For Colored Girls
An emotionally charged ensemble drama transforms Ntozake Shange’s poetic chorus into interconnected stories of Black women confronting violence, desire, grief, and resilience.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- angry
- melancholic
- harrowing
- serious discussion
- theater adaptation viewing
What critics said
Critics recognized the ensemble cast's commitment and talent but broadly felt that Tyler Perry's conventional melodrama weakened the source play's poetic and collective force.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The adaptation assigns names and individual storylines to twenty women previously represented by color-coded performers in Shange's play.
The film incorporates Shange's cycle of twenty poems as emotionally heightened spoken passages within the women's stories.
The stories address abuse, rape, abortion, domestic violence, sexuality, and the lived pressures facing women of color.
The women's individual experiences intersect through a communal network of relationships and shared emotional survival.
Films like For Colored Girls, and why
Waiting to Exhale
ensemble drama centered on Black women, trauma, resilience, and intersecting personal stories
The Color Purple
poetic, emotionally intense drama about Black womanhood, abuse, sexuality, and survival
Raisin in the Sun
theatrical, issue-driven ensemble drama exploring race, gender, and interpersonal conflict
Movie Details
- Director
- Tyler Perry
- Release Date
- 2010-11-05
- Runtime
- 134 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (86)
Cast
- Kimberly Elise
- Janet Jackson
- Loretta Devine
- Thandiwe Newton
- Anika Noni Rose
- Kerry Washington
- Tessa Thompson
- Phylicia Rashād
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Macy Gray
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is For Colored Girls about?
- An emotionally charged ensemble drama transforms Ntozake Shange’s poetic chorus into interconnected stories of Black women confronting violence, desire, grief, and resilience.
- What is For Colored Girls like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of For Colored Girls as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is For Colored Girls violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in For Colored Girls as moderate.
- What did critics think of For Colored Girls?
- Critics recognized the ensemble cast's commitment and talent but broadly felt that Tyler Perry's conventional melodrama weakened the source play's poetic and collective force.
- Which films are like For Colored Girls?
- Films with a similar feel include Waiting to Exhale, The Color Purple, and Raisin in the Sun.
- How long is For Colored Girls?
- For Colored Girls runs 134 minutes.
- Where can I watch For Colored Girls?
- In United States, For Colored Girls streams on MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel.
