Dreamgirls

In sixties Detroit, a trio of young women is pushed upward by an ambitious manager. He promotes not the strongest voice but the most sellable one, and Effie is left behind. The parallel with Motown and the Supremes is obvious; the film is described as fiction drawn from real events. Jennifer Hudson's story rhymes with the film's. Eliminated from American Idol, she played Effie in her first film and won Best Supporting Actress. The scene where she sings the show's signature number was called the show-stopping moment of any film in 2006. Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles and Eddie Murphy are also in it. The Oscars produced a strange outcome. With eight nominations it was the most-nominated film of 2006 and was left out of both Best Picture and Best Director. It became the first film to lead the nomination count without a Best Picture nomination, and it was widely read as a snub. It grossed 155.4 million dollars worldwide and won three Golden Globes. Who it is for: viewers who like musicals and want the inside of the music business. Who it is not for: anyone wanting depth of character. The second half accelerates the plot and abandons several people along the way.