For Colored Girls (2010)

Wonderful character development!

Fantastic!

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

I think a lot of critics problems when critiquing novel-to-film or play-to-film adaptions is they compare it too much to it's original source. a Film is NEVER going to be as good as the book for obvious reasons and Plays and Films have totally different setups. for a film itself i thought it was spectacular, especially considering Tyler Perry was the director! I'm so used to seeing his cliché plot lines but this one took a different toll.9 VERY different women with VERY different lifestyles and morals all with a different story. I felt as if each of these women took on a characteristic of the hard issues women in general go through. And thats what i find so great about this film! you get a glimpse of each characters lifestyle and it helps you connect with each character.One thing i am so shocked that went practically unnoticed was how great the acting was! from Thandie Newton to Janet Jackson to the most stunning performance of them all, Kimberly Elise! All 9 of these women played their roles exceptionally and made you feel as if you were almost in the scene with them watching in a near by road. I wouldn't say the film deserves an Oscar, but some of these women definitely do for their contributes to their roles.Now, the bad things... Is it me or did anyone feel Kerry Washingtons role was totally not needed? the film never really focused on her as it did with the other characters, she always kind of just seemed... there. Also, i think Michael Ealy's performance was terrible. No matter how hard he tried he just didn't convince me as a villain. it was Also very evident when the characters were switching from the script to the poem. sad music begins and the character glazes off into nowhere. Kind of awkward at times.Other than a couple of minor issues i think this film was fantastic and one of Perry's best, if not the best. i don't recommend the weak hearted to see, as these are real incidences that are occurring in the film that wont always have a happy ending.

I had heard of a play called "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf" and was always intrigued by it. I'm upset that I never saw the play, but I've got 2 of the next best things: the script to the play itself, and this movie! This movie is a masterpiece! It's great! It's wonderful! It's strong! It's powerful! It is an absolutely fantastic adaptation to Notozake Shange's original play! It is just wonderful!There are people and "reviews" here on this website that have bashed this movie for no reason at all. They have their own prejudices against Black women, and they don't like Tyler Perry. Y'know what? GO SIT DOWN! If you have your own insecure feelings, that's your problem! If you want to share your insecure prejudices with us, do it in a more appropriate space; what you're supposed to be writing here is a review of the movie! So, with that, here's my review:Some people have said that the use of the poems slows the movie down. I don't know; I guess that's kinda true, but I love that the poems are used here. This is an adaptation of a play that's a choreopoem; if you take the poems out, what's the relationship between this and the play? I also love their use of the colors! In the play, the characters don't have names; they're identified by the colors they wear: Lady in Red, Lady in Blue, and Lady in Yellow. In the movie, the characters do have names, but they still wear their colors. Janet Jackson's character, Joanna, is the Lady in Red. She wears red more than often; when she doesn't, though, there's a bright red object near her, like a mug or roses. Or what about Anika Noni Rose's character, Yasmine? She our Lady in Yellow. She wears yellow more than often, but the yellow also matches the emotion she feels. How great is that?!?Tyler Perry also pushes the envelope here. This is a very different tone than his other movies. We don't see the different people or stories in Atlanta, Georgia, but rather in Brooklyn or Harlem, New York. This is a straight drama. There are a few laughs, but not many. You can probably count how many times you laugh in this movie on one hand. The two heaviest scenes are the baby-killing and rape scenes. I was shocked to see these scenes in this movie...in a Tyler Perry movie! Wow! But they're done really well here...Does that sound as bad as I feel for saying that? A baby-killing and rape scene were done well? Hmm...But what I mean is that you pacing for those two stories are very excellent. The stories are told fantastically. You feel exactly how the filmmakers want you to feel. In fact, you won't see scenes coming...Well, if you know everything about the play, you may know the baby-killing scene is coming. It's a story in the play. And it's still done very, very well! All of the stories don't connect until the end, but they're told well here. I know that annoyed me in "Madea Goes to Jail," but it really works here! Tyler Perry put his best foot forward with this film! This immediately became his best film!What about the performers in this movie! They're really good, too! Janet Jackson, Kimberly Elise, Whoopi Goldberg, Anika Noni Rose, Thandie Newton, Tessa Thompson, Loretta Devine - they're all great! My personal favorite is Phylicia Rashad! Remember Clair Huxtable from "The Cosby Show?" Yeah, she's in this movie, and her name is Phylicica Rashad! I was surprised when I saw the trailer for this movie and saw her in it: Phylicia Rashad working with Tyler Perry?! Can you spell "AWESOME?!" I did get upset with Thandie Newton's character when I was watching this movie, though. Listen to how she talks to Phylicia Rashad's character. All I could say was, "HEY! You don't talk to Phylicia Rashad like that!!!" Later in the movie, Phylicia Rashad looks at Thandie Newton and says very calmly, "Sit down and shut up." I proclaimed "YES! YEAH! Go Clair Huxtable on her!!"This movie is just great, I can't say it enough! I will close with these three points: Number one, this is not the movie to watch just because you're bored and you want something to pass the time! This is a dark and heavy movie. You don't have to wait to watch it when you're ungodly happy, but don't just watch it for enjoyment. Number two, I don't know why people keep saying this film is male bashing! It's only male bashing if you look at it that way! The movie is simply trying to stay loyal to the play and tell the stories that everyday women go through. If you want to complain, complain and do something about the problem the women around you face everyday. This film just tells stories. Finally, why in the world wasn't this movie nominated for any Oscar?!? Did anyone involved with the Academy Awards see this movie or hear about it?! This is art at its best! I was shocked to hear certain movies were nominated in the Oscar's history, and other films I was angered to learn weren't nominated for anything! This is one of those movies! Shame on you, board of Oscars! This movie deserves an Academy Award, and you know it!!! Please, watch this movie! You'll love it! Everyone involved did a great job, and they all deserve freakin' Oscars! BOOYIKA!

I just recently caught this film and I loved it. This was an artistic film. I think those that don't get poetry and film meshing together, won't understand this concept. It was brilliant. All of the characters had situations that I believe ALL women, not just AA women can relate to. SPOILER DO NOT READ FURTHER-Unfortunately there are many women that have been raped, abused, sex addicts, had an abortion, loved someone that didn't love them back, etc. I must say the acting by Anika Noni Rose was perfection. The horror on her face when she saw Khalil Kain unbuttoning his shirt was what I imagine any rape victim would look like. Her body language and somber mood after the rape seemed very real. Millions of women are victims of sexual assault every day. Anika brought the horror of sexual assault to the forefront in an honest way in her scenes. I do agree with other posters that say the back alley abortion didn't seem realistic for today's times. Yet the tragic reality is abortion still exists. My only problem with the scenes were they focused too much on the physical pain endured by the character and not the mental anguish that would surely come with this act. I love Elise Neal in all that she does. However, I found it strange that a woman who is abused and lives in what appears to be a ghetto, is working for a high powered executive. Usually, assistants to high powered execs get paid pretty well. So her occupation and living arrangements didn't mesh. And most women with a great job/career I believe would have high self esteem and not subject themselves to the abusive treatment. I know that women get abused but the occupation/living arrangements didn't work well for me. Janet Jackson was cold in a creepy way. If she was trying to channel the brilliant Meryl Streep it did not work AT ALL. She just cannot act. Period. Point Blank. When I saw her in Why Did I Get Married, I laughed during all of her scenes. They were supposed to be serious scenes, so that is not a good sign.Phylicia Rashad (sp?) was brilliant as the nurturing apartment manager. She did not overact. She showed concern in a sincere way and executed her lines well.Thandie Newton was brilliant. It was odd seeing such a pretty woman act as a sex addict (not a prostitute) It was a contradiction, but I guess these women exist.Whoopi Goldberg played the cult-obsessed mother very well. I am sure everyone has encountered a person obsessed with religion at one point or another.Loretta Devine is great at everything she does. She can do no wrong in my eyes. She just has the acting chops. Kerry Washington was great at highlighting the pain of infertility. The conundrum of having to work with people that don't want their children when she so desperately wanted children for herself.The male actors: Khalil Kain-you portrayed a monster. Very real. Very scary. Omari Hardwick-you portrayed a down low guy exceptionally well. Richard Lawson-you portrayed a jerk very well. Hill Harper-you do these subtle nuances that are so brilliant. You came across as caring, loving and very supportive in the few scenes that you had. Perfect acting as always. Kudos to all the men in this film. Great job even for those with difficult roles!Needless to say with the exception of Hill Harper, all of the men were creeps, jerks, abusers, rapists, drunks, down low. This male bashing formula is something I notice in all Tyler Perry films. He surely has a disgust for his own gender, which may be because he was harmed by men when he was young. I never really see Tyler Perry portray AA men in a positive light. Being that his films are seen by so many AA people that isn't a good thing. Young black men need some films to inspire them and portray them in a positive light. Regardless of the scene or the character this movie had my attention from beginning to end. It was very intense, I cried a few times. It was raw and gritty. It was not slow whatsoever. It was very deep, sad and disturbing. It is not the type of movie I would want to see again because of that. That does not take away from it executing N. Shange's poetry perfectly. The pain that these women experienced in their film is real and it happens to women every day.

The emotions are not the only ups and downs in this newest Tyler Perry film. I have a great respect for what Tyler Perry has done. His films, however simple, send out positive messages and have incorporated music and humor like we don't often see any more.This film, unlike his others, is adapted from a platy. A great one at that (so I've heard).I'll be quick.The acting is beyond perfect. Why was Janet Jackson not nominated for an academy award? Her performance was flawless. Kimberly Elise is always amazing and she does not disappoint. Let's just say there was not ONE bad piece of acting in this film. Them men were great as well. Kimberly's husband is eerily intimidating. Amazing work.OK...Here's why the movie didn't get a 10 from me. The characters randomly vomit out poetry from the original play. However beautiful, it takes you out of the film. There is so much tragedy in the film... the poems could have been voice overs or in a diary... but not spoken aloud. That's the films biggest downfall.Overall, this is a movie that needs to be seen. These are real problems that are faced by real men and women. Great job Tyler Perry. Can't wait until your next film!