"For Colored Girls" Premieres and the First Reviews are Scathing

This week there is much more buzz on For Colored Girls, Tyler Perry's screen adaptation of Ntozake Shange's Tony-nominated 1975 play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf. The much-anticipated film premiered yesterday in New York City—the Wall Street Journal has a red carpet slideshow—and the all-important trade reviews are scathing.

The Hollywood Reporter calls the movie a "train wreck" and says Tyler Perry "butchered" Shange's iconic play.

Perry might be very much in touch with his feminine side when he dons a dress and padding to play his larger-than-life character Madea, but his style is too crude and stagy for Shange's transformative evocation of black female life, and his moralizing strikes exactly the wrong notes to express the pain and longing that cries out from her heated poetry. Perry [forces] conventional plots and characters—utter cliches without lives or souls —into the fabric of Shange's literary work. The hackneyed melodramas get him from one poem to the next but run roughshod over the collective sense of who these women are. Then, when Perry arrives at the next poetic passage, the switch in writing between him and Shange is jarringly pronounced. The words belong to different worlds.

Perry situates his nine female protagonists in Harlem, supposedly in the modern day, but then how does a backroom abortion figure into this contemporary scene? Most of his women live in a crummy walk-up tenement, though not Janet Jackson's Jo, a high-powered magazine executive with a corner office and an East Side penthouse. Perry gives his frequent star no favors here, with hairdo, makeup and clothes that make her look like a mannequin. ... The male characters other than Hill Harper's police detective are all sick cartoons, existing only to perpetuate horrors on the women. In Perry's peculiar view, though, the women often collaborate in their victimhood.

Variety also says the movie is too melodramatic. The reviewer faults Perry for "diva worship" and making Janet Jackson's "Jo" character into a caricature ... with a down-low husband.

Jo [is] a high-powered magazine editor who shares a sleek Gotham pad with her emasculated husband (Omari Hardwick), who leads a double life on the down-low. Jo's story feels the most patently Perry-fied thing about the film, reflecting the director's tendency to tackle key issues through pat, gently preachy examples (he similarly inserts lessons on contraception, venereal disease and religious fanaticism into other subplots). "Girls" never feels more like daytime television than in the scene where the couple have it out, back-to-back in an awkwardly blocked argument.

While Perry's craft has slowly but surely improved with each successive film, this latest project seems to fall beyond his reach. Just as the director was finding the organic quality that eluded him in "Diary" and other early efforts, he's confronted with a conceptual piece that calls for an entirely different approach. Yet he can't resist turning "For Colored Girls" into a Tyler Perry Movie, which means imposing diva worship where nuance is called for and a pleasure-punishing Christian worldview where a certain moral ambiguity might have been more appropriate.

The Black press is a little more charitable. The Grio, which encourages everyone to see the film, agrees that it's too melodramatic and "comes across as a visual and an emotional assault."

For Colored Girls opens in wide release on Nov. 5. It goes without saying that the reviews probably won't impact the bottom line—like other Tyler Perry movies, it will probably open at Number One and do very well at the box office. I'm definitely going to see it—the cast is first rate—and will keep an open mind. Oh and a down low storyline from Tyler Perry? Tsk, tsk.

Comments

[Jaysin]

Chile please. Did anyone really think Tyler Perry could downplay his church play drama?

LOL @ diva worship. They called that one right. I'm still going to see it tho ...

[Derrick from Philly]

Mister Perry wrote the screenplay? Oh, my. I didn't know that. Oh, my.

Well, let's go and see it anyway...on a Friday night after a half o' fifth of Seagrams.

[vj]

I'm no fan of Tyler's work, but I was really hoping he could bring this incredible work of art to the masses. I guess this proves Tyler can't do "heavy" material. I'll probably still see it. I still think I'll enjoy it more than the other two Perry movies I tried to watch and couldn't get through. It's pretty bad when the Hollywood Reporter calls your movie a trainwreck.

[Dwjazzlover]

I think I will wait until I see it for myself, I don't go to the movies but this one I will go to see....

[Ursovain]

But looked so good from the previews? How disappointing. But then again it is Tyler Perry. I don't fancy his work though i thought this one would be different. I'm still waiting for a black film maker in this modern age who makes films that aren't cliche and talk about the same thing over and over. Down-low men? That's so tired.

[K]

what did we think they were gonna saY, PERRY IS NOT A PLAYWRITE....HIS WORK IS FOR A "CERTAIN" TYPE OF AUDIENCE ALWAYS HAS BEEN....

[True Words]

Here are some EXCELLENT movies to watch!!

1. Something is Killing

After Tate Bradley (Jocko Sims) survives his recent suicide attempt, the story behind his downward spiral unfolds when various family members and friends show up, one by one, at his apartment's front door. Leon Lozano directs this sensitive look at how a 25-year-old groom-to-be stares down his demons.

2. Eve's Bayou

Louis Batiste (Samuel L. Jackson) is a popular physician in 1960s Louisiana who has a beautiful wife (Lynn Whitfield), a loving family and a weakness for women. While his wife ignores his infidelities, his youngest daughter (Jurnee Smollett) is crushed when she catches dad in a compromising situation. Her subsequent revelations tear the family apart in Kasi Lemmons's powerful film, which won Best First Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards.

3. Murder on a Sunday Morning
Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's documentary won an Oscar for its compelling account of the trial of 15-year-old African-American Brenton Butler, who was accused of murdering a woman outside her hotel in Jacksonville, Fla. But when Butler's lawyer reopens the case, she sets out to prove that the investigation and Butler's interrogation were hasty and shockingly corrupt. The vindictive and redemptive aspects of America's justice system are on full display.

4. The Killer of Sheep

Shot in 1977 on a $10,000 budget while its director, Charles Burnett, was in film school, this landmark urban drama sketches a vivid portrait of African-American life in the '70s. Depicting the Los Angeles ghetto of Watts through the eyes of a slaughterhouse worker (Henry G. Sanders), the movie's episodic vignettes and evocative soundtrack paint a picture of economic exclusion and muted hopes dusted with moments of transcendent joy.

5. A Man Named Pearl

Angered by white residents' racist comments that he wouldn't "keep up his yard," Pearl Fryar teaches himself topiary sculpture and becomes the first African American in his Bishopville, S.C., neighborhood to win the coveted "yard of the month" award. This acclaimed documentary traces Fryar's inspiring story, as he grows into a legendary horticulturist, welcoming thousands of tourists eager to catch a glimpse of his stunning works of art.

[Black Pegasus]

"Perry might be very much in touch with his feminine side when he dons a dress and padding to play his larger-than-life character Madea, but his style is too crude and stagy"

_________

LMAO! Yes indeed! But I'll still find the time to see the movie I suppose. I hope I'm not bored to death from the melodrama.

[Diva1961]

I still can't wait to see it fo rmyself. There have been a number of movies critics hated that I loved. The fact that Perry has the clout to hire and bring all these wonderful actresses of color together is a feat in and of itself. he is the ONLY person in Hollywood who hires people of color in a quantity more than one. And he seems to be the only one who hires black actresses consistanly.

[Taylor Siluwé]

I think most reviewers should go out and make their own d*mn movies!

This is why most artists don't read the reviews because people are nit picky and cruel.

But Perry will still make a boatload of money off this flick anyway, regardless of the haters.

[Keith]

I read reviews but generally don't put too much stock in them unless I need an excuse NOT to see a film. I will see FCG the first weekend at least twice...The DL plot aspect doesn't bother me. It is what it is. I am glad to see an all-black film getting exposure.

[KB]

Who cares if the cast is first rate? Abad director an a bad script would make even a cast full of A-listers look like performers in a middle school play. At best, such a film would be well-acted hogwash; actors can only be as good as the material they're given to work with.

I'm not that desperate to see a black movie that I need to constantly degrade myself with Tyler Perry's brand of "filmmaking". Even if I have to wade through indie festivals and DVD shops in order to do so (and I do), I'd much rather see black films with a decent level of cinematic quality.

And why is that reviewers are treasured when they hand out good reviews, and somehow descend into being "haters" when they dole out bad reviews? The Hollywood Reporter and Variety tend to give the works they review a GOOD bit of leeway - they gave marginally positive "his audience will like it" reviews to "Why Did I Get Married Too?" - so if they give a film reviews that are actually scathing reviews, maybe there's something actually wrong with the film and not the reviewers.

[mjolnir202]

Well said, KB. I don't need to be a filmmaker to know when a movie is rubbish. I'm not a good cook either, so I guess my opinion is moot on whether a dish tastes good or not. Tyler Perry is a hack. Full stop. The fact that he hires underutilized black actors or makes a boat load of money has no bearing on his talent. His movies are just exasperating. I was truly hoping he would've reached beyond his tiresome props of overwhelmed women, evil black men and Jesus has all the answers. Guess not! He seems to posses the emotional complexity of a 15 year old girl.

[Ebony]

I'm still going to watch for myself. I learned a long time ago not to base my movie decisions off critic reviews, good or bad. I rarely go to any movie with any expectations. That way I can walk in and form my own opinion. I will say that I'm more likely to see a film with a bad review than one with a good review. One of the best reviewed movies I recently tried to watch was Brokeback Mountain. That was one of the hardest movie watching experiences I've had to date. I'm still convinced that reviews are predetermined based on Hollywood popularity and money.

[nahtans]

Im not a Tyer Perry fan... too minstrelly for my tastes. I am not surprised at the reviews . I will prolly see it on a plane or when it comes out on DVD.

Anyway I love Janet

[HD]

KB you totally nailed it. I want to support Tyler Perry but he makes it so hard because his work is so atrocious.

[Osiris]

I am surprised and astonished...that people actually thought that Tyler was going to do the poem justice.

[Anthony in Nashville]

@ True Words

Thank you for those recommendations! I'd never heard of those documentaries and will seek them out.

[Mystic Stranger]

I didn't know he wrote the screenplay either. I thought he just directed it. Oh my ... I am a little worried about this now. That said, I love Janet and Omari in particular, so I want to see it.

[Rob]

As usual the white man says it is bad and we fall in line. Does not surprise me that they are not supporting the film. What does surprise me is a blog such as this one decides not to mention the very good reviews from Newsweek, Newsday and several others. As the other youngman said he is still box office gold.

[Isis]

Tyler has never done well with the critics. I've enjoyed most of his films and will judge this film when I see it (ON OPENING DAY!). I applaud Tyler for allowing critics to screen this film. He hasn't done that since his 1st film (I think). Even if this film is not perfect, its still a step in the right direction. Maybe more Movie producers will start to cast Black actors and actresses in meaningful roles. Ntozake Shangi seems to support the film, but I can't be 100% about that. She was in audience of the The View while cast members where being interviewed. If one life is touched by this film.... if one girl is saved from suicide.... then I say VICTORY!

[DivaRossIsHere!]

Similarly, I'd have to agree I can hardly remember a studio production of critical acclaim and or that much needed O Winfrey enndorsement that lived up to its measure! BTW what happened to Rod's review of the Tyler Perry Confessions: Oprah Exclusive Final Season.

[mjolnir202]

@ Rob: Negro Please! I don't need the white man to tell me that Tyler Perry is hack. My black eyes, black ears and black brain informs me everytime I see any of his sophmoric 'films'. Sorry, I don't grade on a curve and there is no affirmative action points just because he's black.

[Ryan]

He didn't write the script...

he basically added his "flourishes" to the script Nzingha Stewart had done. Her version (without his "GO'ON GIRL" CHURCH LADY DRAMATICS) was *VERY* somber, powerful and *REAL*

It's a very authentic and profound read and I recommend ANYONE who can to *FIND* her completed script and read it.

But, Tyler didn't write this script..he put his name on an *EXISTING* screenplay and added his "touch" to it...

just do a search for Nzingha Stewart (she's an executive producer for the film) and see the back scenes drama behind why she was ousted as director of the film....

and let's see if you think Ms. Tyler is as "supportive" of emerging black talent as many of you *THINK* he is....

And, Ntozake Shange has said in interviews that Perry's version is not *FINISHED* yet and has a LONG way to go in regard to being a fully realized and COMPLETE rending of her powerful play.

[Derrick from Philly]

Thanks for the list, True Words. And thanks for the correct information on the film's production, Ryan.