Fridae

This is the one movie all you bouncing bottoms and dancing drag queens have been waiting impatiently for. Months after singing along to Beyonce's Listen and imitating her every neck turn, wrist twist and butt wiggle from her MTV video, you finally get to watch the movie that goes with the song. And what a movie it is!

Dreamgirls rocks and rolls around a sexy black girl trio called the Dreamettes, who started out in a humble talent contest in Detroit and eventually rose to the heights of commercial success and cultural significance. The group's lead singer is Effie (Jennifer Hudson), who has the biggest voice � and waistline � of them all. The prettiest is Deena (Beyonce) who may not have the same lungs as Effie, but sure knows how to pose for a picture.

The trio meets the wily Curtis (Jamie Foxx) who offers to be their manager. And as it turns out, Curtis not only has huge amounts of ambition but also the know-how to pull the girl's brand of black music out of its R&B niche and push it on to the lucrative, white-dominated pop charts. But success has it price, and all of them pay for it dearly along the way...

Dreamgirls is a slick and supremely enjoyable musical that gets its boost mostly from its slick production values and strong performances: Beyonce is lovely and perfect for her role, Jamie is ever the charismatic cool-cat, while Eddie Murphy is extremely convincing in his role as the soul singer James "Thunder" Early. Both Eddie and Jennifer received Oscar nominations for their supporting roles, and both stand a mighty good chance of winning.

Watch out for Jennifer's powerful, absolutely unforgettable rendition of And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going. During a sneak preview on the eve of Chinese New Year, the audience in a Singapore cinema was so impressed by her performance that they clapped and whistled when it was over. Now that's singing.