For Colored Girls

Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf was a '70s radical chic theatre piece combining poetry and dance. But the bits of original text that survive in filmmaker Tyler Perry's big screen adaptation (the dance choreography has been scuttled) now sound forced and self-indulgent, although still far better than the characteristic soap-opera material Perry has added. For Colored Girls is essentially a series of interconnected stories about contemporary black women in various difficult circumstances. Jo (Janet Jackson) is a well-to-do magazine editor estranged from her handsome but increasingly absent husband, while hardworking assistant Crystal (Kimberly Elise) supports a spouse suffering from wartime trauma who abuses her and threatens their children. Tangie (Thandie Newton), a hard-bitten, loose-living bartender, is badgered by her religion-obsessed mother (Whoopi Goldberg) for money to help her younger sister (Tessa Thompson). Also on hand are a wise old busybody (Phylicia Rashad), a nurse (Loretta Devine) trapped in an on-again, off-again relationship with an irresponsible hustler, a teacher (Anika Noni Rose) who thinks she's met the perfect companion, and a well-intentioned social worker (Kerry Washington) unable to have a child herself. Unfortunately, Perry's script has a by-the-numbers feel that turns Shange's archetypes into melodramatic contrivances clumsily reflecting a number of social issues. Despite heartfelt performances from an impressive cast, this is a disappointing film. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Span of the Rainbow” interactive documentary with behind-the-scenes featurettes (38 min.), a “Transformation: Movie Magic” making-of featurette (15 min.), three musical selections from the film, a “Prism of Poems” selection of poems from the film and book, a portrait gallery, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an uneven film.] (F. Swietek)