Dreamgirls

After watching a movie with your children or students, we encourage parents and teachers to look for education opportunities to teach with movies. Here are a few discussion topics that can help with lesson plans or teaching in the home.

Although Effie has an incredible singing voice, she doesn’t have the “look” that Curtis wants to promote with his new girl group. What part does body image play in the success of performers from then and now? What great singers from the past may not have made it if they would have been judged on their bodies first and their vocal talents second?

Despite the problems brewing among the trio, the girls still have to go onstage even after a fight with Effie. What does it mean to put on a show face? How do their personal and public lives differ?

While the girls enjoy a number of perks from their careers as singers, they also have to deal with the less glamorous aspects of the business. What kind of work is involved in having a successful musical career? What sacrifices do they have to make? What would be the undesirable parts of such a job?