Bill Condon’s Dreamgirls (B) is a musical backstage drama with style and panache, but it’s conflicted about whether or not the characters sing when they are not on stage. Musicals require a suspension of disbelief, for sure, but within the film, it should be consistent. So the stage numbers are great, and some of the personal ballads are too, just awkward. Beyoncé Knowles is compelling as the attractive star of a girl group, and Jennifer Hudson is an acting and vocal powerhouse as the woman behind the group’s hits who is unlucky in love and fame. Jamie Foxx turns in a nice performance, and Eddie Murphy delivers a sly dramatic turn that lights up his scenes. The film is pulpy melodrama with gorgeous production design and art direction, and the talented ensemble showcases acting and singing chops. If only Condon had figured out the musical conceit like he did with his Chicago screenplay, the film wouldn’t seem so self-conscious.
Tag Archives: Musical
“Rent” Movie Musical Gets a Lot Right
Chris Columbus’ Rent (B+) faithfully adapts the Broadway musical about a circle of bohemian NYC friends coming to terms with mortality and having to pay their dues for living life to their own beat. What he gets wrong in awkward transitions, cheesy sets and cast members (many from the original stage production) who look too old to be twentysomethings, Columbus gets right in honoring and immortalizing the heart and bliss of artistic life and friendships. Idina Menzel, Tracie Thoms, Rosario Dawson and Jesse L. Martin are standouts in the cast, and Jonathan Larson’s propulsive music fuels a life-affirming experience.
“Camp” is Great Fun with Theatre Kids in Spotlight
Todd Graff’s Camp (B) is a joyous ode to growing up, making friends and finding your voice. Set at a summer camp for kids who want to be Broadway stars, there is enough backstage drama to fill the great white wilderness as the teens overcome their outcast status and find themselves center stage in their own follies, foibles and friendships. Graff draws out charming performances from newcomers Daniel Letterle, Robin de Jesus and Anna Kendrick, the latter belting out a very memorable and angry “Ladies Who Lunch.” The title’s play on words might imply a film high on kitsch, but it’s actually high on sweetness and coming of age. Showtune fans will rejoice at some unexpected songs and a star cameo. It’s Meatballs for maestros.
Movie Version of “Chicago” One of the Best Big-Screen Musicals in Years
Rob Marshall’s 1924-set musical Chicago (A-) brings song and dance razzamatazz back to the screen as Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones take on the juicy roles of ladies who will kill for fame. Many musical numbers from the stage show become fantasy dream sequences in the film, which works beautifully. From the cell block tango to vaudeville sketches, this film brings all that jazz and more to the proceedings, and it’s a dark comedic good time.
“Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is a Fabulous Gender-Bending Musical Extravaganza
John Cameron Mitchell directs and stars in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (A), a raucous rock musical about a transsexual lounge singer brought to America by a military man and given a botched sex change operation. Abandoned and left with the “angry inch” of the musical’s title, Hedwig sings about finding her other half in some incredible rock ballads such as “Origin of Love.” Up-tempo punk rock numbers take on a Ziggy Stardust quality as Hedwig starts to follow her muse on a concert tour, singing her pop hits “Wig in a Box,” “Midnight Radio,” and many more. The film is campy fun as karaoke bouncing balls and animated sequences dot the music sequences so viewers can sing along or participate. Part backstage musical, part poignant portrait of broken hearts and part love letter to that special someone, the film is a tender take on how you can make the most of the pieces you’ve got and rock out with the rest!
“Moulin Rouge!” is a Glorious Mash-Up of Tragic Romance Tropes and Full-Throated Creativity
Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! (A-) is a spellbinding romantic musical featuring modern-day songs by The Beatles, Elton John, Whitney Houston and more at the service of a fantasy Parisian-based story about a poet (Ewan McGregor) who falls in love with a courtesan (Nicole Kidman). Luhrmann’s bouncing-off-the-walls visuals slow down occasionally to feast eyes on the stunning central couple who is fully committed to its acting performances. It’s a splendid let’s-put-on-a-show production with surprises in store at every turn.
Animated Disney “Hunchback of Notre Dame” Soars
Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame (A-) is Disney’s dark quasi-opera about a 15th century French deformed bell-ringer who dreams of leaving the cathedral where he is secluded for a moment “out there” in the real world. This adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic features spectacular songs by Alan Menken and Stephen Swartz and grandiose, swirling animation that brings exquisite life to its time and place. A moving centerpiece is the song “God Help the Outcasts” in this cautionary tale about making the world a safe haven for those who are different.
Disney’s Animated “Lion King” One of 1994’s Best Films
Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff’s The Lion King (A-) is a stirring animal version of Hamlet featuring some heavy themes about a “circle of life” with betrayal, death and ascension. The regal undertones and the Elton John tunes don’t always jive, but it’s hard to deny the power, poignancy and genuine beauty of this Disney animation milestone. This film marches with a triumphant beat and eschews the formula of the hits directly before it to fashion and even bigger juggernaut of global wonder.
“Nightmare Before Christmas” a Nifty Holiday Treat
Director Henry Selick does the heavy lifting in a Claymation-inspired motion capture musical holiday extravaganza Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (B) based on the Beetlejuice/Edward Scissorhands wunderkind’s whimsical mash-up of a night when a cast of ghouls, goblins and Jack Skellington take over Christmas duties. Buoyed by Oingo Boingo front man Danny Elfman’s playfully sinister ditties and a bleak comedic vibe that shows the darker side of holiday glee, it’s a wickedly enchanting, splendidly demented fable for all seasons. Like much of Burton’s fare, a triumph of production design over storytelling – but, oh, what beautiful visuals!
Disney’s 1992 Animated “Aladdin” a Wish Come True
Co-directors Ron Clements and John Musker have successfully bottled a great formula for comedy thanks to Robin Williams’ contribution as the voice of the Genie in the fabulous and briskly paced animated Aladdin (A). Disney has finally found a voice to match its colorful, vivid animation; Williams’ manic characterization and hilarious anachronisms fill in the lines of an absorbing work of pure fantasy about a rugrat who gets three wishes and woos a princess. Composers Howard Ashman, Alan Menken and Tim Rice get high points with “Friend Like Me,” a great moment of razzmatazz, and “A Whole New World,” which evokes a Superman style flight aboard a magic carpet. It’s everything you could wish for in a family-friendly adventure.