DREAMWORKS PICTURES and PARAMOUNT PICTURES Present
A Laurence Mark Production
DIRECTOR: Bill Condon
WRITER: Bill Condon (based upon the original Broadway Production Book and Lyrics by Tom Eyen)
PRODUCER: Laurence Mark

Starring:  Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover, Anika Noni Rose, Keith Robinson, Jennifer Hudson, Sharon Leal, and Hinton Battle

Opening date:  Monday, December 25, 2006 (wide)
Running time:  131 minutes
Rating:  MPAA - PG-13 for language, some sexuality, and drug content

On December 20, 1981, the Broadway musical Dreamgirls opened at the Imperial Theatre and would run for 1,522 performances by the time it closed on August 11, 1985.  In 1982, Dreamgirls earned 13 Tony Award nominations and won six including "Best Book of a Musical" for Tom Eyen, and the musical also received 11 Drama Desk Awards and won five, with Tom Eyen again winning "Best Book of a Musical."

Now, this legendary musical about an African-American female singing trio finally makes it to the big screen in a new film from writer/director Bill Condon, who won an Oscar for his screenplay of the film Gods and Monsters (which he also directed).

In 1960's Detroit, a good night onstage can get you noticed, but it won't get your song played on the radio.  Here, a new kind of music is on the cusp of being born - a sound with roots buried deep in the soul of Detroit itself, where songs are about more than what's on the surface, and everyone is bound together by a shared dream.

Curtis Taylor, Jr. (Jamie Foxx) is a car salesman aching to make his mark in the music business - to form his own record label and get its sound heard on mainstream radio at a time when civil rights are still only a whisper in the streets.  He just needs the angle, the right talent, and the right product to sell.

Late for their stint in a local talent show, The Dreamettes - Deena Jones (Beyoncé Knowles), Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose), and the lead singer Effie White (Jennifer Hudson) - show up in their cheap wigs and homemade dresses, rehearsing song and steps by Effie's brother, C.C. (Keith Robinson), with hopes that talent and sheer desire will break them out of the only life that seems available to them.

They're young. They're beautiful.  They're just what Curtis is looking for.

All they have to do is trust him.

James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy) is a pioneer of the new Detroit sound, spellbinding audiences all along the "Chitlin' Circuit" with his electrifying blend of soul and rock 'n' roll.  Curtis finesses The Dreamettes a gig singing backup for Early, and suddenly, for all of them, the gulf between what they want and what they can have draws closer for the first time.

Curtis launches the girls as a solo act, re-christening them The Dreams, knowing in his gut that success lies not with the soulful voice of Effie, but with the demure beauty and malleable style of Deena - despite their history… and Curtis' promises.  Deena is ready to step into the spotlight, even as Effie fades away.

As a new musical age dawns, Curtis' driving ambition pushes this one-time family to the forefront of an industry in the throes of music revolution.  But when the lights come up and the curtains part, they hardly recognize who they've become.  Their dreams are finally there for the taking, but at a price that may be too heavy for their hearts to bear.

Visit the film site at DreamgirlsMovie.com

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