Phat Girlz
3/4
Starring: Mo'Nique, Kendra C. Johnson, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Joyful Drake,
Note: the version being reviewed is the Extended Edition. For the record, the theatrical cut is rated PG-13 for Sexual Content and Language, including Some Sexual References
Confidence is sexy. Although many guys drool over the likes of Gisele Bundchen, Jessica Alba and Angelina Jolie, chances are that they wouldn't stick around for long if these gorgeous women turned out to be neurotic disasters. It's the same reason why people like Queen Latifah and Mo'Nique. Both are big women, but they carry themselves with confidence. They know exactly who they are and are happy with it.
That's Jazmin Biltmore's (Mo'Nique) problem. She's been a big girl all her life, but she lives in a world where being thin is everything. Models, customers, the people at the club...they're all thin. No wonder Jazmin and her girlfriend Stacey (Johnson) are depressed. Luck strikes when Jazmin wins an all-expenses-paid trip to South Beach, Miami. While there, she meets a handsome doctor, Tumbe Jonathan (Jean-Louis) and to her utter disbelief, he's head over heels for her.
Although the film is marketed as a romantic comedy, that's just a subplot. This is really more about Jazmin's journey towards accepting herself for who she is. If nothing else, writer/director Nnegest Likke gets this right. She populates the extras with paper thin women, or as Jazmin calls them, "skinny bitches." Likke pays attention to what it's like for someone with an overeating problem, and although the script is weak, this theme is well-acted by Mo'Nique.
The shining star of the film is unquestionably Mo'Nique. Although she started out as a stand-up comedienne, she has proven herself to be a good actress. "Phat Girlz" was made three years before she blew the world away with her performance in "Precious: based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire," (for which she rightfully won an Oscar), and her talent as an actress shows. We get on Jazmin's side and underneath all the put-downs and sarcasm, there's a very lonely woman filled with self-hate.
Tumbe sees that, and that's what makes the romance work. Nigerian culture may have gotten him interested in big women, but he can read Jazmin like a book. Model/actor Jimmy Jean-Louis may not be the best actor, but he is earnest and likable, and he and Mo'Nique have great chemistry. We become invested in their relationship.
The other elements are not as successful. Essentially, anything without Mo'Nique or Jean-Louis is flat. Kendra C. Johnson is horrible as Stacey. She can't act, and pairing her with a force of nature like Mo'Nique only highlights her deficiencies as an actress. Joyful Drake isn't much better as Jazmin's catty cousin, Mia, who is upset that her husky friends are getting more attention than her.
Apart from getting us into Jazmin's mindset, little else of what Nngest Likke does works, and the film relies on the charisma and talent of the actors. Her script is superficial and is in desperate need of some rewrites, and her shot selection is abysmally stale. There hasn't been camerawork this shoddy outside a high school student film.
And yet, the stuff that works is really good. The stuff about Jazmin's clothing line is uplifting and Mo'Nique has some great one-liners. And I felt good after watching it. Flawed, yes (the extended edition is far too long), but for what it is, it's a good flick.
Starring: Mo'Nique, Kendra C. Johnson, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Joyful Drake,
Note: the version being reviewed is the Extended Edition. For the record, the theatrical cut is rated PG-13 for Sexual Content and Language, including Some Sexual References
Confidence is sexy. Although many guys drool over the likes of Gisele Bundchen, Jessica Alba and Angelina Jolie, chances are that they wouldn't stick around for long if these gorgeous women turned out to be neurotic disasters. It's the same reason why people like Queen Latifah and Mo'Nique. Both are big women, but they carry themselves with confidence. They know exactly who they are and are happy with it.
That's Jazmin Biltmore's (Mo'Nique) problem. She's been a big girl all her life, but she lives in a world where being thin is everything. Models, customers, the people at the club...they're all thin. No wonder Jazmin and her girlfriend Stacey (Johnson) are depressed. Luck strikes when Jazmin wins an all-expenses-paid trip to South Beach, Miami. While there, she meets a handsome doctor, Tumbe Jonathan (Jean-Louis) and to her utter disbelief, he's head over heels for her.
Although the film is marketed as a romantic comedy, that's just a subplot. This is really more about Jazmin's journey towards accepting herself for who she is. If nothing else, writer/director Nnegest Likke gets this right. She populates the extras with paper thin women, or as Jazmin calls them, "skinny bitches." Likke pays attention to what it's like for someone with an overeating problem, and although the script is weak, this theme is well-acted by Mo'Nique.
The shining star of the film is unquestionably Mo'Nique. Although she started out as a stand-up comedienne, she has proven herself to be a good actress. "Phat Girlz" was made three years before she blew the world away with her performance in "Precious: based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire," (for which she rightfully won an Oscar), and her talent as an actress shows. We get on Jazmin's side and underneath all the put-downs and sarcasm, there's a very lonely woman filled with self-hate.
Tumbe sees that, and that's what makes the romance work. Nigerian culture may have gotten him interested in big women, but he can read Jazmin like a book. Model/actor Jimmy Jean-Louis may not be the best actor, but he is earnest and likable, and he and Mo'Nique have great chemistry. We become invested in their relationship.
The other elements are not as successful. Essentially, anything without Mo'Nique or Jean-Louis is flat. Kendra C. Johnson is horrible as Stacey. She can't act, and pairing her with a force of nature like Mo'Nique only highlights her deficiencies as an actress. Joyful Drake isn't much better as Jazmin's catty cousin, Mia, who is upset that her husky friends are getting more attention than her.
Apart from getting us into Jazmin's mindset, little else of what Nngest Likke does works, and the film relies on the charisma and talent of the actors. Her script is superficial and is in desperate need of some rewrites, and her shot selection is abysmally stale. There hasn't been camerawork this shoddy outside a high school student film.
And yet, the stuff that works is really good. The stuff about Jazmin's clothing line is uplifting and Mo'Nique has some great one-liners. And I felt good after watching it. Flawed, yes (the extended edition is far too long), but for what it is, it's a good flick.
Comments
Post a Comment