For Colored Girls

Movie review by Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media
For Colored Girls Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 17+

Tyler Perry melodrama deals with intense, disturbing themes.

R 2010 120 minutes
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Parents say

age 15+

Based on 3 reviews

Kids say

age 13+

Based on 2 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this drama from filmmaker Tyler Perry deals with incredibly intense, disturbing issues -- including rape, domestic abuse, infidelity, and unplanned pregnancy. The story has a lot of sexuality, language, and violence -- the most difficult-to-watch scenes center on a rape and two children being killed by their own father. While the sex scenes aren't overtly graphic, there are lots of flashes of skin, plus passionate kissing and discussions of promiscuity. Language includes "f--k," "s--t," "bitch," and "a--hole." Still, despite all of the mature themes, the movie's messages about standing up for yourself and asking for help may be worthwhile for older teenagers, especially young women, to take to heart.

Community Reviews

amyjack
amyjack Adult
November 11, 2010
age 17+
a must see for girls 17 and up, I would not take my 12yr old son to see it. Too much sexual references. Overall a good inspirational movie for adult viewers

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Great messages
khan2705
khan2705 Adult
November 11, 2010
age 16+

decent movie with some flaws.

i am not saying that i absolutely loved it over i am blown away by this movie, it was a decent contribution to the these type of Art house movies, it was Mr Tyler Perry's first time doing this kind of movie. he did a decent job not a great one but of course he will someday but that doesn't mean to just slam this movie, give extremely bad reviews. i don't understand why critics hate it so much. i know i did not liked the whole movie or somethings in it but that doesn't mean to just call it a disaster. movie was really disturbing and very emotional, seeing these different women's life and their different problems they face and all that things were really well shown but the problem is that they were first of all too much to show in little time, audience could not just connect with it instantly, too many stories too many emotions. i think this was the problem why everyone is hating this movie. this movie has perfect casting and very great performances. Janet, kimberly, Thandie, Loretta, Phylicia and everyone else performed brilliantly their own characters. somewhat overdone but its ok. little bit problem in the writing of this movie, something to really notice and editing too. women can see that their are many different ways of abuses they have and men can see how they effects and completely change upside down women's life. Any woman can relate and men as well can see and hear struggles that their mothers,sisters, wives and friends never talk about. its deep, intense and passionate BUT definitely with some flaws or other wise this could have been a great movie. AND yes it doesn't reminded me of Precious i mean come on people grow up. Go see it for just MR Tyler perry.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Great messages
Great role models
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Based on poet Ntozake Shange's Tony-nominated 1975 play, FOR COLORED GIRLS follows the intersecting lives of eight different African-American women, from young, naive Nyla (Tessa Thompson) to world-weary 60-something apartment manager Gilda (Phylicia Rashad). Tyler Perry weaves the characters' independent vignettes together by placing three of them in the same apartment building: there's Gilda; Tangie (Thandiwe Newton), a sexually aggressive bartender who lives next door to Gilda; and Crystal (Kimberly Elise), a put-upon mother whose partner is an abusive, unstable Iraq war veteran. They're investigated by social worker Kelly (Kerry Washington); meanwhile, Crystal is the personal assistant to high-powered magazine publisher Jo (Janet Jackson), and Tangie is the estranged daughter of religious zealot Alice (Whoopi Goldberg), whose other daughter is Nyla, an aspiring dancer who owes her college ambitions to her dance studio's owner, Yasmine (Anika Noni Rose). Popping up in all their lives is free-clinic nurse Juanita (Loretta Devine). As the women go through their daily lives, they wind up facing some horrible tragedies -- rape, abandonment, abortion, infidelity, discrimination, and even death.

Is It Any Good?

This is Perry's best film so far. He extracts fabulous performances from his all-star cast. The actresses -- particularly Devine, Rashad, and Elise -- are excellent (the only slightly off-note performance is Goldberg's, because her character's religious cult's beliefs aren't explained, and her devotion rings slightly false). As the award-winning theater veterans of the ensemble, Devine and Rashad are an absolute pleasure to watch. With an arch of the eyebrow or a jut of the hip, they steal every scene from their younger co-stars.

Given that Shange's "choreo-poem" featured unconnected poems, Perry was smart to thread them together through the apartment building and other coincidences. But his compulsion to include long, poetic monologues -- accompanied by an emotional score -- only works part of the time. Other times it takes the viewer out of the story and creates an overwhelming sense of melodrama, both predictable and occasionally cringe-inducing. And then there's the dialogue (added by Perry) that just doesn't work at all, like a climactic exchange between Jo and her husband Carl (Omari Hardwick), in which the words "sorry" and "sorries" are traded at least 50 times. It reduces what should have been a powerful scene into a ridiculous, predictable conversation. With a tighter script and a little less of the soliloquies, this could have been an award-worthy film. As it is, it must settle for being Perry's best so far.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's messages about what it means to be a woman. What does each character's story explain about women's struggles with men, their families, and each other?

  • What impact do the film's violent scenes have?

  • How do the different women deal with race? What about relationships?

  • How does this movie compare to Tyler Perry's other films?

Movie Details

Our Editors Recommend

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