Tyler Perry Promises 'You Don't Have To Be a Colored Girl To Be Able To Relate To and Enjoy' For Colored Girls
The For Colored Girls awards train has made its latest whistle stop, with director Tyler Perry today passing along his latest message to fans eager to know more about his all-star Oscar hopeful. To wit: It's very good! Also: You do not actually need to fulfill the title criteria to enjoy or appreciate the film. Color me relieved!
I'm still holding out for an audience with Perry to discuss the film -- adapted from Ntozake Shange's 1976 choreopoem/play/"one of the most powerful literary works of this century" For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf -- and its wild-card status in this season's awards race. For now, however, we have the writer-director-actor-mogul in his own words, addressing the "Internet chatter" that Shange's work is borderline unadaptable for the screen and how his unprecedented ensemble of black actresses fared with the material. (Hint: Pretty well):
After reading the play a thousand times and listening to these poems a million times, it hit me. There was only one way to approach it. So what I did was, I put these characters in the situations around the poems, so that they could speak the dialogue of the book without it sounding like a poem. And I have to tell you, I wasn't sure that it could be done. But, after listening to Phylicia Rashad, Thandie Newton, Kerry Washington, Macy Gray, Kimberly Elise, Tessa Thompson, Whoopi Goldberg, Loretta Devine, Anika Noni Rose and Janet Jackson say these words it was awesomely seemless. [sic]
The stories are about eight women who live in NYC and we follow them through their lives; follow them through loving, losing, giving too much of themselves, being hurt and betrayed, but most of all, we follow each of these women as they find love for themselves.
This movie is powerful. It is incredible. The performances in it are astonishing, but most of all this film will leave you lifted.
I don't know if you know this either, but never in the history of a feature film has there been an ensemble of this many black women. That alone is worth celebrating. I hope you are planning to see it on November 5th.
By the way, you don't have to be a colored girl to be able to relate to and enjoy this movie.
Got that, Academy? Good.
· A Message From Tyler Perry [TylerPerry.com]
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Comments
He really is his own worse enemy. LOL
Hold thy tongue, heathen!
I am on of these "colored girls" he speaks of. Even though I am in no way a fan of Tyler Perry's previous work, I'm pretty excited to see this. Hopefully, my distaste of his other films comes from the fact the he was adapting his own work, none of which, funnily enough, had very great female characters, in my opinion. Originally, I was sort of bummed when I heard he'd be directing. I was hoping they'd gay a Sanaa Hamrii...or at least just not him. Now, though, as I see it coming together I'm definitely excited.
I do wonder why, when shortening the title, they decided to go with 'For Colored Girls,' a title they'd have to defend and explain when using the 'When the Rainbow is Enuf' part would have been more interesting, less polarizing, and fit the look of the film represented in the posters and publicity material. I'm sure they have some reason, but it feels like they missed an opportunity there.
Mr. Perry I have been praying for you every since you "overnight success" LOL the many times I have gone to see your movies and plays have always been very rewarding for me. May God continue to bless all you do. You are amazing and I really am as proud of you as I am my own son. Thank you so much for being a positive man, with Christian morals. I want you and my son to find a wife, smile.