Dreamgirls

There's a lot right with this filmed musical, but the music lets it down horribly - when you're telling a tale that's a lawyer's red pencil away from being the history of the Supremes and classic period Motown, that's a big disadvantage. It's a shame, because Dreamgirls has a dream cast: Jennifer Hudson earns her Oscar as the monumentally pissed-off group leader cast aside for the slimmer, more malleable Beyoncé. Ms Knowles does a decent job in her first proper acting part. The film comes to DVD a scarcely credible 26 years after its Broadway debut - surprisingly, it never made it to the West End - but, despite the choreography and energy on display, without the music to lift it, it just seems like so much razzle-dazzle.