Dreamgirls (2006)

"Dreamgirls" is the story based on the Broadway musical that tells the story (largely inspired by the story of the Supremes) of a black, female singing group that crosses over to the pop charts in the 1960s. After losing a local talent competition, the Dreamettes (Deena, Lorrell, and Effe) are offered the chance to sing backup for rising star Jimmy Early by local Cadillac dealer and aspiring producer Curtis Taylor. As Early rises to success, he begins having an affair with Lorrell, and Effe begins a romance with Curtis. When the girls get a solo act, Curtis has Deena sing lead, which outrages Effe, who has the best voice of the three. The Dreamettes are now the Dreams, and as the group becomes more popular, Effe becomes more fed up with all of the attention being given to Deena, even to the point of walking out of performances. Eventually, she claims not to be feeling well, and her mysterious illness causes her to miss many rehearsals. Curtis responds by having her replaced. Effe is forced into destitution, and it turns out that her illness was caused by pregnancy (by Curtis, of course.) Effe's accusations about Curtis sleeping with Deena were true, and he ends up marrying her. Jimmy refuses to marry Lorrell and spirals further into drug addiction, eventually dying of an overdose after Curtis drops him from the label and his wife finds out about his infidelity.

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