Many have had much to say about TP's adaptation of For Colored Girls... to the big screen, but to my surprise, most critics have been negative. Did they not see what I saw? Did they not feel what I felt? I thought to myself, "Oh... they must not have been Black...", but the art and methodical display of such emotional expression should have easily translated from a Black experience all the way to an Arabic dialect! I agree that it is a movie for women, but it spoke ALL languages that articulate the kaleidoscope of LIFE as mothers, daughters, sisters and girlfriends! It was authentic... It was tragically empowering...
For Colored Girls... is one you have to watch without typical TP expectation. Madea, with her white wig, unsightly flower dress and dangling boobies, is thankfully absent, so there is no punchline to build up to. However, TP's intent on delivering a message (as with all of his movies) is certainly delivered.
What people should understand, ESPECIALLY before seeing the film, is that this movie is heavy and demands that you pay attention to its depth. It screams distress, pain, heartache, tragedy AND PMS (so, men... this is not one you'd want to go alone, or with your boys)! LOL
Ladies, take your girls, your daughters, your god-daughters, sisters and mothers because you will find pieces of yourself grafted in the poetic delivery of Kimberly Elise, Kerry Washington, Lorreta Devine, Whoopi Goldberg, Phylicia Rashad, Thandie Newton, Anika Noni Rose, Janet Jackson, and newcomer, Tessa Thompson.
(I've got to take a #praisebreak for Ms. Devine's DIVINE delivery of the Lady in Green's "Someone Almost Walked Off Wid Alla My Stuff" poem! One word... LIBERATING!)
Every depiction is OSCAR WORTHY and acts as LITERATURE LIVED! I encourage everyone to go out to the book store and purchase the original body of work "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf" by Ntozake Shange. It's about $9.95 at Borders, and a definite must for your personal library!
Like my fellow movie-goers at the Atlanta premiere, I applaud, in standing ovation, TP's effort to step outside of the box of comedy to tackle drama. He honestly deserves EVERY GREAT thing coming to him, and I sincerely hope that the Academy recognizes the artistic impact that this movie has made, not just in Black cinema, but the world! As for THIS Colored Girl, the "...Rainbow IS Enuff" and I'll proudly #fadetoblack.
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