For Colored Girls: Movie Review

Last night I watched "For Colored Girls". As soon as I first heard Tyler Perry talk about this movie I knew that I wanted to see it. I love his movies and have seen every one of them.


I knew that this movie would have some pretty serious issues but did not know what to expect. What I got was a movie that made me forget to breathe. I'd find myself holding my breath for much of the movie. To say it was intense would be an understatement!


The movie is based on Ntozake Shange's play "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf." Unlike the original play which featured only 7 women known by colors ("Lady in Red", "Lady in Blue", etc.) performing the collection of 20 poems, the movie has given each of the 20 characters names. Each of the poems deal with intense issues that particularly impact women in a thought-provoking commentary on what it means to be a female of color in the world.


The actresses in this movie were fantastic! The characters are represented by a color: Jo/Red (Janet Jackson), Juanita/Green (Loretta Devine), Yasmine/Yellow (Anika Noni Rose), Tangie/Orange (Thandie Newton), Alice/White (Whoopi Goldberg), Gilda/Gray (Phylicia Rashad), Crystal/Brown (Kimberly Elise), Nyla/Purple (Tessa Thompson), and Kelly/Blue (Kerry Washington). I think they all deserve awards!


This movie won't be for everyone. It deals with very serious issues including rape, abortion, infidelity. It's not a sit down and laugh movie like many of Tyler Perry movies with Madea to soften the blow of such issues.  But it is a movie that makes you think or at least it made me think and I liked it. Hope you'll give it a chance and let me know what you thought!