Dreamgirls is a film à clef, a work of fiction taking strong inspiration from the history of the Motown record label and one of its acts, The Supremes. The film adaptation stars Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles and Eddie Murphy, and also features Jennifer Hudson, Danny Glover, Anika Noni Rose and Keith Robinson. The movie marked the acting debut of Jennifer Hudson, who won Best Supporting Actress at the 2007 Academy Awards (Oscars).

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About Dreamgirls

Dreamgirls is a 2006 American musical drama film written and directed by Bill Condon. Adapted from the 1981 Broadway musical of the same name, Dreamgirls is a film à clef, a work of fiction taking strong inspiration from the history of the Motown record label and one of its acts, the Supremes. The story follows the history and evolution of American R&B music during the 1960s and 1970s through the eyes of a Detroit girl group known as “The Dreams” and their record executive.

The film adaptation stars Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles and Eddie Murphy, and also features Jennifer Hudson, Danny Glover, Anika Noni Rose and Keith Robinson. The movie marked the acting debut of Jennifer Hudson, who won Best Supporting Actress at the 2007 Academy Awards (Oscars).

Also Read: C.J Sanders Discusses Working With Jamie Foxx on “Ray”

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What is an EGOT?

There is no official EGOT award but rather just an idea. The term EGOT was coined by Philip Michael Thomas, best known for TV show Miami Vice, who said he wanted to win all four awards in his career (as of writing, he has won none of them). Thomas went so far as to have the letters put on a gold chain he wore around his neck; fans of 30 Rock will know that the character Tracy Jordan bought this item and started his own EGOT quest. The four awards recognise excellence in television (Emmy) music (Grammy) film (Oscar) and theatre (Tony) and for anyone to be as talented and creative to excel in all of these different categories is very impressive.

To use Mel Brooks as an example – he won as Emmy in 1967 for writing on The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coco, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris Special, a Best Writing Oscar in 1968 for The Producers, a Grammy in 1998 for Best Spoken Comedy Album for The 2000 Year Old Man In the Year 2000 and in 2001 a Tony for Best Musical for The Producers. In fact, Brooks has won numerous Grammys, Tonys and Emmys, but only one Oscar.

How To Get One

Observant readers may have noticed a common theme in EGOT winners – music. Emmy, Oscar and Tony awards are connected to the acting world, a Grammy for music (although they give awards for comedy albums, spoken word etc). As such most of the winners of an EGOT have a musical background, looking through the 17 EGOT winners 11 have job titles relating to music (singer, composer, lyricist). And, of course, you can win Oscars, Tonys and Emmys for being involved in music rather than acting -such as EGOT winner John Legend. He won the four awards in consecutive years (technically his first Grammy was in 2006 and the four consecutive awards is in reference to another Grammy he won in 2016), and has the most Grammy awards of any EGOT. So perhaps the most direct way to get an EGOT is write or perform music. Some people have also proposed an ESOT – with the G for Grammy replaced with an S for SAG Award, which only gives awards for acting, not music.

Future Potential EGOTs

Lady Gaga: many mocked Lady Gaga as just someone who wore odd outfits and would be a passing fad but she’s still going strong, moving into dramatic acting to critical acclaim. With plenty of Grammys and an Oscar already she’s halfway there.

Christopher Guest: the creator of This Is Spinal Tap has an Emmy and a Grammy (and quite frankly should have an Oscar for This Is Spinal Tap) and can clearly work in both acting and music which gives him ample opportunities.

Matt Stone and Trey Parker: the creators of South Park have a Tony, Emmy and Grammy already and only need that Oscar. The pair were robbed at the Oscars in 2000 when Blame Canada from South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, was beaten for Best Song by You’ll Be In My Heart from Tarzan by Phil Collins.

It can take decades to complete an EGOT; it took actor Helen Hayes forty-five years to complete and Audrey Hepburn’s Grammy, her final missing award, was given posthumously. So anyone looking to win one should get started.

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The search for a new life

She’s still very young but she has already been through so much. Victoria ( Francesca Hayward) is being abandoned by her parents and now finds herself in London all by herself. At first, she’s being looked at with a lot of contempt by other cats. They doubt if she’s one of them, one of the “Jellicles” cats, but after accepting her (until a certain degree), they invite her to the Jellicle Ball. During that annual ball, many cats can compete to go to a place known as the Heaviside Layer to undergo reincarnation. The winner is being crowned by the leader of the tribe, Old Deuteronomy (Dame Judi Dench). A whole new world is opening in front of Victoria. One that she discovers alongside magician Mr. Mistoffelees (Laurie Davidson) and guardian of the “Jellicles” cats Munkustrap (Robbie Fairchild).

She meets many cats who each have their unique talent. You have Jennyanydots (Rebel Wilson), Rum Tum Tugger (Jason Derulo), Bustopher Jones (James Corden) and Gus (Sir. Ian McKellen). Sadly, not everyone is welcome as Grizabella (Jennifer Hudson), who once was a well-respected cat, is now being treated with a lot of fear and disgust. The big evening is about to arrive and so everyone’s ready to show off their talent but that’s not to the liking of the “Moriarty amongst the cats” Macavity (Idris Elba) as he wants to be the winner himself. He will do everything in his power to get rid of his competitors…

Cast by name and not by the (right) talent

When watching a film that’s based on a musical, you expect the performers to dance and sing their hearts out. Well, let us tell you. That doesn’t happen at all in Cats. We’re not saying that the cast isn’t talented (respect for both the A-listers as well as the newcomers) but most of them were cast for the wrong reasons. The two biggest casting mistakes are without a doubt Dench (Murder on the Orient Express) and McKellen (The Good Liar). They’re both esteemed actors but they just don’t fit in Cats. Their voices don’t match the songs and due to the terrible special effects, they can’t put their great acting on display. The result: Cringing moments and a waste of talent.

That putting celebrity names on the poster was more important than finding the right actors for the job is being proved by casting Elba (Molly’s Game) as Macavity and Taylor Swift as Bombalurina. In the original work, Macavity is a ginger cat that oozes evil and danger. Certainly not a dark-skinned (no offence here) one that brings even more funniness to the work. Oh and didn’t Swift her character hate Macavity in the poems? Well, not according to Hooper and his team.

There were some great casting choices in the film as well. The best one is certainly Fairchild as Munkustrap. He brings emotions, elegance, and class to this movie and it’s clear that he already had musical experience from his days when he performed in An American in Paris – The Musical. More magic and fun is brought to the screen by the very charming and delightful Davidson (Will). That Magical Mr. Mistoffelees song is one of the most captivating moments of the film. Cats also introduces us to the ballet dancer Hayward and she shines in her first full-length feature film. Hudson (All Rise) is the only one that could give us goosebumps during this film by signing Memory.

Special effects that aren’t special

The reason why the story, its touching vibe and the acting performances don’t come through is because of the special effects. It’s just too weird to see Dench as a cat (especially because it seems she’s wearing a collar) and making from the coloured Hayward a white cat just doesn’t do the trick at all. Also Wilson her cat taking off an extra layer of skin by unzipping it? Nope, Cats isn’t always eye-candy.

Not totally cat-astrophic

Do you need to see Cats or not? The question isn’t that simple to answer. They’re flaws when it comes to the characters, special effects, and casting but it’s certainly not like you waste one of the nine lives watching this film. The dancing, the signing of Hudson and that little spark of magic are the few elements that keep Cats alive.

Rating: (2 / 5)

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