ARTS and ENTERTAINMENT
Phat Girlz
by Willie Waffle Leave it up to Mo’Nique to prove what I have been saying all along. It’s hard out here for a plump, but she’s ready to fight back and show the world big people are lovable, too. Mo’Nique stars as Jazmin--a large lady with bigger dreams. She works at the local department store, but dreams of designing her own sassy, sexy clothing line for plus size women, since most clothes for her and her friends are bland. Tired of being judged and mocked by skinny people, and frustrated with diet after diet, Jazmin is ready to give it all up and just live a single, celibate life, when she wins an all expense paid trip to a swanky resort in Palm Springs. Once there, she and her best friend, Stacey (Kendra Johnson), meet some Nigerian doctors who worship women with some meat on their bones. Is it true love for Jazmin? "Phat Girlz" probably sounds much like Queen Latifah’s last movie, "Last Holiday," which was much like about 1000 movies you saw before, but this one is outrageous, wish fulfilling fun. Mo’Nique doesn’t hold back at any moment as she makes Jazmin say what is on her mind at all times as she faces down rudeness and a world where fat is not where it is at, which makes the audience howl with approval and recognition, but it’s the softer side of Mo’Nique that makes the movie enjoyable. It’s a joy to watch the confident, outspoken woman come out of her romantic shell as Jazmin is wooed by her dream man, Dr. Tunde (Jimmy Jean-Louis). Mo’Nique shows Jazmin letting down her guard and allowing the lady to be spiritually reborn as she experiences the love she has longed for, and the appreciation for her inner and outer self that seemed impossible. Don’t get me wrong. Meryl Streep doesn’t have anything to worry about if they are up for the same role, but Mo’Nique has a commanding screen presence that makes her a star, and hero. The rest of the cast is along for the ride, but more than hold up their end of the movie. Jean-Louis will become the heartthrob du jour after his charming and engaging appearance as Jazmin’s dream man, while Johnson finds a few scenes of her own to make us laugh instead of being relegated to second banana status. However, watch out for Joyful Drake as Mia--Jazmin’s thin and gorgeous cousin who seems to embody everything Jazmin and Stacey despise. She has a great and comical way of carrying herself in the tradition of the greatest movie sexpots and makes the movie of each scene where the tables are turned and Mia suddenly finds herself as the physically repulsive one. Writer/director Nnegest Likke realizes there isn’t much he can do to make "Phat Girlz" more than it is, so he dutifully points the camera at Mo’Nique and gets out of the way. He fills the script with plenty of interesting themes and ideas like the unwarranted slings and arrows Jazmin faces on a daily basis and how people in our country are bombarded with skinny imagery, down to the design of chairs and tables, and the constant notion that big people are second class citizens. However. Likke doesn’t know when to end the movie as the audience has to go through a "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" marathon of resolutions that could have been cut in half. I have another problem with Likke’s script. "Phat Girlz" is all about acceptance of big people for who they are inside and out, but why does Jazmin's dream man have to be the stereotypical male model hunk? It seems hypocritical and antithetical to what the movie stands for. Other than that, get ready for bawdy, funny time. Copyright 2006 - WaffleMovies.com
Film Noir Review "Phat Girlz" falls flat!
Written and directed by Nnegest Likke and produced for just $2.5 million, "Phat Girlz" comes across as one of the poorest appearing films this century. In today’s high cost of making movies, that sum should have been Mo’Nique’s pay alone. Get the picture? "Phat Girlz" takes place in Los Angeles where Jazmin Biltmore (Mo’Nique) lives with her cousin Mia (Joyful Drake "Beauty Shop") who is as thin as Jazmin is plus size. Egged on by Mia, Jazmin will try any diet to change her appearance. She works with her best friend Stacey (Kendra C. Johnson), who is also her boss in the woman’s apparel department at Bloomfeld’s Department Store. Jazmin’s goal is to be a fashion designer and she already designs all her own clothes. One day she enters a diet pill company contest and just happens to win the grand prize of a visit to a five-star health spa in Palm Springs. Of course, Jazmin takes Stacey and Mia along for the fun. At the spa, the trio meet three Nigerian doctors, with Tunde (Jimmy Jean-Louis "Monster-in-Law"), setting his sights on the beautifully proportioned Jazmin. There are laughs here, but so much is wrong with "Phat Girlz" that makes it this year’s biggest turkey so far. This includes poor camera work, inferior lighting and the use of purchased stock film of Nigeria, a native party and other scenes. "Phat Girlz" starts out like a rocket for the first 15 minutes and then crashes with your money already at the box office if you choose to see it. Does Jazmin realize her dream of designing plus size clothes? Just how do you think she gets to Nigeria? The biggest joke about "Phat Girlz" is its "PG-13" rating for sexual content and language, including some crude sexual references. This is solid "R" content and parents should keep their children at home. "Phat Girlz" needed about $5 million more and Likke should study Tyler Perry’s film production before she tries again. "Phat Girlz" is a disaster and that is why it receives my lowest rating of "0-J’s/Ask for refund!" |
