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After wowing the crowds with Chicago, screenwriter Bill Condon widens the scope with Dreamgirls. He also directs this lavish musical, this time draping the razzle-dazzle over an actual plot. Admittedly it's a by-the-numbers account (based on the Broadway show), which follows a Motown trio through the pitfalls of the fame game. But a starry cast including Jamie Foxx and Beyoncé Knowles shine through. And then there's newcomer Jennifer Hudson, whose larger-than-life turn quite simply demands the spotlight...

Hudson plays Effie, the bumptious diva-wannabe who threatens to scupper The Dreamettes' shot at the big-time. But car salesman-cum-manager Curtis (Foxx) persuades her that singing backup for James 'Thunder' Early (Eddie Murphy) is just the start of bigger things. Sure enough Curtis rides their fishtail gowns all the way to the top, but it means putting the 'bootylicious' Deena Jones (Knowles) up front, because image is everything. That's the cue for the most rousing set-piece of the film with Hudson singing so hard her heart might burst through her chest.

"DELIVERED WITH GUSTO"

Effie's struggle for ascendancy is the most compelling thread between predictable romantic subplots and familiar scenes of backstage drug abuse. Although weighed down by some of these clichés, Murphy lightens the mix with a chucklesome performance somewhere between James Brown and The Cat from Red Dwarf (complete with sky-scraping coif)! The songs themselves aren't memorable so it helps greatly that they're delivered with gusto. Condon tries to pack too much in, however, and energy flags slightly towards the end. Ultimately it's Hudson's passion that keeps the dream alive.

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Dreamgirls is released in UK cinemas on Friday 2nd February 2007.