were to doubt her. With all of this being said... My favorite song Effie sings... I am Changing, when her friend and manager, Marty (Danny Glover's character), helps her to finally get a job in the nightclub years later, when no one else would hire her. Again... You can absolutely feel emotion and the power behind Effie's words as she sings this beautiful song. This song is my overall favorite song throughout the movie, even though all the rest are just incredible and powerful as well! :) Second... Deena Jones is played by Beyoncé Knowles. I have to admit that I am not typically a fan of Beyoncé. Especially as a musician. I would much rather see her in movies because I like her so much more as an actress, than to see her perform music because I typically don't like her style of music, especially her dancing. I really can't stand it. However, I really love Beyoncé in this movie. To me... She isn't quite as powerful as Jennifer Hudson, but she absolutely holds her own. And I really love her character. I especially love her song towards the end, titled... Listen, which yes... This song came from this movie and became popular ever since. Just as all of the songs within this movie have. As far as I am aware, every song in this movie were written for this movie, and have become popular because of this movie. In Listen... You can absolutely feel the heartbreak as Deena struggles with finding her own voice and the strength and courage to leave Curtis. Especially after finding out the truth about what Curtis did to Effie, when she discovers Curtis had stolen Effie's and C.C.'s song. This song is beautiful. Eddie Murphy as Jimmy Early... Wow! I have seen Eddie Murphy in a ton of movies, and I have loved him in a ton of his movies. He's hilarious in so many roles. And I have even seen and heard him sing before too. But never quite like this. I've never seen him play a role like Jimmy Early before, and he's absolutely incredible!! He too deserved all of the awards he won. Once again including an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Jimmy wasn't always a good man. At least not as a husband and boyfriend. But he was still a good friend to the women in spite of his and Lorell's affair, as well as C.C., Marty, and Curtis. Until he allows Marty to walk away, and until Curtis wrongfully screws him over time and time again. Which tragically eventually results in Jimmy committing suicide by overdosing on heroin. Yes... Jimmy chose to use drugs and overdosed himself. Accidentally, or on purpose... It's unknown. But Curtis was constantly trying to change Jimmy's style of music in order to keep him in the limelight and to earn all the money that came with him doing so. But Curtis did it all for himself, and not to help Jimmy. And in him doing so, Jimmy tragically loses his soul. Evolution in music is all well and good... Yes. But if such evolution completely changes your voice, then it's easy to lose yourself and fall into despair and depression. Just as Jimmy sadly does. Without his true voice and soul, it kills him. And it hurt him in the end knowing that he had come to hurt the women he did love as much as he could, because he had wronged them. Lorrell and his wife. Without his music and soul, his heartbreak was all he had left, and he couldn't live with himself any longer. I cry every time when Lorrell comes out screaming and crying upon learning that Jimmy died. Not only alone, but that it took more than a day before anyone even found his body because he was all alone. So, so sad. As for C.C., Lorrell, Michelle, Curtis, and Marty... I love each of these characters too, with the exception of Curtis. Jamie Fox plays Curtis brilliantly of course, but I hated his character because he was a terrible person and he wronged everyone he ever came across in some way or another, just so he could remain on top within the music and movie worlds. So he could always be the owner of everyone he believed to be lesser than him. But I love Effie's brother, C.C., as well as Lorrell and Michelle too. I love that C.C. writes his songs for their family. Especially when he comes back and rightfully apologizes to Effie, and to write one final song for his sister. And I love that by the end... Effie, Deena, Lorrell, C.C., Marty, and even Michelle, are a family once again and are as close as they ever were. Despite the tragedies that pulled them apart for so many years. Also... Effie doesn't give Michelle a hug in the end like she gives to Deena and Lorrell, because she didn't really know her very well. Michelle replaced her in the group not too long after Curtis brought her on to be his car company's secretary. That's all. It wasn't to spite her in the slightest. Oh... And Effie's daughter, Magic, is adorable and so sweet. I really love her, and I love the moment in the very end as Effie comes out on stage to sing with her sisters, once Deena reminds the world that there aren't just three Dreams, but four. I love seeing Effie sing with them again. Especially in the moment when Effie is singing to her daughter. So beautiful! I absolutely love this movie's overall storyline! It's very sad how people in the music world, as well as in the acting world are treated if they aren't skinny, of a certain race, or exactly what people who claim to know what we want, really want. And it wasn't just back in these days, but today as well. People trying to break into these industries as artists are constantly told that image is everything, and it's wrong. It should always and only be about true, pure talent, and nothing more. So sad. Dreamgirls isn't based on a true story, or on real people. However, these characters are fashioned after real famous musicians and artists like The Supremes, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, etc... And tragically, the injustices shown throughout this brilliant and beautiful movie are very real. Both back in the days this movie was set in, as well as today. Image isn't everything like we are constantly being told. And artists like Jennifer Hudson in this movie has proven this time and time again. And I applaud those people like Jennifer Hudson and her character, Effie White, who continue to fight for their dreams in spite of being told they aren't pretty enough, or have the perfect image the people want. This movie was Jennifer Hudson's first big break and the beginning of her career, and it's incredible that she won an Oscar for her role as Effie White in Dreamgirls, when so many actors, actresses, etc... don't typically win one... if at all, until much later into their careers. Amazing!! :) And as for my favorite songs throughout this movie... I love Effie's songs... I am Changing, And I am Telling You I'm Not Going, One Night Only, and I Love You I Do. As well as C.C.'s song he writes for Jimmy, Lorrell, and Michelle, titled... Patience, and Deena's song... Listen. But all the rest of the songs and the music throughout this movie is absolutely sensational too!! Thank you so much for another great movie reaction, Reds! I truly enjoyed your reaction for his movie!! I'm so happy that you enjoyed watching Dreamgirls!! I am truly grateful to you for watching Dreamgirls for me. I really love being able to request musicals for those I support, and I would absolutely love to continue to introduce to you some of the musicals that I have loved since I was little and that I grew up with. Musicals that are from the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and even more from nowadays too. Thank you, my dear friend! :) Sincerely, Heidi

Heidi Elizabeth Marcum