The movie is based on Ntozake Shange's play "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf." R 2 hr 14 min Nov 5th, 2010 Drama. for colored girls... tells the stories of seven women who have suffered oppression in a racist and sexist society. After kicking Alice out of her apartment, Gilda comes into her house to put ice on the bruise on Tangie's face. FOR COLORED GIRLS brings to the screen Ntozake Shange's Obie Award-winning play, a poetic exploration of what is to be of color and a female in this world. "[28], Matt Zoller Seitz of Salon.com calls For Colored Girls Perry's "most problematic work. It features music from the cast, as well as Leona Lewis, and Nina Simone. Nyla passes by and Kelly takes her into Crystal's apartment to wash her up. TMDb Score. During this conversation, he is clearly looking at other men desiringly. Hardcover. Rated R for some disturbing violence including a rape, sexual content and language, Amazon Prime Video New Releases: March 2021, Nzingha Stewart To Direct Netflix Limited Series ‘From Scratch’, Rashida Jones and Dominique Fishback on Recognizing the Power of Their Voices: ‘Our Words Are Forever’, Everything Coming to Prime Video in March 2021, Important Black Stories in Film, Streaming for Free, Top 15 Highest-Grossing Tyler Perry Films, Best Movie Posters Featuring or Inspired by Famous Paintings, American Playhouse: For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf, What is the meaning of the original title, "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf? Anonymous. The film could have easily been sliced down by at least 30 minutes and been just as effective--actually moreso--than it was.I do not know if this is a weakness of the film or if the original play was written for just this effect, but it is obvious that the author hated men. "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf" -- to give the full title of the theater piece -- never was going to make an easy transition to the screen. Like previous reviews, praise is given to the acting quality of the cast, especially regarding performances given by Thandiwe Newton, Janet Jackson, and Kimberly Elise. Where are his instincts? The great acting alone carries it to at least the mid-way mark. for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf, Learn how and when to remove this template message, For Colored Girls: Music From and Inspired by the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, African-American Film Critics Association, "Movie projector: Hollywood looking for huge weekend as 'Megamind,' 'Due Date' and 'Colored Girls' open [updated]", "Is 'For Colored Girls' a double-edged sword for Tyler Perry? After some light flirting and some drinking, Bill removes his clothing and savagely rapes her. I had very little background on this film before I saw it. The women are unnamed – instead, identified only by the colour of their clothing. "[17] Despite an overall negative view of the film's plot and direction, DeBruge gives praise to the acting of its principal cast. The cast includes Loretta Devine, Kimberly Elise, Whoopi Goldberg, Janet Jackson, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose, Kerry Washington, Thandiwe Newton, and Tessa Thompson. "[29] He adds that "Perry never solves the stage-to-screen translation problem. Kelly arrives at Tangie's brownstone to see Crystal about the safety of her children. Ntozake Shange. All these events explained why Tangie is the way she is ("One" cont.). Unlike the original play which featured only 7 women known by colors performing the collection of 20 poems, the movie has given each of … Alice goes out to raise money, and encounters Yasmine, who gives her a little money. Critical reception. Storyline The movie is based on Ntozake Shange's play "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf." Yasmine excitedly invites Bill into her home for dinner. Juanita informs Kelly, Nyla, Tangie and Gilda that the doctors pumped Crystal's stomach and can see visitors as soon as she stabilizes. [9] In an October 2010 press conference with the cast, Perry credited his full body of work for being able to make the film, stating, "It took everything—Madea, House of Payne and all of that—for me to be able to do For Colored Girls. Meanwhile, Yasmine is walking home from her date with Bill, explaining that she loved dance more than anything until she met Bill ("Now I Love Somebody More Than" cont.). The film depicts the interconnected lives of ten women, exploring their lives and struggles as women of color. When college friends reunite after 15 years over the Christmas holidays, they discover just how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and romances to be reignited. [14], Upon its release, For Colored Girls received generally mixed to negative reviews from most critics. At a restaurant, Jo leaves a voice message on her husband's, Carl, phone, imploring him to call her. Virtually all the men were portrayed not just as mean or insensitive, but as devils. [16] The site's consensus is that "Tyler Perry has assembled a fine cast for this adaptation of the 1975 play, and his heart is obviously in the right place, but his fondness for melodrama cheapens a meaningful story". Gilda frantically runs out into the street and screams for help as Jo, Juanita and several on-lookers witness Beau Willie drop the children to their deaths ("A Night with Beau Willie Brown" cont.). Did he not watch the film in the edit room and see that the poems were too long-drawn out for a film and could easily be too much for the audience? So, Kelly runs off without an explanation. The crazy and comical Mabel Simmons, otherwise known as Madea, tries to wrangle her fighting family together for a family dinner regarding the health of her niece Shirley. The blatancy of the double standard was rather insulting and off-putting. Carl comes home to find Jo distraught and reveals what happened with Crystal, stating that she never once knew she was abused and wondering what kind of person she was. I will give her props on finding a way to garner up the tears on cue when going through her poem lines, but as a whole, she is stiff and unmoving as an actress. He seduces her into letting him stay at her apartment. “ For colored Girls” and the author is NTozake Shange. At Metacritic the film received an average score of 50, based on 33 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews". When Madea catches sixteen-year-old Jennifer and her two younger brothers looting her home, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Many in the audience will have seen it onstage, and that will be an advantage; they'll understand what Perry is attempting. Juanita is waiting in Jo's office at Robe Rouge, a fictional magazine company. ". During the performance, Jo watches as her husband cruises another man. "[11] In reference to the film post-production, she stated, "I think he did a very fine job, although I'm not sure I would call it a finished film."[11]. "[13] Grossing $20.1 million in its opening weekend, For Colored Girls debuted at the box office at #3, behind Megamind ($47.7 million) and Due Date ($33.5 million). Written, directed and produced by Tyler Perry, the film features an ensemble cast which includes Janet Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, Phylicia Rashad, Thandie Newton, Loretta Devine, Anika Noni Rose, Tessa Thompson, Kimberly Elise, Kerry Washington, and Macy Gray. Another strong element was the concept. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Gilda comes by Crystal's apartment to see if she has eaten, which she hasn't. 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. Businessman Wesley Deeds is jolted out of his scripted life when he meets Lindsey, a single mother who works on the cleaning crew in his office building. 2010 134 min R Drama Feature Film. Peter DeBruge of Variety stated that "[i]n adapting Ntozake Shange's Tony-nominated play—a cycle of poetic monologues about abuse, abortion and other issues facing modern black women, rather than a traditional narrative—the do-it-all auteur demonstrates an ambition beyond any of his previous work. A Study Guide for Ntozake Shange's "for Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow is Enuf" Cengage Learning Gale. Alice gives Nyla the feeble amount of money she made, under the belief that it is for Nyla's college application fees. She then tells her about the time she got pregnant and reveals where to find a back-alley abortionist. Watch the full movie online. Kimberly Elise has received the most acting nomination among the cast, followed by Anika Noni Rose and Phylicia Rashad. Dianne McIntyre (born July 18, 1946) is an American dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Jo waits impatiently for Carl to return home and it is then revealed that Carl was the man Donald had arrested earlier. Like its source material, each character deals with a different personal conflict, such as love, abandonment, rape, infidelity, and abortion. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. This film should not have a score as low as the 3.6 it has right now. "lady in red", "lady in brown", and "lady in yellow"). One of Yasmine's dance students, Nyla, is talking with the girls about her graduation night and losing her virginity ("Graduation Nite"), and later begins to vomit. As Nyla prays, Alice attempts to exorcise her with ashes and hot oil, hurting Nyla. Read Less. So let's just say that For Colored Girls is a barely competent film (which is a big step up for Perry), illuminated by luminous performances. It is also the first R-rated film directed by Perry. Even movie-watching instincts. Written, directed and produced by Tyler Perry, the film features an ensemble cast which includes Janet Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, Phylicia Rashad, Thandiwe Newton, Loretta Devine, Anika Noni Rose, Tessa Thompson, Kimberly Elise, Kerry Washington, and Macy Gray. Had none of that happened I wouldn't have been able to say, 'Listen, this is what I want to do next,' so I’m very proud of it all. NTozake is a renowned playwright her work include …more See 2 questions about For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf… Lists with This Book At that same restaurant, Yasmine and Bill have a date night together, recalling a story about her love for Latin dances ("Now I Love Somebody More Than"). Donald interrogates Yasmine at the hospital on her rape, where he informs her that it'll be difficult to press charges as she tells him that women can be raped anywhere by anyone ("Latent Rapists"). “i usedta live in the world. Crystal offers to take the train to her building, but Jo tells her that'll waste time and offers to drive her there in her limo. Tangie, who works as a bartender, finds a married man on business and offers to show him a "good time." For Colored Girls 2010 134 min R Drama Feature Film. He asserts Perry's screenplay is inadequate for its source material, stating that each character "gets the opportunity to suddenly burst into Shange's poetic arias. Share on: Share via Facebook; Share via Twitter; Share via Email; 2.5 / 5 stars 73% 32%. Mar 14, 2021 - Explore Eleanor James's board "For Colored Girls" on Pinterest. Crystal shows up for work, having been running late and informs Jo that her 9 o'clock appointment has arrived, despite it already being 10 o'clock. Each woman is represented by a color: Jo Bradmore represents red, Tangie Adrose represents orange, Yasmine represents yellow, Juanita Sims represents green, Kelly Watkins represents blue, Nyla Adrose represents purple, Crystal Wallace represents brown, and Rose represents pink. A single mom takes her family to Georgia for the funeral of her father -- a man she never met. At Nyla's going away party, all the women gather to celebrate. Tangie and Nyla hash out their problems, before Tangie reveals that her life is complicated and she is still learning from her mistakes ("No More Love Poems #4"). Time and time again, he gives them what they expect--a safe thing to do yes, but an amazing show of loyalty nonetheless. Kelly is waiting outside the brownstone as Crystal comes out with a pail and a brush to wash away the blood of her children. For Colored Girls is a 2010 American drama adapted from Ntozake Shange's 1975 original choreopoem for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf. £12.88 Wild Beauty: New and Selected Poems. Crystal comments that she does not feel awake and thinks that this is what death must feel like. But as it stands, I enjoyed it...at least to the point you can enjoy such a heavy piece of work. Jo confronts Carl on his homosexuality, which he angrily denies at first but Jo tells him that she was not oblivious to the way Carl looks at other men. Nyla freaks out, fights off Alice and then runs away to Yasmine's apartment, hoping to find some comfort. But again, perhaps that is where the author meant to go with the piece.In sum, while there were major areas that could have been improved, I have to call foul on some of the critics' assault of this film, and their proclivity to compare it to other--admittedly weak--Tyler Perry works. For Colored Girls (2010) "Many voices. But the path he has chosen is as intriguing as it is irksome, and it works better than you might expect. Unlike the original play which featured only 7 women known by colors performing the collection of 20 poems, the movie has given each of the 20 characters names. After she refuses, Beau Willie becomes violent and dangles the children over the fifth-story window, giving Crystal an ultimatum. Through interconnected poetic monologues, their personal stories … Though I want to give it a 6.5 and could thus go for a 6 or 7 on the IMDb scale, I am going to up-rate it to counter what I believe is unfairly low number at the current moment. But stuck in a flailing production that might just as well invite Perry's signature drag creation Madea to the block party, the actors' earnest work isn't enuf. The next day, Jo informs Crystal that she does not have her list of advertisers in her folder and has a very important meeting soon. "[19] Acknowledging the acting talent of the ensemble cast, he states: "Don't get me wrong. She explains that Tangie and mother make a lot of sense before telling her a detailed account of Tangie's exploits ("One" cont.). After being informed of the situation and recognizing Crystal, Kelly becomes visibly upset. She goes into the morgue to look at his body one last time, before slapping him and then leaving. 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