For colored girls

First of all let me say this film is not going to be everyone's cup of tea...in fact it may only appeal to a select few who are happy to look beyond excruciatingly painful experiences to see the beauty and strength of the central characters. It may also help to read a synopsis of the play because if it’s a 'feel good' movie experience you're looking for....this ain't it. What it is is a reflection of the worst of our realities and an insight into how a group of nine women cope when faced with adversity.

It's tempting to dismiss this film as another 'Precious'....a depressing film that portrays a very grim African-American reality, where the men are rapists, cheats, liars, misogynists, where there is little evidence of hope. This would be an obvious message to take away, given that of the five male characters; only one of them was positive and likeable. The film though is not about the men; none of their characters are developed enough for us to really understand or want to empathise with them. Instead it is a film, as the play was, about the women, the colored girls who represent colours of the rainbow in Ntozake Shange's 1975 experimental play. It is about their weaknesses and passions, the mistakes they make in their lives, the emotional scars that they carry. The men are simply a backdrop, needed only to elucidate the women's stories.

The performances by Loretta Devine, Janet Jackson, Anika Noni Rose, Phylicia Rashad were extremely powerful; newcomer Tessa Thomson held her own and delivered her poems compellingly. Kimberly Elise is an incredible actress; you get the sense that she has lived a life full of so many trials that when called upon to convey the emotions of a deeply troubled character, she delivers with absolute precision.

Tyler Perry did absolute justice to Shange's play; the poems are delivered beautifully by some very talented actresses who clearly thrived from this challenging yet brilliantly executed project. The film brings the play to life and provides storylines and character development which Perry clearly understood would be useful especially for those who may find the poetry difficult to grasp. I expected over-acting, farce, a lack of realism as the critics had suggested but instead I got beauty, depth, poetry, love, laughter, pain, sorrow and I think above all strength.
If it's a feel good movie that requires little thought you want then try 'Meet the Parents 3'; if however you want to be challenged, driven to extreme feelings of anger and frustration, even despair but then brought back to a point of hope and admiration then this is where you need to be.
For colored girls who have considered suicide, when the rainbow is enuf : a choreopoem