It took me awhile to watch this film who's buzz seemed all but deafening until the Oscar nominations were announced. Hollywood generally loves a big scale musical and this film certainly fits that bill. I found the trajectory of the film infinitely predictable and riddled in cliches, but the film which seemed to be reaching a fevered crescendo appeared to peak about half way through. I felt a similar second half let down to Martin Scorsese's Aviator. Jennifer Hudson has a huge voice, but I somewhat felt by the end of the film (actually about 30 minutes before the end) that the "she is the best singer" point was being hammered home too hard. I've always been an Eddie Murphy fan and although his role was small he more than made the most of it. I think Jamie Foxx could have used a better number to sing considering his wasted vocal talents here. The film is entertaining if not wholly predictable.