Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Dreamgirls" (2006)

Scene from Dreamgirls

As awards seasons pick up, so do the campaigns to make your film have the best chances at the Best Picture race. However, like a drunken stupor, sometimes these efforts come off as trying too hard and leave behind a trailer of ridiculous flamboyance. Join me on every other Saturday for a highlight of the failed campaigns that make this season as much about prestige as it does about train wrecks. Come for the Harvey Weinstein comments and stay for the history. It's going to be a fun time as I explore cinema's rich history of attempting to matter.

Dreamgirls (2006)

Directed By: Bill Condon

Written By: Tom Eyen (Original Broadway Production Booky), Screenplay)

Starring: Beyonce, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy
Genre: Drama, Music, Musical

Running Time: 130 minutes

Summary: A trio of black female soul singers cross over to the pop charts in the early 1960s, facing their own personal struggles along the way.

The Movie

In their most aggressive year for Oscar campaigning yet, Netflix has decided to add Eddie Murphy into the conversation with Dolemite is My Name. While the field for Best Actor is crowded, many see this as a comeback that could fuel the remainder of his career. If nothing else, it's a reminder of how funny and charismatic he has been ever since his early days on Saturday Night Live. He is a natural-born entertainer who lights up a room with his smile. Of course, the one thing that should be remembered in the grand scheme of things is that this isn't Murphy's first Oscar campaign. It's probably also going to be less interesting than the last time around, which saw him join a musical and perform wild James Brown-like numbers before potentially sabotaging the Oscar chances with a stinker of a movie.

Director Bill Condon's Dreamgirls had everything set up to be a hit. Not only was it based on a beloved play, but it was also going to have an all-star cast that included Beyonce, American Idol winner Jennifer Hudson, recent Oscar winner Jamie Foxx (Best Actor, Ray), and Murphy in a role that could likely revise how many saw the box office-dominating comedian. Add in that Condon was an Oscar-winning screenwriter, also recently nominated for his script on Chicago, and it looked like he was a surefire thing. He was capable of reviving the musical better than anyone else. Everything was on track to make Dreamgirls the event movie of 2006, and for a certain demographic, it was.

However, it would become one of the more controversial films to NOT get a Best Picture nomination. It's a question that many have mulled over in the decade-plus since its release. There have been few movie musicals quite like Dreamgirls in that time, even if the popularity of 60s-era music biopics were on the rise thanks in part to the film. History has been kind to Dreamgirls, even if many argue that it didn't quite go far enough. While Murphy's renaissance is looking to start up again, many are wondering if a similar fate will bestow Dolemite is My Name. The biopic of a blaxploitation icon isn't likely to as well at the box office as the beloved musical, but who knows if Murphy won't get in his own way in the process.

- The Campaign -

Dreamgirls is a film that had been in the works thanks in part to David Geffen for close to 25 years before it was finally released. With the monumental build-up and rewriting of the play for cinemas, the anticipation was high. It was so much so that there was a teaser trailer attached to films like The Producers in 2005, almost a year exactly before the film's release. Oscar-winning director Condon would give the project certain credibility along with the all-star class that included Beyonce, Foxx, Hudson, Murphy, and more. The only downside was that many feared that Dreamgirls would fall to similar fates of 2005 musicals like Rent, The Producers, and The Phantom of the Opera: all box office bombs with less than favorable critical receptions. There was a confidence that this time would be different. 

One of the most noteworthy moments came when Condon opened the set up to the press in order. This was to give a sense of openness and that the film was going to be friendlier. There were definitely concerns that the predominantly black film wasn't going to be received well to wide audiences, and this was an attempt to change the perception. It's an issue that would remain when the film played Cannes Film Festival as they struggled to find international markets willing to buy the film. Even then, the press who went to set got to sit in on a scene where Beyonce performed live, giving a sense of what the film was going for. Many were already predicting big things for the film, believing from the energy in the room that audiences were going to love it.

Another thing that Dreamgirls did to separate itself from other films was choosing to pay for non-professional stage performances of the original show. The Tams-Witmark Music Library promised to pay for all of the costs, believing that it would help to raise awareness. In the process, the show was revived by high school, colleges, and local theater productions at least 50 times during 2006. Another connection to the previous production was the use of original cast members speaking out publicly. Jennifer Holliday openly admitted disappointment in not being involved with the production. Obba Babatundé, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Cleavant Derricks would all be interviewed for a special Jet Magazine piece discussing the legacy of Dreamgirls, though they were less critical than Holliday of the film (she would also admit annoyance that use of her singing in early cuts of the trailer poorly reflected the film).

One of the early aspects of Oscar campaigning was the choice to push Beyonce as the lead and Hudson as supporting. It was especially striking given that Holliday and Sheryl Lee (who played the roles in the original production) were both Tony-nominated for Best Actress. Many were skeptical going into the 2006 season, but things slowly changed after Cannes. What started as a sense of another movie musical bomb changed once the film screened to a standing ovation. Many praised Hudson and Murphy, believing that they were giving powerhouse performances. As the reviews would continue to claim, this was going to be a crowd-pleaser. It even got to the point that Oprah Winfrey loved the film and would feature the cast in a special episode of her talk show Oprah. They would continue to do various events throughout the year, including touring with the performers. One such event would feature seeing the film with Hudson in attendance for $25.

The film would also do a roadshow production in the months leading up to release to generate buzz. This would make it the first musical since 1972's The Man of La Mancha to do so. It also helped it to establish a reputation of being a more traditional musical in the vein of West Side Story and My Fair Lady (which both won Best Picture) that represented quality as well as spectacle. Considering the reputation that studio musicals were developing at the time, it wasn't a terrible way to shift the conversation. It was going to help it be a hit. While it connected with audiences, many feared that it wouldn't be the big hit that they expected. Many wanted to see it gross over $170 million, like Chicago, to prove that musicals were profitable. The film came up a bit short at $150 million, which was no small feat but also not a surefire sign that the film would be a phenomenon.

There were also a series of factors that worked against the film. While its December 25, 2006 date was ideal for an Oscar campaign (the majority of recent Best Picture winners were released October or later), it couldn't have foreseen the competition. In what has become an Oscar trope, director Clint Eastwood chose to move up the release of Letters from Iwo Jima to December 2006, making it eligible for the season. It also paired well with Flags of Our Fathers, which showed the same war from a different perspective. Many wondered if this was going to impact the Best Picture race from the surefire thing Dreamgirls had been just a month prior. Others have argued that the film would be impacted by the late production of screeners, which were sent out when many voters had left for the holidays (others claim that voters missed crucial screenings of the film). Finally, many wondered if it was Best Picture material when it likely was "best entertaining" instead.

The early run of Dreamgirls at the awards circuit was rather successful. Hudson and Murphy were front-runners, managing to earn Golden Globes (it also won Best Musical or Comedy). However, there was another factor that many saw standing in their way: Murphy himself. While this was seen as a career-best performance that elevated him to another level, there was a trailer making the rounds around this time that reflected a different side of Murphy. The comedy Norbit would become so notorious that it would receive the honor of "The Norbit Effect," in which an Oscar-worthy performance would be followed by an absolute trainwreck of a movie (see also: Eddie Redmayne: The Theory of Everything and Jupiter Ascending) and botch any Oscar chances. While Norbit would be a success, it was critically reviled as one of Murphy's worst and many worried it would be the end of his Oscar push. The Dreamgirls Oscar campaign was a special achievement, but would it be enough?

- The Payoff -

On the bright side, Dreamgirls scored big at The Academy Awards. It would earn a total of eight nominations, including one each for Hudson and Murphy. The film would hold several honors as well. The most noteworthy was becoming the first live-action film to receive three Best Original Song nominations ("Listen," "Love You I Do," and "Patience"). In less enthusiastic news, the film missed out on Best Picture and Best Director nominations, leaving many to wonder exactly why. Despite this, it helped to make the film one of the most-nominated films with no Best Picture nomination in history. Was this missing category a result of the late scheduling of screeners and voting events? Was it, as they always feared, due to the predominantly black cast not being marketable? The answer isn't clear, though Condon claims that maybe there just liked other movies more. He wasn't as worried about the film missing major nominations because he always felt it was a longshot. 

The good news was that Hudson became one of two wins for the film for Best Supporting Actress. She became one of few performers to win for their cinematic debut. The other win came for Best Sound Mixing. However, the moment that many remember from that night remains largely a myth, not actually proven by visual evidence. Upon losing Best Supporting Actor to Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine), Murphy notoriously stormed out of the theater in protest. Along with a decision in 2011 to leave his duties as Oscar host following Brett Ratner's firing, many wondered if Murphy was sabotaging a good thing. He got a reputation for being difficult that likely didn't help the next decade of his career, which saw his cinematic output drop significantly. Still, many wonder if this was a result of The Norbit Effect, or if the idea was overblown. Nobody knows for sure. However, there was some irony in the fact that Norbit did receive an Oscar nomination for Best Hair and Make-Up the following year.

The trajectory of the Dreamgirls cast following the film was definitely a peculiar one. While Hudson would continue to star in major films such as Sex and the City, she has yet to receive another nomination. Murphy would return to comedy, admittedly with less of a box office consistency over the next decade. Beyonce would manage to have the best career as a singer and actor, appearing in major films like Cadillac Records and The Lion King (she is considered a potential Oscar nominee for Best Original Song this year for the latter). Condon would make more musicals, though with less critical acclaim, with Beauty and the Beast and a producer credit on The Greatest Showman. Did Dreamgirls revive the movie musical after a bad year? Kind of, though it was the last successful film before an intermittent dry spell in the next few years. 

While many are excited to see Murphy get another shot at Oscar glory, one has to wonder if there's enough excitement around Dolemite is My Name to make a difference. The film feels smaller and less universally accessible despite being more in the vein of what Murphy does best. It also doesn't have as much of the star power that one would need to make this a runaway hit. However, Dreamgirls proved that every time Murphy surprises, the Oscars will listen and attempt to make a difference. Dreamgirls isn't a musical that has faded in popularity, though it's hard to remember what made it one of the best of the decade considering its lack of Best Picture nomination and its "disappointing" box office receipts. Still, it saw the star power rise of Beyonce and reminded everyone of just how charismatic its cast was. It was the crowd-pleaser that couldn't, though it came close a whole lot of times.