Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2006: Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls

Jennifer Hudson won the Oscar from her only nomination for her performance as Effie White in Dreamgirls.

Dreamgirls is a very entertaining musical about a trio of black female soul singers called the Dreams, from their rise to stardom to their final show together. It's in my opinion a strong movie that I found engaging from beginning to end: many of the songs are absolutely great, the costumes are very nice and the actors are actually good. Jamie Foxx is not a great actor and his performance here is a bit too one-note but he still serves his purpose quite well. Beyoncé is surprisingly impressive in her role, Anika Noni Rose delivers a moving performance and Danny Glover is very good as well. 

Jennifer Hudson's performance and eventual Oscar win is just an incredibly interesting phenomenon. In 2006, her performance was highly acclaimed by the critics and she won basically every single award for Best Supporting Actress back then. Nowadays, hers is one of the most hated wins ever in the history of the category. I completely agree that her performance doesn't quite live up to the great acclaim it received by critics and it is far from flawless - but, at the same time, it's also far from being bad and while her performance is not amazing by any means it's still a very impressive, powerful and scene-stealing turn. Dreamgirls was Jennifer Hudson's debut as an actress and her inexperience is clear in certain parts of her performance: she actually starts off as extremely shaky and her first scenes are easily the weakest moments of her work - she overdoes Effie's tough and bossy attitude and most of her line-readings sound rather unconvincing. Nonetheless, she improves very quickly - she still has some poor moments here and there but she gradually relaxes into a much more reassured performance. She pulls off Effie's diva-like behavior much better as the movie progresses as she manages to make it feel like part of her personality rather than just an act, and even if the character is technically rather obnoxious Hudson manages to be always entertaining or even endearing. I actually think that she has a rather strong screen-presence and she effortlessly steals the scene whenever she appears. She has a pretty good chemistry with Jamie Foxx as well and both actors realize Curtis' and Effie's relationship extremely well - on her part Hudson does a very good job in showing a slightly more tender side of Effie in her scene with Foxx and she makes Effie's love for him completely sincere and believable. 

Some people have criticized her win saying that the Oscars aren't the Grammys and that it was unfair to award her for singing well. In my opinion, this criticism is a bit silly as in most musicals (and most definitely in Dreamgirls) singing scenes aren't interludes but are an integral part of the story and the plot and in those scenes actors don't just sing but they portray the emotions and feelings of the character. So, yes - Jennifer Hudson's voice is the strongest aspect of her performance and her singing scenes are by far her most effective moments but this doesn't mean that her singing doesn't count as acting. During the songs, Jennifer Hudson is clearly in her comfort zone and therefore her acting is also much better: she perfectly conveys Effie's sincere affection towards Curtis in "I love you, I do"; she does a fantastic job in showing that Effie is insecure about her looks just as much as she's confident in her ability during her rendition of "Family"; and then she is downright brilliant in portraying Effie's desperation and abandonement after she is left by both the Dreams and Curtis. Her rendition of "And I am telling you" is truly heartbreaking and she really sings her heart out during the scene. 

The second half of her performance is also very good: Hudson is effective in portraying how Effie's misery has humbled her over the years - she's now a more mature woman and Hudson is great in showing that. The small interactions between Effie and her daughter Magic are warm and touching, but Hudson is particularly excellent in showing Effie's determination to start afresh and have a career again. The "I'm Changing" scene is very affecting because Hudson really makes you care about Effie and makes you root for her. The second half of her performance might be a bit less showy but it's also surprisingly compelling and moving: her friendship with Danny Glover is sweet and heartwarming, and her reunion with Keith Robinson is an extremely touching moment. When Effie finally gets her happy ending Hudson makes her triumph well-earned and powerful and brings a nice, touching closure to Effie's story (I particularly love her final confrontation with Jamie Foxx - her delivery of "But this time Effie White is gonna win" is priceless and delightfully bitchy). She's actually what make the whole ending work and her final rendition of the title song is truly remarkable and impressive.

I haven't really liked Jennifer Hudson in anything else I've seen (she's very bland in Empire) but here I think she delivers a strong performance. Sure, she's not amazing and her inexperience does shine through in certain moments, but she still is a force to be reckoned with and dominates the movie whenever she appears. She not only sings well, but she acts impeccably throughout her musical numbers and ultimately delivers an imperfect yet still compelling turn. 

4/5