Bad Dream

Over blown, over-rated and now, finally, over here. Dreamgirls is the sort of production that truly shows the difference between the US and the UK.

It’s based on the 1981 Broadway hit of the same name which, unlike most Broadway hits, never saw the light of the West End. Why? Because theatrical producers generally know what constitutes a hit. And baby, as far as the London audiences go, this schmaltzy, syrupy mess ain’t it.

The story follows on three girls Deena (Beyoncé Knowles), Effie (Jennifer Hudson) and Lorell (Anika Noni Rose) who form a singing group called The Dreams. Picked up – in Lorell’s case, in all senses of the phrase – by James “Thunder” Early (Eddie Murphy), the girls become his backing singers and then, when manager Curtis Taylor decides the time is right, stars in their own right.

It’s just that when it’s their turn to step forward, Taylor decides that his girlfriend – the curvaceous, big-voiced Effie – should step back so that Deena – looking nothing like Diana Ross, good heavens, no – can take centre stage. Cue fallings out, big emotional ballads, broken hearts, big emotional ballads, reunions and, er, big emotional ballads. And no resemblance whatsoever to The Supremes, oh no. Perish the thought…

It looks fantastic and some of the songs are great.Hudson’s interpretation of And I’m Telling You… will give you goosebumps. But to what overall effect? The sum of the parts is an instantly forgettable, entirely shallow affair, peopled with characters out of cliché casting central. Yes, Hudson and Murphy deserve their Supporting Actor / Actress nods but the problem is that everyone in the thing is a supporting character. There is no central focus, no emotional heart, and the film suffers as a result.

Murphy in particular is a revelation but, like the Supreme-theme-that-isn’t, his character combines so many obvious references to soul legends – James Brown and Marvin Gaye in particular – you can’t help wondering when he’s going to get shot in a motel, blow the crowd away at Monterey and then die in a plane crash.