This just had to happen: less than a couple of hours after the Golden Globe nominations were announced, bashing movie reviews began to appear all over the press. For one thing, most of them agree on that 'Dreamgirls', with its star-studded cast that includes Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson and Beyonce Knowles, is a great movie, with lots of qualities and very few faults.

But, among those few faults of the musical (based on the popular Broadway musical), the biggest one is Beyonce's performance, many critics say. It's not that she's a bad singer (actually, no one questions her ability to perform a song), it's that her acting skills are not that great and she comes off on the screen as 'awkward' and 'uncomfortable'.

'The weakest link [in the movie] is the stunning Knowles. The camera clearly loves her, and her singing is not in contention, but as an actress, she has a vapid quality. Despite the array of dazzling fashion ensembles, and the effort to channel Diana Ross, her performance remains one-note, particularly in contrast to Hudson's nuanced portrayal', a movie critic for 'USA Today' writes, adding that she clearly did not deserve her Golden Globe nomination for best actress, while Hudson only got one nod for the best supporting actress category.

A 'New York Times' critic echoes the same sentiment about 'Dreamgirls' and Beyonce, writing in his review the following: 'Ms. Knowles's performance has been static and detached. In her limited work in movies she has never seemed comfortable with acting, shying away from any emotional display that might compromise her steely, hieratic dignity. But when she sings, she is capable of warmth, vulnerability, even ferocity, all of which she demonstrates in "Listen". You cannot help but obey the imperative of the song's title, even as you may wish the movie offered more that was worth listening to.'

These scathing reviews come after a huge media scandal that had the singer in its center and according to which Beyonce was jealous of Jennifer Hudson for being overshadowed. Plus, her remarks in several interviews clearly indicated that she might not be at ease with the way people described the 'American Idol' castoff as 'the real star' of 'Dreamgirls'.

However, let us not forget that, despite what the critics say about Beyonce, the movie is certainly worth watching or - if not - at least it deserves to be seen, just to check out if what they said about her is true. You be the judges of that.