What film was it that truly resurrected the lavish Hollywood musical in the modern era--was it 1996's Evita or the far superior Moulin Rouge that came out five years later? Whichever film deserves the credit, now we can rest comfortably knowing at least one Oscar-caliber musical will be released every year according to the successful formula. This musical is usually light material with dizzying, Baz-inspired cinematography and editing, opulent production values, and boasting at least one great supporting performance. In Bill Condon's Dreamgirls, we see two brilliant supporting performances, with a good effort by the entire ensemble.

Dreamgirls is based on the 1981 Broadway musical of the same name which tells the story of greed, bad blood and romance between all the singers, players and agents behind the scenes of the fictitious trio called "The Dreams" who go from obscurity to fame and a small fortune. The trio consists of Deena Jones, Effie White and Lorrell Robinson, who are initially chosen to sing backup for James "Thunder" Early. At first, I didn't realize that Dreamgirls was in fact a fictitious story, though it is loosely based on real people and a very real recording industry. The Dreams are modeled after "The Supremes" while several different singers have been listed as ingredients in the creation of James Early, from Marvin Gaye to James Brown and Jackie Wilson.

Real or exaggerated, the plot behind Dreamgirls is an interesting one and does hook the audience in, while never letting us forget that it is a time-distorting musical and not a straight-faced historical epic like Ray. Musically speaking, it is an amazing show and features songs from the original Broadway production as well as some new songs written for the screen. Director Bill Condon (of sexually curious films like Gods And Monsters and Kinsey) directs Dreamgirls in the same quick-tempo, short attention span style as the contemporary musical genre expects. He does a first rate job, and actually produces a much livelier production than the dreary, Academy-Award winning 2002 adaptation of Chicago.

The supporting performances are nothing short of startling, most notably by Eddie Murphy who gives the best performance of his career as a soulful but self-destructive genius who just falls short of the mainstream success he deserves and everyone else seems to find. Jennifer Hudson, of American Idol notoriety, also gives a very powerful performance, as an actor and a singer. Her portrayal of Effie White is as genuine as it is rightfully self-absorbed. Look for her to upset at next year's Oscar show, as she will probably be the most memorable of the five and since Dreamgirls is sure to lose most of the major awards to more socially relevant (read: pretentious) films.

While not Oscar-caliber, possibly the most enjoyable performance in the film is delivered by Jamie Foxx who plays Curtis Taylor as a sweet-talking car salesman turned music producer. At once needed by everyone, and yet trusted by no one, Curtis Taylor (though in my mind Foxx and Taylor were one entity) hams it up in every scene simply because he knows he can--he is the dream meal ticket. Dreamgirls is great entertainment and a crossover film that will entertain audiences of every ethnicity and taste. Grade: A-

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