The film special begins on Friday at 7 p.m. with "Dreamgirls," the electrifying Motown musical that took the box office by storm last Christmas. Adapted from the Tony-winning stage play by acclaimed director Bill Condon ("Gods and Monsters"), "Dreamgirls" certainly hit theaters loaded with pedigree -- the cast included such classy actors as Jamie Foxx, Danny Glover and (ahem) Eddie Murphy, as well as luminous newcomer Jennifer Hudson. The film racked up eight Academy Award nominations, but a lot of eyebrows were raised over its exclusion from the Best Picture list. After all, wasn't "Dreamgirls" supposed to be the film to beat last year?
But that's just the problem. Faced with monumental expectations built up by an epic publicity campaign (the first teaser premiered nearly a year before the film's release), "Dreamgirls" was attacked by a very vocal minority of critics who discerned a hint of calculation behind the film's prestige. It's true that the picture does follow a rather conventional formula -- mix A-list talent with famous source material, add a dash of broad romantic themes, spend a fortune on costumes, then bake until lucrative. But despite occasional moments of predictability (and an unconscionably bad lead performance by Beyonce Knowles), there's much to appreciate in "Dreamgirls." It's a crowd-pleasing movie in the best sense of the word, stuffed to bursting with all the flourishes of glitzy showmanship that $70 million can buy.
You've heard the story before: a struggling trio of female singers makes it to the big time, only to find out that success comes with a price. Deena (Knowles), Effie (Hudson) and Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose) get their first big break singing backup for Jimmy "Thunder" Early (Murphy), a suave soul man who introduces them to a world of celebrity, all the while trying to get them out of those pretty blue outfits and into his king-size bed. Meanwhile, Jamie Foxx plays the trio's snake-oil manager, Curtis Taylor Jr., who shepherds them along to stardom with an eye toward his own ambitions. Just as the group's career reaches its zenith, a disastrous love triangle between Curtis, Deena and Effie threatens to tear them apart for good.
All this takes place against the glamorous backdrop of the 1970s Motown scene -- a time of change, when black soul music was starting to carve its way into the mainstream and a guy like Eddie Murphy could pass for a pop singer. This sense of period authenticity helps enrich "Dreamgirls" with the stylistic charm it needs to overcome its weighty conventionality; ditto for the musical numbers, which are every bit as brassy and foot-pounding as any Broadway fan could possibly ask for. Knowles seems skittish and stiff every time the music dies down -- as the vivacious Effie, Hudson acts her off the screen. When Hudson belts out the musical's legendary show-stopper "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," any qualms one might have with the film get blown away in a torrent of pure aural delight.
As Eric O'Neil, the junior FBI operative in "Breach," Ryan Phillippe doesn't get the chance to do any singing, not even in the shower. Truth be told, he doesn't do that much talking either -- he's a watcher, assigned to monitor the actions of senior agent Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper) in the guise of Hanssen's secretary. O'Neil's superiors suspect Hanssen of leaking national security secrets to the Russians, but can't prove anything until he's caught in the act. As O'Neil soon discovers, Hanssen proves a tough nut to crack -- surly and taciturn, the man is an enigma, guarding the smallest personal details with an understandably paranoiac demeanor. As you can imagine, the two men don't find much to talk about.
In every way, "Breach" plays like an anti-"Dreamgirls" -- it's a small, intimate film that forgoes traditional melodramatic payoffs in favor of infinitely subtle moments of interpersonal intrigue. This isn't a spy movie of car chases and gunfights; the characters spend most of their time treading quietly through the bland white corridors of federal administrative buildings, discussing matters of national import in hushed, conspiratorial tones. But the minimalist construction of "Breach" belies its dazzling effectiveness as a taut political thriller.
Ryan Phillippe is his usual slow-burn self as the upstart agent with something to prove, but it's Cooper's show here, and he knocks the ball out of the park as the treacherous Hanssen. It's the ultimate Chris Cooper performance -- the role gives him the chance to showcase the gruff severity he exhibited in "American Beauty," the grizzled paternalism of "Seabiscuit," the emotional delicacy of "Lone Star" and "Adaptation." As an actor, Cooper emphasizes Hanssen's egotism, fashioning him into an antiquated old battleaxe whose terrible betrayal grows out of a desperate desire to remain relevant within the confines of an unappreciative bureaucracy. It's a tremendous performance, and the film matches it step for step.
The second of the two film specials, "Breach" will show in Spaulding Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Saturday night. It might not seem like a likely pairing -- political espionage meets Motown crooning -- but together "Dreamgirls" and "Breach" should offer a little something for just about every movie lover out there. Unless you're hoping for Ryan Phillippe in a dress.
