In New York a set of black women and neighbors portray series of situations namely; personal crises, heartbreak and other challenges. In all, this women of color thrive in a vibrant world where friends and strangers dream, fear, cry, love, and laugh out loud in an attempt to find their true selves.
Perry's awkwardly constructed screenplay and equally muddled direction is one 'metaphysical dilemma' not even these strong, and strongly gifted, women can conquer.
And yet the film remains strangely watchable, even when it's gone bonkers. Especially when it's gone bonkers.
New York Magazine/Vulture
November 08, 2010
For Colored Girls is so shamelessly terrible it would make a great midnight hoot-fest, if you had the stomach to laugh at Shange or some of the best (and most underused) actresses of their generation...
Best" and "worst", "good" and "bad" are judgment calls that seem unusually difficult to apply here... [Tyler Perry's] strangest and most endlessly fascinating film.
Shange's words retain their power despite the melodramatic incidents Perry has woven to fill in the spaces between poems, his flat, TV-style direction and the highly variable performances of an all-star cast.
Director Tyler Perry's For Colored Girls is a bold example of an artist's reach exceeding his grasp. And it's hard not to applaud his determination and grade for ambition.
Newark Star-Ledger
November 05, 2010
Perry gets points for persistence, yes, and for ambition. But that's not enuf.
Tyler Perry movies certainly have their place in society, as they undoubtedly have a strong moral core and are made with noble intentions. On the evidence of For Colored Girls though, he should leave the serious drama alone.
Perry has assembled a formidable ensemble, including Loretta Devine, Kimberly Elise, Thandie Newton, Anika Noni Rose, Tessa Thompson, Kerry Washington, Whoopi Goldberg, Janet Jackson, Phylicia Rashad and, in the most searing cameo, Macy Gray.
