For Colored Girls (2010)

Popularity:

Up 22% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Tyler Perry

Writers (WGA):

Tyler Perry (screenplay)
Ntozake Shange (play)

Release Date:

5 November 2010 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Many voices. One poem.

Plot:

Each of the women portray one of the characters represented in the collection of twenty poems, revealing different issues that impact women in general and women of color in particular.

Plot Keywords:

Poem | African American Protagonist | Three Word Title | Multi Protagonist | Female Protagonist

Awards:

14 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Kimberly Elise	...	Crystal / Brown
Janet Jackson	...	Jo / Red
Loretta Devine	...	Juanita / Green
Thandie Newton	...	Tangie / Orange
Anika Noni Rose	...	Yasmine / Yellow
Kerry Washington	...	Kelly / Blue
Tessa Thompson	...	Nyla / Purple
Phylicia Rashad	...	Gilda
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Alice / White
Macy Gray	...	Rose
Michael Ealy	...	Beau Willie
Omari Hardwick	...	Carl
Richard Lawson	...	Frank
Hill Harper	...	Donald
Khalil Kain	...	Bill
Rayna Tharani	...	Renee
Jaycee Williams	...	Kenya
Thomas 'Deuce' Jessup	...	Kwame
May Zayan	...	Katina
John Crow	...	Dr. Davis
Michael Cory Davis	...	Man #1
Jason Graham	...	Man #2
Ayo Sorrells	...	Man #4
Kendrick Cross	...	Man #5
Joe Amato	...	Driver
Ambrya Underwood	...	Girl #1
Jackie Prucha	...	Nurse
Holly Crawshaw	...	Waitress
Roevely Rancell	...	Nurse
David Feigenbaum	...	Security Guard
Karen Slack	...	Soprano #1
Andrea Jones-Sojola	...	Soprano #2
Jeanette Illidge	...	Soprano #3
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Haji Abdullah	...	Graduation Audience Member (uncredited)
Sidney Baxley	...	Opera Patron (uncredited)
Tim Blanchard	...	Opera Patron (uncredited)
Kate Caldwell	...	Audience Member (uncredited)
Gregory R. Campbell	...	Opera Patron (uncredited)
Frances Cobb	...	Opera Patron (uncredited)
Michael L. Covington	...	Parent at Graduation (uncredited)
Lee Darnell	...	Orderly Roberts (uncredited)
Curtis Gammage	...	Opera Patron (uncredited)
TJ Hassan	...	Bill #2 (uncredited)
Walter Hendrix III	...	Opera Patron (uncredited)
Barry Hopkins	...	Opera Patron (uncredited)
Eli Jones	...	Convict (uncredited)
Key Jones	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Kenn	...	Michel (uncredited)
Eric Lovett	...	Opera Member (uncredited)
Thina Lowe	...	Graduation Patron (uncredited)
Todd Maynor	...	Police Officer (uncredited)
Ken Melde	...	Board Room Member (uncredited)
Deidre D. Mosely	...	Partygoer (uncredited)
Donald Norris Jr.	...	Opera Audience Member and Graduation Audience Member (uncredited)
William Palmer Jr.	...	Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
Karissa Parran	...	Opera Guest (uncredited)
Debrika Wright Person	...	Opera Patron (uncredited)
Elizabeth Pistolis	...	Opera Patron (uncredited)
Al G. Sillah	...	Opera Patron (uncredited)
Jill St. Williams	...	Extra - Opera Scene (uncredited)
Latika Sye	...	Opera Patron (uncredited)
Joshua Tanksley	...	Student (uncredited)
Indi Tyton	...	Opera Scene (uncredited)
Summer Valentine	...	Girl jumping rope (uncredited)
Steve Warren	...	Opera Patron (uncredited)
Wayne Webb	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Natasha A. Williams	...	Drug User (uncredited)
Yedveta	...	Opera Patron (uncredited)

Directed by
Tyler Perry

Writing credits (WGA)
Tyler Perry		(screenplay)
Ntozake Shange		(play "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf")

Produced by
Ozzie Areu	....	supervising producer
Roger M. Bobb	....	producer
Deborah Evans	....	line producer (as Deborah A. Evans)
Joseph P. Genier	....	executive producer
Paul Hall	....	producer
Charisse Nesbit	....	co-producer
Michael Paseornek	....	executive producer
Tyler Perry	....	producer
Nzingha Stewart	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Aaron Zigman

Cinematography by
Alexander Gruszynski

Film Editing by
Maysie Hoy

Casting by
Robi Reed		(as Robi Reed-Humes)

Production Design by
Ina Mayhew

Art Direction by
Roswell Hamrick

Set Decoration by
Lance Totten

Costume Design by
Johnetta Boone

Makeup Department
Lay'Na Anderson	....	makeup artist
Maurice Beaman	....	hair stylist
Monique Benoit	....	additional makeup artist: New York
Carol 'Ci Ci' Campbell	....	first assistant hairstylist: New York (as Carol 'C.C.' Campbell)
Veronica Cox	....	assistant makeup artist
Felice Diamond	....	first assistant makeup artist: New York
Anita Gibson	....	makeup department head
Valerie Gladstone-Appel	....	key hair stylist (as Valarie Gladstone)
Deaundra Harris-Metzger	....	hair stylist
John James	....	hair stylist: New York
Janeen Loria	....	hair stylist
David Presto	....	custom tattoo artist
Evelyn Roach	....	hair stylist
Monty Schuth	....	hair stylist
Nico Sohn	....	makeup artist
Keitric Starks	....	makeup artist
Takisha Sturdivant	....	hair stylist: New York (as Takisha Sturdivant-Drew)
Dawn Turner	....	hair stylist
Kenneth Walker	....	hair department head
Dionne Wynn	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Petra Hoebel	....	production manager: New York
Mark W. McCoy	....	post production manager (as Mark McCoy)
Curtis A. Miller	....	production director
Carl Pedregal	....	post-production supervisor
Donna Sloan	....	executive in charge of production: Lions Gate Films

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Roger M. Bobb	....	first assistant director
Angi Bones	....	second assistant director (as Angelique Bones)
Rhonda Guthrie	....	second second assistant director
Antoine Massey	....	dga trainee

Art Department
Christopher Amerson	....	painter
Calvin Ashford	....	assistant to production designer
Bil Barnes	....	additional on-set dresser
Bil Barnes	....	set dresser
Eric Bomba-Ire	....	set dresser
Heather Bowers	....	assistant propmaster (as Heather Kane)
Billy Bricker	....	gang boss
Sarah Bricker	....	set dresser
Danny Brown	....	set designer
Amanda Carroll	....	set decorator: New York
Cristina Lucia Cesari	....	buyer
Carl Cocker	....	propmaker
Eddie DeCurtis	....	set dresser
Peter DeCurtis	....	leadman: New York
Russ Dickerson	....	general foreman
Daniel Elliott	....	utility
Mike Ellison	....	set dresser
Jeremy Farlow	....	welder
Karen A. Felix	....	assistant property master
Rick Fields	....	utility
Brenda Findley	....	art department coordinator
Carol Francoso	....	scenic artist
Seth Gardner	....	propmaker
William O. Greenwood III	....	prop maker (as William O. Greenwood II)
Rob Hamby	....	propmaker
Trent Hevener	....	prop maker
Meldas Hodges	....	set dresser
Malchus Janocko	....	assistant art director
Sean Ryan Jennings	....	art department production assistant: New York
Shun Jester	....	leadman
Robin D. Jones	....	construction buyer
Joshua Justis	....	set dresser
Kathleen Kasinger	....	property master
Solomon King	....	propmaker
Rich Koll	....	gang boss
Kevin Ladson	....	property master: New York
Eliot Levin	....	props assistant
Konrad Lewis	....	set dresser
Meredith Lippincott	....	set dec production assistant: New York
Patrick J. Martin	....	gang boss
David H. Nash	....	gang boss
Sheila Nash	....	draftsperson
Mark Nave	....	gang boss
Valerie Nolan	....	set decoration buyer: New York
Joe O'Shea	....	construction medic
Reginald Robert	....	set dresser
Melinda Sanders	....	buyer
Chris Sheetz	....	gang boss
Joey Sisson	....	set dresser (as Joey Hall-Sisson)
Joey Sisson	....	set dresser
Kimberly Slosek	....	props
Brian D. Smith	....	propmaker
Noreen Souza-Bailey	....	shop production assistant: New York
Mary Stacy	....	buyer
Mike Sullivan	....	scenic chargeman
Alexa-Michelle Tarver	....	clearances coordinator
Alexa-Michelle Tarver	....	construction auditor
Richard Tenewitz	....	additional construction manager: New York
Christopher T. Thompson	....	art department production assistant: New York
Monika van Schellenbeck	....	set decoration buyer
James Bryant Wactor	....	prop maker
Dion Watkins	....	art production assistant
John Weeks	....	carpenter
Shauna Williams	....	art assistant
Jay Womer	....	construction coordinator
Tim Zydel	....	on-set dresser
Brittany Cohn	....	prop intern (uncredited)

Sound Department
Steve Bartkowicz	....	sound re-recording engineer
Ron Bedrosian	....	adr mixer
Damian Canelos	....	sound mixer
Kerry Ann Carmean	....	sound editor
Dan Furst	....	video assist
Nick Kray	....	adr mixer
Daniel J. Leahy	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jason C. Lewis	....	sound utility
Colt Logan	....	boom operator
James Moriana	....	foley artist
Todd Niesen	....	dialogue denoising
Stephen P. Robinson	....	sound designer
Paul Sorohan	....	sound utility
David Stanke	....	first assistant sound editor
Michael Stern	....	pro tools playback operator
Trevor Stott	....	additional boom operator
Gary Summers	....	sound re-recording mixer
Seth Tallman	....	boom operator
Jon Title	....	sound effects editor
Brett Voss	....	foley mixer
Todd Weaver	....	pro tools playback mixer (as Christopher Todd Weaver)
Jeffrey Wilhoit	....	foley artist
Michael D. Wilhoit	....	supervising sound editor
Pedro Jimenez	....	trailer re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Elliot Holmes	....	special effects technician
Eric A. Martin	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
John Brubaker	....	digital compositor: 2G Digital Post
Scott Dougherty	....	visual effects executive producer: Furious FX
Carl Frytz	....	animator
Cortney Haile	....	visual effects executive
Spencer Hecox	....	visual effects supervisor
Brian Holter	....	digital compositor
Patrick Keenan	....	lead compositor: 2G Digital Post
Sean Mattini	....	digital colorist assistant
James P. Noon	....	tracking
Francesco Panzieri	....	3D artist & digital compositor: 2G Digital Post
Justin Pascal	....	compositor
Jason Sanford	....	visual effects producer
Prateep Siamwalla	....	tracking
Tiffany Smith	....	visual effects producer: Furious FX
Kaya Thomas	....	main title designer
Ashley J. Ward	....	visual effects coordinator
Xye	....	tracking

Stunts
Brent Bernhard	....	utility stunts
Avis Boone	....	stunt double
Scott Dale	....	stunt coordinator
Rose Sias	....	stunt double
Matthew R. Staley	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Eddie L. Watkins	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Nick D. Allin	....	grip: additional
Reid Andrews	....	electrician
Chris Antignane	....	electrician
Joshua Adam Bermudez	....	grip
Dane Bjerno	....	aerial camera technician
Kenneth Bolton	....	dolly grip: "b" camera
Brian Carmichael	....	video assist operator
Tyler Childs	....	electrician
Ted Chu	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Quantrell D. Colbert	....	still photographer
Juvonn Daves	....	grip
Alfeo Dixon	....	additional camera operator: "c" camera
Donny Fowler	....	electrician
Sergei Franklin	....	director of photography: second unit, New York
William Frazier	....	electrician
Dan Furst	....	video assist
Michael Gallart	....	gaffer: second unit
John Geisler	....	grip
Mike Gentry	....	electrician
Melissa Hollingsworth	....	dimmer board operator
Matthew Horn	....	camera loader
Matthew Horn	....	film loader
Lane Leagans	....	best boy grip
Sherri Angela Leger	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Grg Magidow	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera (as Greg Magidow)
Michael J. Maurer	....	rigging electrician: New York
Sean McCardell	....	rigging gaffer: New York
Daniel McDowell	....	rigging electrician
Michael A. McFadden	....	rigging grip: second unit
Matthew McGinn	....	additional film loader
Christopher L. Miller	....	grip
Christopher Mills	....	epk camera operator
Kevin Murphy	....	gaffer
Matt Neel	....	electrician
Jerry Chief Parker	....	electrician (as Jerry Parker)
Jesse Wayne Parker	....	key grip
Meiklejohn Pate	....	rigging grip
Christopher E. Pettus	....	electrician (as Christopher Earl Pettus)
Kelly Price	....	grip
Lance Rieck	....	scorpio head technician
Matt Robinson	....	rigging grip
Mike Robinson	....	rigging gaffer
David Shakibanasab	....	lamp operator
Louis Smith	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Jeff C. Sutton	....	electrician
Randy Tharpe	....	grip
Cris Toebben	....	basecamp electrician
Steve Zigler	....	best boy electric
John Trapman	....	aerial director of photography (uncredited)

Casting Department
Aba Arthur	....	casting assistant
Marquita Bradley	....	extras casting intern: New York
Rhavynn Drummer	....	casting assistant
Brittany N. Grooms	....	extras casting assistant
Barbara Harris	....	adr voice casting
Talisha McClaney	....	extras casting assistant
George Pierre	....	extras casting
Doran Reed	....	casting associate
Alpha Tyler	....	additional casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sylvia Akuchie	....	set costumer
Aliyah I. Baynes	....	wardrobe production assistant
Alex Bovaird	....	assistant costume designer
Scott T. Coppock	....	milliner
Shayne Allen Duhon	....	set costumer
Careen Fowles	....	costume supervisor: New York
Shavon Christina Gihan	....	costumer
Rhonney Greene	....	costume set supervisor
Diane J. Harriday	....	seamstress
Darlene Jackson	....	costume supervisor
Alison Levine	....	costume assistant
Carmia Marshall	....	set costumer
Lonnie McQuarters	....	costume shopper
Katie Nolff	....	costume production assistant
Natasha Noor	....	costume assistant (as Natasha Noorvash)
Shady Patterson	....	costume p.a.
Janet Ross	....	set costumer
Minerva Diann Savoy	....	seamstress
Ellen Semones	....	shopper
Jeffrey Wirsing	....	ager/dyer

Editorial Department
Rick J. Brown	....	colorist: dailies (as Rick Brown)
Tricia Chiarenza	....	color timer
Kimberly Ellis	....	post-production assistant (as Kimberly Wilhoit)
Jermaine R. Gill	....	color correction assistant
Eileen Godoy	....	digital intermediate producer
Rachel Faith Hanson	....	dailies
Matt Hull	....	digital intermediate assistant producer
Ken Lebre	....	dailies producer
Natasha Leonnet	....	digital intermediate colorist
Curtis Lindersmith	....	digital intermediate editor
Christopher McDonald	....	dailies operator
Joi McMillon	....	first assistant editor
Justin Powell	....	post-production assistant
Ariana Young	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
Joshua Bell	....	musician: violin solos
Johnny Caruso	....	supervising music editor
Alex Cohen	....	music assistant
Sandy DeCrescent	....	orchestra contractor
Aaron Fink	....	music assistant
Jerry Hey	....	orchestrator
Joel C. High	....	music supervisor
The Hollywood Studio Symphony	....	music performed by (as The Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra)
Steve Juliani	....	music preparation (as Steven Juliani)
Stephanie Kremer	....	general manager: music
Mateo Laboriel	....	music programmer
Matt Lilley	....	music clearance and licensing
Rebecca Rienks	....	assistant music supervisor
Peter Rotter	....	music contractor
Dennis S. Sands	....	music recordist (as Dennis Sands)
Dennis S. Sands	....	music scoring mixer
Michael Stern	....	music recordist
Michael Stern	....	music scoring mixer
Willa Yudell	....	music assistant
Sam Zeines	....	music editor
Aaron Zigman	....	conductor
Aaron Zigman	....	musician: piano
Aaron Zigman	....	orchestrator
George Doering	....	musician (uncredited)
Jay Faires	....	music executive (uncredited)
Maria Newman	....	musician (uncredited)
Jasper Randall	....	choir contractor (uncredited)
Robert L. Smith	....	score recordist (uncredited)
Dara Wedler	....	music coordinator (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Tim Barker	....	transportation
Tracy L. Coker	....	hair/make-up driver
Thomas Fountain	....	driver
Derek James Gober	....	driver: cast
Daniel La Fave	....	production driver
Cindy Parker	....	transportation coordinator
J.L. Parker	....	transportation captain
Janet Perrotti	....	transportation co-captain
Windi Robinson	....	driver: Construction Truck
Dennis Salomone Sr.	....	transportation captain: New York (as Dennis Salomone)
Patricia Sammons	....	driver
Ralph Strickland	....	driver: cast
Kevin R. Wood	....	transportation co-captain: New York

Other crew
Dana Abercrombie	....	stand-in
Adi Amit	....	production coordinator: New York
Jill Andrade	....	assistant: Mr. Areu
Giuseppe Ardizzone	....	set production assistant: New York
Ozzie Areu	....	president: Tyler Perry Studios
Will Areu	....	senior vice president: production and operations
Alex C. Askew	....	production assistant
Colbert Bernard	....	set production assistant
John D. Bert	....	craft service
Khalilah Birdsong	....	TPS creative executive
Amy A. Blanc	....	script supervisor
Justin Bones	....	key set production assistant
Crystal D. Brown	....	production assistant
David Michael Brown	....	craft service
Jeffrey A. Brown	....	location scout: New York
Cassie Bryant	....	location scout
Andrea Carter	....	stand-in
Al Cerullo	....	helicopter pilot
Amyjoy Clark	....	payroll accountant: New York
Ami Cohen	....	production department coordinator
Angela Coleman	....	first assistant accountant: New York
Dana Corl	....	production secretary: New York
Michael L. Covington	....	stand-in (as Michael Covington)
Sonhara "Sunny" Dawkins	....	assistant: Mr. Hall
Derrick Doose	....	key set production assistant
Nick Doumlele	....	office production assistant: New York
Gil Duldulao	....	choreographer
John Findley	....	location manager (as John Findley III)
Erin G. Fuller	....	location scout (as Erin G. Fisher)
Veronica M. Fultz	....	assistant: Ms. Evans
Ellen Gannon	....	production coordinator: New York
Tsedy Gebeyehu	....	assistant production coordinator
Lindsay Gores	....	production staff
Valencia Y. Hawkins	....	executive assistant: Mr. Bobb (as Valencia Hawkins)
Atiya Henry	....	assistant: Mr. Genier (as Atiya M. Henry)
Kevin Hill	....	office production assistant: New York
Jade A. Holmes	....	office production assistant
Bill Jacks	....	manager of business and legal affairs
Cindy L. Jefferson	....	stand-in (as Cindy Jefferson)
Carmen K. Jones	....	production secretary (as Carmen K. Brown)
Jina Jones	....	assistant: Mr. Paseornek
Haweni Keskessa	....	second assistant accountant
Chrissy Kim	....	credits coordinator
Kellye Lloyd	....	accounting intern
John Van Loan	....	set medic
Chasity Lowe	....	medic
Paul Lowe	....	key set medic
Ian MacGregor	....	location manager: New York
Dan Masciarelli	....	producer: main titles, Rok!t
Karen Marie Mason	....	assistant location manager
LeRoy McCarthy	....	location manager
Chris Mello	....	credits coordinator
Robert M. Melnik	....	executive vice president of business affairs
Cheryl Miller	....	production coordinator
Jamie Morris	....	first assistant accountant
Sean C. Nattini	....	office production assistant: New York
Elena Nordé	....	stand-in
Gary Ousdahl	....	story editor: 34th Street Films
Tim Palen	....	Co-President, Theatrical Marketing: Lionsgate
Jennifer Parris	....	production assistant
Jennifer Quesenbery	....	location scout
Jason Quimby	....	location scout: New York unit
Timothy Scott Ralston	....	screening operations executive (as Timothy Ralston)
Amber Rasberry	....	creative executive
Andrew Riley	....	production assistant
Justin Rosini	....	assistant location manager: New York
Justin Rosini	....	location scout: New York
Mercedes Sanders	....	stand-in (as Mercedes Saunders)
Jennifer Schoenherz	....	executive assistant: Mr. Areu
Salpy Semerdjian	....	payroll accountant: New York
Hakim Shakoor	....	caterer: chef
Beatrice Simmons	....	key craft service
Nikki Simpson	....	production secretary
Collin Smith	....	supervising location manager
Kimberly S. Smith	....	accounting clerk
Oreathia C. Smith	....	accounting intern
Ty A. Smith	....	stand-in
Julie Solomon	....	accounting clerk: New York
Robin Spears	....	set production assistant
Amanda Sutton	....	post production payroll accountant
Joshua Tanksley	....	stand-in
Ryan Christopher Taylor	....	location assistant (as Ryan Taylor)
Amy R. Trachtman	....	assistant production coordinator: New York
Stan Umamoto	....	payroll accountant
Roberto Villareal	....	set production assistant
Dennis Voskov	....	location scout
Thomas Wohlford	....	location manager
Carole Wurst	....	executive assistant: Mr. Perry
Derek Yip	....	production accountant
Erica Young	....	set production assistant
Noah Eberhart	....	locations intern (uncredited)
Chris Saharek	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Shawn Luckey	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Lionsgate (presents)
• Tyler Perry Studios (presents)
• 34th Street Films
• Lionsgate
• FCG Productions

Distributors

• Lionsgate (2010) (USA) (theatrical)
• Maple Pictures (2010) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Belga Home Vidéo (2012) (Belgium) (DVD)
• Eagle Films (2011) (non-USA) (all media) (Middle East)
• Film1 (2012) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Lionsgate Home Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel DVD (2011) (Australia) (DVD)
• Sookie Pictures (2012) (South Korea) (all media)
• SquareOne Entertainment (2013) (Germany) (all media)
• Tanweer Films (2011) (Bangladesh) (TV)
• Tanweer Films (2011) (Bhutan) (TV)
• Tanweer Films (2011) (India) (TV)
• Tanweer Films (2011) (Maldives) (TV)
• Tanweer Films (2011) (Nepal) (TV)
• Tanweer Films (2011) (Pakistan) (TV)
• Tanweer Films (2011) (Sri Lanka) (TV)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2012) (Germany) (DVD)

Special Effects

• 2G Studios (visual effects)

Other Companies

• ARRI / Camera Service Center  camera equipment provided by
• ARRI / Camera Service Center  grip and lighting equipment
• Atlantic Records  soundtrack
• Benchmark Sound Services  trailer post-production sound services
• De Lane Lea  ADR recording
• DeeTown Entertainment  music producer
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• EFilm  digital intermediate
• Film Finances  film completion guarantor
• Gallagher Entertainment  insurance
• Happy Feet Foley  post-production sound services (foley services)
• Harris Diversified  a/c & power rental
• Hollywood Trucks  entertainment transportation
• Hurwitz Creative  Electronic Press Kit
• Moving On Up Enterprises  security
• Paskal Lighting  grip and lighting equipment
• Rok!t Studio  titles
• Scarlet Letters  end titles
• Soundelux  post-production sound services
• Todd-AO Studios  post-production sound services

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for some disturbing violence including a rape, sexual content and language

Runtime:

USA:133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

Australia:MA15+ (2011) | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #46416)

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

Lionsgate

Trivia:

Janet Jackson's character's name is Jo, which is Jackson's second middle name in real life, Janet Damita Jo Jackson.

Quotes:

Gilda:Ordinary, brown-braided woman with big legs and full lips... you become yourself.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #19.26" (2010)

Soundtrack:

Sechita (A Senhora Em Amarelo)

A gorgeous, layered, over-the-top emotional ride...I really liked it

For Colored Girls (2010)

An artful, gutsy, moving experience.

You could easily see this movie and say that it's overly artful, overtly gutsy, and an overwhelmingly moving experience. You would have to like this kind of high drama to get into this at all. Very high drama. I do, and so I loved this movie.

If you've seen "Crash" you know how this movie is put together--a series of high powered characters in tough situations are followed separately in an interwoven and increasingly connected urban universe. This is a work about women, African-American women, and about their ultimately horrible plight in a world of greed, horror, and men, who don't come off very well. So they turn increasingly inward, and to each other, to survive.

Director Tyler Perry has great material here--the Ntozake Shange play that wowed Broadway in 1975. One of the strengths here is one of the things people find irritating--the characters speak at times in long lines of poetic monologue. It isn't realistic, but it's beautiful, and in fact it really is poetry, and is part of the overall style. This helps form the overall aura of the movie, as well, of highbrow seriousness in a gutsy, often low income narrative. The story gets tweaked for 2010, though some of the themes don't make sense for our times, most glaring the backstreet abortion.

The acting is fabulous, and uniformly so. Everyone is able to really pour it on, which is difficult when they are sometimes speaking through actual poetry. And so through all the tears comes a realization that this very artificially outrageous drama has deeply deeply serious intentions.

If you like movies for how they are made--the editing, the filming, the set design--you'll be impressed. It's highly artful in a Hollywood, expensive way, an uncompromised production. Of course, as a viewer, you have to like that, especially when it gets artsy, as when a mother and daughter speak in two simultaneous monologues and the camera, and the sound, film back and forth between them, while still delicately keeping both threads continuous and palpable throughout. And the moment has huge symbolism, too, because it's about how they never understand each other, even when they pretend to try.

If there's a large problem here, it's in the endless excess. There is more tragedy, and more emotional crisis, than you can handle in a movie. I think it starts to be a parody of itself, and toward the end you are just ready for a catharsis. The choreographed ending is a little predictable and breezy, too, though even here, when the women gather on the roof, there is still a complex, interwove poetic power.

Forget the cynics and the impatient, if you can, that have slammed this film. It's not a typical Tyler Perry movie at all. It's a smart, beautiful film, and in some ways a great film.