Dreamgirls

Dreamgirls is a 2006 American musical drama film based on the 1981 Broadway musical, directed by Bill Condon.

The story follows the history and evolution of American R&B music during the 1960s and 1970s through the eyes of a Detroit, Michigan girl group known as the Dreams and their manipulative record executive.

1962 to New Year's Eve, 1966
Backstage at an amateur talent show at the Detroit Theatre in 1962, Cadillac salesman Curtis Taylor, Jr. (Jamie Foxx) meets a girl group known as "The Dreamettes": lead singer Effie White (Jennifer Hudson) and back-up singers Deena Jones (Beyonce) and Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose).

Curtis presents himself as the Dreamettes' new manager and arranges for the Dreamettes to become backup singers for local R&B star Jimmy "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy).

Aiming to achieve success for black singers with mainstream white audiences, Curtis starts his own record label, Rainbow Records, out of his Detroit car dealership, and appoints Effie's brother C.C. (Keith Robinson) as his head songwriter.

When their first single fails after a white pop group releases a cover version, Curtis, C.C. and their producer Wayne (Hinton Battle) turn to payola to make Jimmy and the Dreamettes pop stars. Offstage, Effie becomes infatuated with the slick-talking Curtis while the married Jimmy begins an affair with Lorrell.

Jimmy's manager Marty grows weary of Curtis' plans to make his client more pop-friendly and walks out. When Jimmy bombs in front of a mostly white Miami Beach audience, Curtis sends Jimmy out on the road alone, keeping the Dreamettes behind to headline in his place.

Feeling that Effie's large figure and distinctive voice will not attract white audiences, Curtis appoints the slimmer and higher-voiced Deena lead singer and renames the group "The Dreams."

With the aid of new songs and a new more glamorous image, Curtis and C.C. transform the Dreams into a top selling mainstream pop act by 1965. However, Effie begins acting out, particularly when Curtis' affections also turn towards Deena.

Curtis eventually drops Effie (who has just learned she is pregnant with Curtis' child) from the group, hiring his secretary, Michelle Morris (Sharon Leal) to take her place, which Effie finds out before anyone can tell her.

Despite Effie's defiance at being ousted, and her last-ditch appeal to Curtis, he, C.C., and the Dreams leave her behind and forge ahead to stardom.

1973 to 1975
Seven years later, in 1973, Effie has become an impoverished welfare mother, living in inner-city Detroit with her daughter, Magic and struggling to return to music. One day, Marty appeals to Effie to let him help her rebuild her career and compels her to use her struggles as motivation in her music.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Records has moved to Los Angeles, where the Dreams (now "Deena Jones & the Dreams") have become superstars.

With Rainbow the biggest black-run business in the country, Curtis is now attempting to move into film production with a film about Cleopatra starring an unwilling Deena, who is now his wife.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Early has descended into drug addiction, his career neglected due to Curtis' preoccupation with Deena.

When Jimmy has a breakdown onstage at Rainbow's tenth anniversary TV special the following year, dropping his pants in front of the audience and live TV cameras, Curtis drops him from the label and Lorrell ends their long affair. Later, Jimmy is found dead in a hotel room from a heroin overdose.

Angered over Curtis' increasing control and remixing over his music for a new sound and his lack of sympathy upon learning of Jimmy's death in which Curtis calls it a "bad bad scene" after watching it on a breaking news bulletin, C.C. quits and returns to Detroit to find Effie, who has been rebuilding her career in music with Marty as her manager.

The two siblings reconcile, C.C. meets his niece Magic for the first time and he writes and produces Effie's comeback single, "One Night Only."

Just as the record begins gaining radio play in Detroit and climbs the charts, Curtis becomes furious when he learns about C.C. helping Effie out in rebuilding her career.

Out of desperation and spite, he uses payola to force radio stations to play a disco cover of "One Night Only" by Deena Jones & the Dreams instead. His plan falls apart when Deena, angry over Curtis' control of her career, finds evidence of his payola schemes and contacts Effie and C.C., who arrive in Los Angeles with Marty and a lawyer.

Deena and Effie reconcile while Curtis (wanting to avoid being reported to the FBI for payola), agrees to give Effie's record national distribution. Inspired by Effie's victory, Deena leaves Curtis to make it on her own.

As a result, Deena Jones & the Dreams give a farewell performance at the Detroit Theater.

At the conclusion of the concert, Deena invites Effie to join the group onstage and sing lead for the final performance of the group's signature song, "Dreamgirls."

As the concert ends, Curtis notices Magic in the front row, walks down the aisle, stands next to her without speaking and realizes that he is the girl's father.

Musical Numbers
Act I Act 2
 * 1) "I'm Lookin' for Something" – The Step Sisters
 * 2) "Takin' the Long Way Home" – Tiny Joe Dixon
 * 3) "Move" – The Dreamettes
 * 4) "Fake Your Way to the Top" – James "Thunder" Early & the Dreamettes
 * 5) "Cadillac Car" – James "Thunder" Early & the Dreamettes
 * 6) "Cadillac Car (Reprise)" – Dave & the Sweethearts
 * 7) "Steppin' to the Bad Side" – Curtis Taylor Jr., C.C. White, Wayne, James
 * 8) "Thunder" Early & the Dreamettes, and Chorus
 * 9) " Love You I Do" – Effie White
 * 10) "I Want You Baby" – Jimmy Early & the Dreamettes
 * 11) "Family" – C.C. White, Effie White, Curtis Taylor Jr., Deena Jones, Lorrell Robinson
 * 12) "Dreamgirls" – The Dreams
 * 13) "Heavy" – The Dreams
 * 14) "It's All Over" – Effie White, Deena Jones, Lorrell Robinson, Michelle Morris, C.C. White and Curtis Taylor Jr.
 * 15) "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" – Effie White
 * 16) "Love Love Me Baby" – Deena Jones & the Dreams
 * 1) "I'm Somebody" – Deena Jones & the Dreams
 * 2) "When I First Saw You" – Curtis Taylor Jr.
 * 3) "Patience" – Jimmy Early, Lorrell Robinson, C.C. White, and Chorus
 * 4) "I Am Changing" – Effie White
 * 5) "Perfect World" – The Campbell Connection
 * 6) "I Meant You No Harm/Jimmy's Rap" – Jimmy Early
 * 7) "Lorrell Loves Jimmy" – Lorrell Robinson
 * 8) "Family (Reprise)" – Deena Jones & the Dreams
 * 9) "Step on Over" – Deena Jones & the Dreams
 * 10) "I Miss You Old Friend" – Jazz Singer (Loretta Devine)
 * 11) "Effie, Sing My Song" – C.C. White and Effie White (deleted from theatrical version, present on DVD)[13]
 * 12) "One Night Only" – Effie White
 * 13) "One Night Only (Disco Version)" – Deena Jones & the Dreams
 * 14) " Listen" – Deena Jones
 * 15) "Hard to Say Goodbye" – Deena Jones & the Dreams
 * 16) "Dreamgirls (Finale)" – The Dreams