I finally got a chance to view Tyler Perry's film For Colored Girls (2010) and I must say that I wasn't surprised. I didn't think Perry could do justice to Ntozake Shange's original play. I'm pressed for time so this won't be a long drawn out analysis because Perry did bring a whole new audience to Shange's work and at least attempted to showcase the complexities of black womanhood. I'll commend him for that but his adaptation lacked depth and although he tried to incorporate Shange's poetry into the film, it often seemed outdated and awkward. The lighting was too dark, there were too many stories for the time allotted, and he used filming techniques made famous by other directors. As usual, he stereotyped all of the characters and the only 'whole' person in the entire cast (Hill Harper) got the least amount of screen play. The multiple close ups only made me focus on facial expressions that didn't seem authentic: Janet Jackson's crying only out of one eye and Kimberly Elise being broken one too many times. It seemed like a juxtaposition of all of Perry's films with Shange's poems sprinkled on top. Do I think this story could have been told on film? YES! Do I think Tyler Perry did an adequate job? NO! It pales in comparison to Jasmine Guy's stage production of the play. He should stick to comedy. In my opinion, that's what he does best.
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