I finally saw the movie a few days ago. Loved. It. I truly did. I know movies made of Broadway musicals are iffy at best, but sometimes they hit the mark and this one did for me.
Jenifer Hudson was a-fucking-dorable. She’s a natural, I swear. Her Effie seemed less like a caricature and more of a strong yet needy woman. Or maybe needy yet strong. Either way, she won me over. I nearly cried when she finished AIATYIANG, it was just that good.
Beyonce was surprisingly good as well. I have no problem with her singing and don’t know why she gets flak for it, but I held out little hope for her acting skills. Hey, I saw that Austin Powers thing. But she was really powerful here, and it was great. Of course she is hotter than asphalt in summer and don’t hurt.
Anika Noni Rose didn’t have much to do but I am familiar with her Broadway resume and have some of her stuff so I know she’s phenomenal. We just have to wait for her to get a good star vehicle.
The guys? What guys? Oh, them.
Jamie Foxx was sufficiently sleazy and while Eddie Murphy’s acting didn’t bother me his singing did. Oh well, the wome ruled here anyway.
And a shoutout to two men who had very little to do, but whom I love: Danny Glover and Hinton Battle.
Overall, a great film I would reccomend to anyone who loves musicals. Other thoughts and opinions are welcomed.
I saw it in the theater last winter, and liked it a lot – enough to buy a copy, which I watched Christmas evening as the finale to a day of lounging on the sofa watching musicals.
Agree – very good – but I don’t think you’re giving enough credit to Eddie Murphy, who I thought was outstanding in that part – a schtick-free job.
And, as someone old enough to have lived through that era (those eras), I was totally wowed with how completely they nailed the fashions.
Twickster you are spot on about the fashions. They were super. Remember that scene where Deena was leaving Curtis and she has her hair tucked under a hat and wore a smart power suit? She reminded me so of Miss Ross in that scene. And that portrait on the wall behind her screamed Diana to me.
Maybe I’m not giving Ed the proper assessment , I do like him but his singing just bugged me.
Oh, and hey, I’m old enought to remember that era too, Miss Dowager.
I know some folks turn the smilies off, but that’s why I added the smilie.
I did like the 'fro on Hudson and thought it looked cool, like she could have been a teen queen in the '70s. She was so damned pretty.
Didn’t care for it. I don’t want to hear soul tunes turn into showtunes. I’d like to see an accurate movie about the Supremes; that would really be interesting. But the fictionalized version, with an incredibly hackneyed show business love story stuck in, just doesn’t do it. The performances were good, though.
