My Film Review: For Colored Girls Is An Excellent Movie Don’t Listen To The Critics!!!

Today, I saw Tyler Perry’s controversial feminist drama For Colored Girls and I loved it! I think the criticism of For Colored Girls is clearly by people who don’t understand black feminism.

The movie asks the question, what does it mean to be black and female in a racist  and sexist world?

Black women must negotiate between the discrimination they experience in relation to their race and gender.

Now, for people who are not black, they may never understand the struggles that black women experience.

Black women and other women of colour are often still invisible to the white female in North American society.

Black feminism is very important because automatically the  word woman in North American culture still refers to the  white heterosexual woman.

Women of colour are often displaced and their life experiences are viewed as unimportant or invisible in relation to the white female.

Black feminism was created because white mainstream feminism ignores women of colour.

Black women were tired of being treated as just token women at feminist conference and events.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, black feminism expanded due to the black women writers, artists, playwrights, and singers.

I believe Ntozake Shange was trying to make the black women experience visible and to speak out against the misogyny in the black community.

Ntozake Shange wrote the play in 1975 to give a voice for black women that are beaten, raped, verbally, and emotionally abused by black men.

For some odd reason, the black community has a problem exposing our dirty laundry! Black men we complain and get upset when black women challenge us about our male privilege and sexism. It is unfair for black men to tell black women they must be silent about misogyny!

Misogyny still exists in the black community and in order to heal we must acknowledge that sexism is a serious problem within the black race.

Some critics have complained that For Colored Girls is a man bashing film that is not true!

For Colored Girls is very powerful because it illustrated the strength, courage, and desire for black women to overcome black male sexism.

Some black men want black women to choose between their race and gender and I believe that divide and conquer strategy is abhorrent!

Black feminism is all about black females being able to acknowledge both their race and gender.

How can a black woman possible choose between being black and female when this is their experience?

What right do black men have to attempt to erase, deny, and degrade  black women?

Another problem I have with critics is, in the feminist movement during the 1970s focused on white middle class women.

Ntozake Shange’s play is still important in the year 2010 because racism still exists in feminism.

Black women have a right to claim their space and have their stories told in the silver screen.

Most movies released by Hollywood revolve around white, heterosexual, women. Why can’t black women also have a space for themselves?

Should black women be content being the white woman’s best friend or sassy sideckick in a Hollywood movie?

It was wonderful to see black women in lead roles for a change!

I wish I can see black women in lead roles more than just once or twice a year!

Ntozake Shange first produced For Colored Girls Who Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Was Enuf in 1975. Shange’s play is a black feminist classic. I understand some critics feel that Tyler Perry doesn’t have the credentials to make a movie about black feminism. However, I also believe the critics don’t understand how Hollywood works. The Hollywood film studios would never greenlight For Colored Girls with an unknown director. For Colored Girls required a director or a cast that has a huge fanbase. Tyler Perry’s fortune is $500 million dollars and it continues to grow.

The Good: I thought Thandie Newton’s performance was the strongest in the film. Thandie’s character Tangie  is a young woman who uses sex to deal with her emotional pain. Tangie is promiscuous, but she’s also not very happy. Tangie’s younger sister Nyla is only sixteen she wants to become a professional dancer but she gets pregnant. Unfortunately for Nyla, she has a back door abortion and suffers the consequences.

Kimberly Elise her character Crystal is Janet Jackson’s assistant at a high-profile magazine. Meanwhile, Crystal is a victim of sexual and domestic violence by her war veteran boyfriend. Kimberly Elise’s facial expressions to convey her emotions is remarkable. I felt Kimberly’s performance was excellent she conveyed the pain of a woman in a bad relationship.

I thought Lorette Devine was very good as the nurse that helps poor inner city women at a non-profit health center. Devine shines because she brought some humour and comedy to the film.

I was stunned when Janet Jackson’s character Joanna learns she is infected with HIV  positive because her husband is a homosexual!

A lot of people dismiss Janet as an actress but in For Colored Girls her performance is solid!

The bad: I have to admit,  I felt that Ntozake Shange’s poetry turned into prose was awkward. I can understand the criticism but I think adpating a play into a movie is difficult and Tyler tried his best.

The ugly: It was very tough to watch the rape scene. I was horrified when I watched Anika Noni Rose’s character Yasmine get raped. I understand, the movie is based on Ntozake Shange’s play but seeing Anika’s character Yasmine get brutally raped was shocking and disturbing.