I'm not shocked at the reviews of this film for the simple reason that it is high art. High Art in the academic sense, means it's not a mass product, mass produced in the factory that formulates today's popular culture. And as one reviewer already said, I'm certainly not a fan of Tyler Perry's "low art" films, and his depiction of the African American female in particular. HOWEVER, the beauty of this film is that he transcends his normal texts. I have not read or seen the play but any writer, who writes often, knows, to use poetry as dialog is not at all easy. In For Colored Girls, I'd like to say Bravo to Perry, poetic dialog is so beautifully scripted and weaved into the progression of the story. One of my favorite scenes is between Whoopi Goldberg and Thandie Newton when they confront each other after an unfortunate incident with the character who plays Netwon's sister and Goldberg's daughter. How each character speaks over the other and only listens to the other when she says something that validates her existing negative assessment of that person. I thought that was quite profound. There were so many scenes that I loved and none of them were disjointed, all of them built one upon the other to form one very cinematic story. Actually one OVER, dramatic story. And that would be my one criticism--and I think it's a major fault.
Every plot point cost so much. There was such an imbalance of the tragic and the non-tragic. And I think this one fault could be the shot in the foot, he didn't foresee. But nevertheless, those who appreciate high art, will appreciate the masterful use of poetic dialog in this film. I was extremely impressed.
Every plot point cost so much. There was such an imbalance of the tragic and the non-tragic. And I think this one fault could be the shot in the foot, he didn't foresee. But nevertheless, those who appreciate high art, will appreciate the masterful use of poetic dialog in this film. I was extremely impressed.