The battle of the divas is on, but the talented Effie falls from a star to a welfare mother in an alarmingly short amount of time. Banking on Deena's smooth sound and looks to peddle the Dreams to white audiences, Curtis crafts their image, polishes their sound, and sells them as pop fashion icons.

Condon, who also wrote the screenplay for "Chicago," propels the jumbled story forward by tossing tons of glitter in front of the camera. While the storyline is disorganized and shaky, the music, choreography, costumes, lighting and makeup are all superb. Sharen Davis' glitzy costumes are dazzling and the editing is consistently fluid.

Much of the film's appeal comes from the compelling work of the costars: As James Early, Murphy, who reportedly had to be talked into the part, is a delight as he channels James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Jackie Wilson into his own fictional character, delivering his own vocals and perfecting the on-stage strut of a black artist in the 1960s.