Director: Bill Condon
Starring: Beyoncé Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy

Jamie Foxx stars in Dreamgirls. (Courtesy photo)

There are a lot of similarities between Dreamgirls and Chicago. Both are cinematic adaptations of lively Broadway shows. Both were adapted by Bill Condon, and in the case of Dreamgirls he directed, too. Where Chicago had more hoofing, Dreamgirls has more heart. Finally, both are sloppy stories whose musical numbers are both their downfall and their saving grace. One massive difference is that the Chicago music is pretty fun stuff. Much of the Dreamgirls sound track is a snooze.

Dreamgirls is actually quite easy to watch, since it’s essentially one long montage with musical numbers. It’s kind of like watching a decade presented by VH1. Important events are hinted at, characters go through major life changes (usually off-stage), and someone sings a song that sounds like it must have killed in 1981. The cast is very appealing, even though their characters are not. And the direction is energetic and fluid, even if the script is anything but. Chicago somehow hollered its way to a Best Picture Oscar in 2002, and the makers of Dreamgirls clearly have the same goal in mind. So far it’s working fairly well, as some very good performances are being confused for great ones. And some bad songs are getting confused for good ones.

It’s the early ’60s, and a trio of singing hopefuls named Deena (Beyoncé Knowles), Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose) and Effie (Jennifer Hudson) call themselves the Dreamettes. They get their big break when aspiring mogul Curtis Taylor III (Jamie Foxx) gets them a gig as back-up singers to the notorious James “Thunder” Early (Eddie Murphy). Deena and Lorrell are thrilled at their new fame, but Effie is frustrated playing second banana to Early. She and Curtis become an item, and he keeps promising her she’ll get her break. It doesn’t come. When Curtis finally sends the girls out on their own, he makes the more attractive Deena the lead singer—even though her voice is inferior to Effie’s. In no time Effie is left behind, and Deena has become both a giant star and Curtis’s wife. But while Deena, Lorrell, and even Jimmy Early continue to thrive under Curtis’s strong hand, they don’t realize that they’re the ones who have lost everything.

The plot is too tangled and messy to go further into. Suffice it to say that most of the issues in the movie could be worked out with a little communication. But whenever it’s time to say something important, the dialogue switches to music, the language turns simple and on-the-nose, and characters lose any sense of behavioral coherence. By the end of the film, everyone has done something so cruel or self-absorbed, it’s hard to know whom to like. This, however, is the fault of Condon and original writer Tom Eyen. They should have chosen to cover less ground more thoroughly, instead of shooting through so much time (about 15 years go by, though you wouldn’t know it to look at the characters). The art direction is impressive, but it becomes an exercise in clever hairstyling over substantial character growth. We never get enough time with the characters to be totally engaged by their stories. So we’re left with the performers.

Overall the cast is good, though Jamie Foxx is a little odd as the Berry Gordy of the tale. Foxx plays each scene with an almost identical look of cold-edged determination on his face. We get it: he’s cold and determined. But we really could have used some other shades to the character. While Foxx is the nominal lead, the accolades are being spread elsewhere. The biggest recipient is Jennifer Hudson. The former American Idol finalist really does have a tremendous voice, and her breakdown solo in the middle of the film is its one true show-stopper. She also has heaps of charisma, but it’s a bit much to start touting her for awards. Hudson is great when she sings, but comes off as merely an appealing amateur in her dramatic scenes. She also has, by far, the most well-rounded role in the film.

The other breakout is this character actor named Eddie Murphy. Murphy desperately needed a role like Jimmy Early in order to escape his bland family film routine. He makes a lot, if not the most, out of his James Brown–like role. Murphy is terrific on stage—and he really can sing. But when given the chance to go to Early’s dark places, Murphy pulls up shy. Still, it’s a encouraging piece of work. Beyoncé does a surprisingly good job with an impossible role. Deena Jones may be loosely based on Diana Ross, but in the film she is thrust from bystander to central figure for no real reason. Anika Noni Rose makes a nice impression as the shy Lorrell. She evolves the most of any character, though her story is the least important of the three. It’s nice to see the original Broadway Lorrell—Loretta Devine—in a small role.

If you like musicals, you’ll probably enjoy Dreamgirls. If you liked Chicago, you’ll probably enjoy Dreamgirls. But if, like me, you struggle with the way poorly written musical numbers can stagnate and simplify characters and story, you may not be quite as thrilled. Dreamgirls is too long and too broad to sustain its insubstantial nature. It’s not boring or bad, just typical Broadway—big, hollow, and belted from the heart.

Alex Manugian lives in Sherman Oaks, California, and works for the Cartoon Network. He grew up in Groton and has reviewed movies for Harvard residents for many years.