The resurgence of the movie musical is a good thing, even if we have to put up with ones that are all polish and misguided intentions. Dreamgirls is one of those theatrically-adapted cinematic musicals, with its mind stuck in the limbo of never discovering how theatrical and how cinematic it should be. There is no formula, of course, but when characters break into song for no reason, there should be something acknowledging that, yes, this is artifice. Even though this kind of faux pas frustrates me to no end, writer/director Bill Condon's stylistic missteps are mere trifles compared to the artificial nature of the material itself. Considering this is a genre in which people randomly break into song, that is saying quite a lot. There are a few on-target jabs at the music industry, but in the end, Dreamgirls is blind and empty glorification of that most disingenuous of businesses masquerading as art (although the argument could be made that they don't even try to fake the art function anymore). Add to these a very rough sense of storytelling, and there's really not much going for the movie with the exception of a few strong performances and some obvious but still enjoyable attempts at bringing elements of the stage to film.

The Dreamettes are a trio of female vocalists who grew up together in Detroit and are about to perform in a talent competition. Effie White (Jennifer Hudson) sings lead, while Deena Jones (a bland Beyoncé Knowles) and Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose) sing backup. Even though they're late to start, Curtis Taylor Jr. (an effectively slimy Jamie Foxx), a semi-famous manager, helps them get a slot and subsequently pays off a judge to keep them from winning. He convinces Marty Madison (Danny Glover, clearly knowing he's in a thankless role), the manager of James "Thunder" Early (an energetic Eddie Murphy), to use the trio as backup singers for Early's upcoming tour. His former singers left because of the married Early's womanizing ways. After some convincing, Effie agrees with the others to join the tour. The road brings love affairs, as Lorrell becomes involved with Early and Effie with Curtis, but it also brings out Curtis' ambition. He starts a new record company, breaks the women apart from Early, renames the group The Dreams, and tries to make them and Early cross-over successes with the help of Effie's brother and songwriter C.C. (Keith Robinson). Egos flare as Deena takes over as the lead singer, Effie is replaced, and the group rises to stardom.

The movie is on target in its first act, showing the girls' rise to a professional music career. For one, the songs are actually performed on a stage in front of people.