Sat, Nov 21, 2009
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Name:
goodnplenty1957
Comment: I certainly hope making a movie like SOMETHING NEW wasn't suppose to "target" black women as the article stated. i dont know how many black women they planned on targeting to date white men instead of black men. guess its another case of DIVIDE AND CONQUER. whats that last line Lawrence Fishburne said in "School Daze?"...WAKE UP.
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Name:
robijoa
Comment: There's no way that Phatty movie was going to do well with African American women. I can't see a bunch of big women flockin to see something like that that makes a mockery out of them. We all know it's a epedemic in our community, that movie was bound to bomb.
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Name:
ChakaTee
Comment: ....not to mention the fact that how was they all gonna fit in the theater at the same time? I'm sorry, I should not have said that.
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Name:
poeticlyspkng
Comment: Well, I know one person who went to see it and she said it was good with a nice message. This pretty much echoes the sentiments of Mo' Kelly. I think they can blame the problem on the star. Monique just has not had a good film track record. If the movie is truly good, it will become popular by word of mouth just like Crash did.
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Name:
MDhornet
Comment: I'll flock to see movies targeted to me when they start making movies that show real black women (or at least black women I can relate to). I rarely spend my $$ at the box office anymore. I wait for the DVD. Beauty Shop was the last black movie to get my dollars and that sucked. I can't afford to spend $10 on junk, no matter who's in the movie.
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Name:
bigchassie
Comment: JMO-i think it depends on the story and the actresses. do something different. now i think Dreamgirls is going to do it as far as bringing a fanbase of African American Women to the theatre. one main thing that messed the movie Phat Girls is the title of the movie itself. it don't sell to the population. if you going to market a good movie to black women, make sure it has a great story line with great black actresses in it. it can even be a remake on a good movie like "The Women" i can see actresses like Angela B%*$ett, Regina King, Alfre Woodard, Queen Latifa, Whooppi Goldberg, Jada Pinkett Smith, E Saptha Merkinson, shoot, even Halle B, all playing in this movie. They can even do a movie on the play "FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENOUF" and for some strange reason, i'm also smelling Lauren Hill on this too.
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Name:
ImJustAsking
Comment: MDHornet< I'm with you girl. I mean what is the movie even about? Fat girls finding love? 60-70% of American people are overweight, fat girls find love all the time and so do fat men. I need a real story, Thanks.
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Name:
ericsgirl
Comment: My sisters went to see Phat Girls and they said it sucked and it could have been a tv movie. It didn't look good to me from the previews. I rarely go to the movies because it is too expensive and I'd rather catch it on video.
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Name:
OneShot
Comment: goodnplenty: Something New was hardly a divide and conquer film. If you saw it and bothered to get the real message you would understand. The point was that the main character was rigid in her thinking and did everything the way she was "supposed" to do it. She even had her man list and when she found that perfect black man, it turns out he wasn't what she wanted. NOT because he was black and black was no longer good enough, but the new guy gave her a different perspective on life. I related because I too had a list and when I found the man who was everything I thought I wanted and he was a pretentious a-hole. The man I married, who is not everything on my list, turned out to be everything (for the most) I wanted in my life.
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Name:
OneShot
Comment: Damn, this was supposed to be about that Monique movie. If I'm not mistaken, her last movie was Soul Plane. Her intent may have been to boost the self esteem of larger women, but the previews come off as making fun of them. I think it's important to have good self esteem regardless of size, but what Monique promotes is really unhealthy. Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and a host of other ailments are result of being overweight and that is NOT cute.
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Name:
Mimi
Comment: I saw the movie, and it was very good with a good message. Also, there was a theater of big girls there! I think people had a pre-conceived notion about the movie but it was wrong. It wasn't anything like most people thought, and it was very entertaining.
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Name:
star
Comment: Black women want a story they can relate to. Phat Girlz preview did seem like a mockery, Something New is another issue...it's a great movie, but many sisters still feel obligated and drawn to their brothers therefore they don't want to see it. It's easy for Variety to report that black women are hard to please, thus sending the message to studios not to greenlight projects marketed to this demographic.
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Name:
OneShot
Comment: Star: Exactly!
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Name:
bigheadbull2
Comment: Didn't she do hair show?
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Name:
GQ_Boo
Comment: Chassie I had been thinking The Women should be remade too; Whoppi would be perfect as one of those old bitty's that did the initial snooping...... So you are saying an all black cast? Either way if they remade this movie it would be HOTT! That original is still a favorite .......I think Beyonce would be hott as Crystal Allen(Joan Crawford's) character. With Halle playing Norma Shear's character. I see Lorretta Devine as one of the older ladies too maybe the journalist while Whoopi played the one who caused all the confusion.
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Name:
MomaKnowz
Comment: To Star and OneShot: That is always and PRIMARILY the reason the media pushes such statements. So that the African American market will be underserved and underrepresented. It is why before an urban film is ever released, there is a media push to drill it into everyone's mind that that will be gang violence. Result: Theatres don't opt to show that film, thus receipts are low, the tally reads that the film flopped. Resulting in few greenlighted projects to *this* demographic.
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Name:
Harriet
Comment: So, "Phat Girlz" and "The Honeymooners" and "Something New" was targeted to Black Women? What makes Hollywood think that we want to pay upwards of ten dollars to watch a movie about obese and unhealthy Black Women and the mockery of that, another interracial movie called "something new" and an adaptation of a television show that many of us never even watched? If Hollywood wants to know what can bring in the "black female audience" then why don't they just ask us? Why don't they ask Black female screen and playwrights? What about female authors. Pearl Cleage and J. California Cooper could provide execellent material for film. Why doesn't Hollywood give us movies about our heroines such as Madame C.J. Walker and a big film adaptation of the Woman Called Moses/Harriet Tubman. Why can't we ever get a Black romantic comedy or a Black love story on film that isn't mired in bufoonery, and mockery and stereotypes and ignorance? I wish that they would just quit chunking us this bullshyt then scratching their heads wondering why we don't want to pay and go see it. The last movie that I recall Black Women of all social and economic backgrounds flocking to see was "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," and prior to that it was probably "Waiting to Exhale" which did fabulously at the box office as most Terri McMillian adaptations do. If Hollywood wants us to spend our hard earned money on movies then they'd better damned well do a better job of knowing what it is that we want to see on film. They should have a pretty good idea by now of what we do not want to see.
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Name:
MistaO
Comment: goodnplenty1957 - good to know there are some Black folk around who truly are "awake", and have not fallen for all of the malarkey pumped in schools and the media as appropriate thought processes for Black people. As I'm sure you know, most Black people are dead asleep.
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Name:
Southernbelle
Comment: bigchassie>I personally would love to see a movie about that play. Talk about representation of strong black women.
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Name:
Michele
Comment: I saw Phat Girlz and I think that the commercials did it no justice. The movie did have a nice message, and made me laugh AND cry at some points. But more than anything, I think that this movie was therapeutic for Monique, as she had a chance to really put her insecurities out there and not hide behind her usual "I'm big and beautiful" routine. I applaud her for that, because I know that many of those scenes couldn't have been easy for her to do.
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Name:
thechocolate10
Comment: I would love to see T women remade-all black cast. Oh the sists girls would do the darn thing. I love the play and the movies so. GQ Boo we gotta discuss casting LOL
Big Chassie I have the book "FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENOUF!
BTW i like monique but she be teasing the skinny girls too much. we need love too!!
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Name:
DMaxx
Comment: If Hollywood really wanted to reach black females, why not ASK us what kind of movies we'd like to see? They have "polls" for everything else, why not this? There are millions of stories to be told, why just concentrate on a few. Also, hiring black female screenwriters, producers, and directors would help. This is just their excuse for not even trying and then putting the blame on us.
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Name:
Gurlfrand
Comment: I like Mo' and like her message of large women maintaining their self esteem, however, I think she is a little delusional in some areas of her belief system. Mo' is perfect for television, and in my opinion, she should continue to pursue the small screen exclusively.
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Name:
Harriet
Comment: Quite frankly, I have a problem with Moniques promotion of "fat." If heart disease is the number one killer of Black Women and high blood pressure and diabetes and all other sorts of obesity induced death is knocking at the door, then the last thing that we should be embracing as a way to boost esteem is obesity. I know for a fact that the bodies of Black Women come in all shapes and sizes but there is nothing entertaining about being fat. It is also not an issue of esteem as Monique purports. A healthy sense of esteem of self requires a healthy body and I wish that Monique would place more emphasis on health as an esteem booster. I am 37, and filling out every bit of a 12, okay a 14, at 5"2. I am a Southern girl where thick is a measurement of sexiness so I am quite cool with my body. I would love to have a flatter stomach but hey, it's flat when I am lying on my back. The point is that I know I ain't no size 2 and am glad about it. I walk for exercise because I know I need to and I am trying to be fine at 40 and my fine may not be your "fine." My fine is no diabetes, no high blood pressure, no hormonal imbalance, no breast cancer and no obesity issues while still being able to don a pretty dress and heels. That's it. Whether I am a 10 (my ideal size) or a 14 (my realistic size) really doesn't matter.
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Name:
Gurlfrand
Comment: >Harriet - lol - that's funny. I say the same thing when I'm laying in bed and run my hand across my tummy, I say "it's flat now."!!
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Name:
beegirl
Comment: Here is why my $10 usually stays in my pocket when it comes to movies: If Hollywood wants to put a black man in a film, he is usually either a cop, wrongfully accused of a crime, or angry about something. If Hollywood wants to put a black woman in a film, she is either sitting around waiting for a man to sweep her off her feet and solve all of her problems or she is a b*tch or someone's sassy sidekick. I could do without seeing the same storylines over and over. There are more black stories to tell. To be honest, I only went to see ATL because it looked different from the other garbage they throw at us (they think we will see anything with a black face in it), and it was actually very good. I refuse to see Phat Girlz because I do not find a joke about a black woman being so greedy that she will start eating her avocado facial to be funny. But we are caught between a rock and a hard place because if we don't see such dumb movies, they won't make any movies with us in them because they won't make their money back. But if we do go see them, they'll keep making the same nonsense and never give us anything else. Sigh!
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Name:
MomaKnowz
Comment: Re: Phat Girls - The bottom line is, do we support these horrors because the star is Black? Or, do we demand better product by refusing to attend? If we refuse to attend without letting the star or producers know that it is because the *product* is inferior, then the message that "Blacks don't go to movies" is unclarified, and we don't get a better crop of movies. The key is to make our dissatisfaction CLEAR. Otherwise, there will soon be few movies of ANY kind made for and about our people.
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Name:
Gemami
Comment: Harriet, your post is exactly the message of Phat Girlz. It was about self esteem and loving oneself as they are. I personally believe Monique's whole "Phat" campaign hurt the movie. However, I'm not going to lie, it was a poorly made film and a little too sappy for my taste, but I appreciated the message. I personally believe Phat Girlz would do better on DVD because people aren't going to go out their way to see it.
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Name:
beegirl
Comment: As long as the movie ticket costs one-third of my light bill and I can't even buy a water because it costs $3.50 or a box of popcorn requires me to pull out my checkbook, and on top of that the price of the gas just to get to the theater is damn near $3.25 a gallon (I'm in NY), then they damn sure better make sure that the movie is a good one to even get me to leave my house. I can't afford to take such pricey chances in this economy. And then you couldn't even read a review of Phat Girlz to see if it was good because the film wasn't released to critics. And they are surprised that it tanked? Hell outta here!
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Name:
Harriet
Comment: beegirl- I know dhat's right and they think that they are slick because I can no longer find public water fountains in movie theatres. They are just going to force you to pay 4dayumned dolllars for a drink of water.
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Name:
thechocolate10
Comment: bgirl> aint that the truth about movie prices her in NYC. I havent been to the movies in a while and I wont till xmen3 comes out
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Name:
Laliebye
Comment: Personally I have not seen Phat Girls nor do I plan to but I do commend MoNique for making a film that she wanted to make. I agree with a lot of the other post stating that there are so many more stories to tell. I would love to see a variety of horror stories, better love stories and comedy with an all black cast. I get tired of the predictable black movies that we see now. I read a lot of black fiction and can name many stories that would make great movies. What really frustrates me is how these big stars sit back and wait for Hollywood to hand them a role. I would like to see someone like Sanaa Lathan, Morris Chestnut or Gabrielle Union (just to name a few) to start creating their own projects. They have more than enough money and with their celebrity, it seems that they can creat projects of their own to get into the theatres. If more of our African American actors took the initiative to do more than work in front of the camera, maybe we would have more variety and a better selection to choose from. Just a thought.
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Name:
jazzfan
Comment: The next project MoNique does that is funny will be the 1st one.
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Name:
mickidee
Comment: I saw the movie "Phat Girlz", and while I thought it was entertaining, I thought it could have been a little more fine tuned. A lot of movies I see seem to fall short of the message they are trying to give. I agree with Monique about big girls having self esteem, and not feeling like you are less of a person because of your dress size, but to constantly lash out at other people (skinny girls) to me defeats the purpose. You are doing the same thing to them, that you claim they are doing to you. Someone mentioned about the advocado scene, that was tasteless (no pun intended) to me. Also, the scene where she was denied a bank loan and security had to drag her out kicking and screaming. They just went overboard with those scenes. Moniques does seem to go a bit overboard with the characters that she plays. It could have been a little more "real", then it would have been believable, and perhaps more enjoyable.
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Name:
phalcon7
Comment: i don't know that there's ever going to be a day when a Black Man or a Black Woman will choose to wake up the next morning with someone bigger than their car laying next to them... didn't Monique see this coming... BIG is killing us as a people... hell yeah they want this image in the theaters... it helps to exacerbate the genocide of us as a people... that is, if we buy into it... look at who green lights this crap... they don't give a "F" about us... if your fat... if you're feeling fat... stop with the excuses... do something to change it.
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Name:
McNasty
Comment: Before Hollywierd made a movie with me in mind they should have asked me what I'd like to see first! Something New would have been a good movie but for Lifetime - the Honeymooners should never have seen celluloid the second time. Now the next time, call me.
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Name:
ladybyrd
Comment: Monique made this movie for African American women. There's no damn way they thought WHITE people would go 100 ft of this damn movie. As I said before I wasn't going no were near this movie. I'm sick of the BIG women good, skinny women evil schtick. I saw the previews and I knew this movie is a DVD at best. Not one that I would buy. It couldn't have cost alot of money to make. Maybe that was just enough money to cover all costs. < listening to Portuguese Love by Teena Maria>
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Name:
Gemami
Comment: I personally think we complain too much and support too little. I'm not saying support every movie that features a Black cast, has a Black producer/director or written by a Black person, but there are quality films that did not get our support. Blacks women run in droves to see the buffoonery of Tyler Perry loud mouth, gun-toting Madea character but have a problem with Monique "Phat" character. No wonder Hollywood doesn't know how to market towards African American women -- we are fickle at best.
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Name:
OaktownDiva
Comment: Phat Girlz was a bad movie period, and most black women have better things to do then buy into Moniques crazy unhealthy image. Yes, big is beautiful. I'm big. But come on, licking avacado off your own damn face? Yes indeed, it would have been better suited for the Lifetime Channel. You can't run around with big is sexy and state that big girls are unhealthy is a myth, and then engage in the stereotypes your trying to get away from supposedly in your own damn movies!
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Name:
BigBlackRod
Comment: Gemami: that's an EXCELLENT point. We love Madea (well, Y'ALL do; I ain't never seen anything but "Diary", and I saw that against my will), but hate a REAL fat Black woman. Maybe, subconsciously, Black women want to see a less-macho Black man in a dress...PEACE.
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Name:
ericsgirl
Comment: You made a good point Gemami.
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Name:
musbdherbs
Comment: Gem...u know this world is full of closet hypocrites esp this board. Oh well, can't change that one but ur so right. I remember people saying "not another love jones" "not another best man" not another...not another. Now we sit back and say where are they. Many people are critical of things that they haven't seen, tasted or heard. Last I checked, Amistad was NOT a #1 movie, Malcolm X was NOT a #1 movie, Bamboozled was NOT a #1 movie, Ray was NOT a # 1 movie, Ali was NOT a #1 movie, ETC...But Medea's Reunion surely was! Go figure!
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Name:
OneShot
Comment: Gemami: you have to remember that WE don't all like the same things. Many of the movies I have liked (Love and Basketball, Best Man, Something New) a lot of people say they are too corny or too something. THen you have people who will go see any Ghetto Blaster movie that hits the screen. We are a diverse people and need to see variety in the film industry. Unfortunately, most of what is out there, with the exception of crossover, is the same old thing. For the person who said all black actors are waiting for someone the "give them a good part", that is not true. Duane/Tisha Martin, Blair Underwood and some other folks have put together a film company and are putting out films without the big studios. Unfortunately, they are not widely released, but at least they are trying to do something besides sit back and wait. Does anyone know of any other good Indie films? Many times those are the best because they are not conforming to a formula.
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Name:
McNasty
Comment: Amen OneShot! Why should we go see any movie that does not peak our interest just because it has black folks in it. While I like to be entertained, I love adventure and suspense and maybe one or two thrillers. The movies don't always have to be about love and relationships. Black folk are diverse in their tastes on every level and it makes no sense to come in here trying to bomb somebody out cause they didn't want to see this movie. Some of y'all are a fukkin trip.
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Name:
QueenNefertina
Comment: Personally, I enjoyed Phat Girls, obviously it wasn't a big budget movie so I don't know why people expected it to be slick and refined. Most of our movies are extremely low budget. It was the message of self acceptance that was important and the opportunity it gave everyone a chance to experience what it is like not to fit into western societies idea of what women should look like. While I feel that everyone should strive to be healthy regardless of their size, I do recognize that we tend to comment more on how unhealthy a 'larger' person is while we praise those who 'appear' healthy merely because they are thin. Women and young girls suffer from a myrid of eating disorders behind trying to fit the 'mold'. Yes, people need to be healthy, however everybody was not meant to be a size 5 and it is time people realized that.
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Name:
Gemami
Comment: One-Shot, I agree with you wholeheartedly, that the limited release and the short time span in the theater are major reasons independent films and/or Black films do not do well. For instance Ray was labeled a disappointment but it wasn’t widely released, had it been I believe it would have reached #1. I agree of late our pickings have been ghetto gangsters films, urban youth films or silly comedies, which do not appeal to most over 25 AA women. Although everyone’s tastes are different, we all want to see good stories and I feel we do have a good amount to choose from but just don’t support. Like a few of my personal favorites are Just Another Girl On The IRT, the last Trios film and Hotel Rwanda. There were good film that did not enjoy the success of widely release film, for the most part they went under the radar. Lastly, McNasty no one is trying to convince you to see Phat Girlz. I for one am not because the movie is just o.k. However, I just find that more people can tolerate seeing a Black man dress in drag making fun of the attibutes of an overweight Black woman but have a problem with an overweight Black woman making fun of her own adversities.
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Name:
reflection
Comment: I think that Monique is a funny lady but I don't totally agree with her doctrine. It's ok to have good self-esteem but there is nothing cute or sexy about being unhealthy and I don't think that that is addressed. Also, she can be a bit hypocritical when it comes to weight issues. She preaches about not hating on bigger women but at the same time she talks really bad about skinny women. respect should apply to everyone. As far as the movie, I think that it will probably do better when it comes to dvd.It doesn't seem like a movie that I would see in the theater but I would probably rent it.
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Name:
Gurlfrand
Comment: From what I hear, to make this movie was only about 2.5 million, and so far, it's grossed about 3, and when it comes out on DVD next week, it should make even more money, so, financially, it was a success.
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Name:
jazz5131
Comment: I went to see Phat Girls opening weekend, and was one of only about 30 people in the audience. I was also very disappointed in the quality of the film and the acting. It looked low-budget. Monique's make-up was awful, and the jokes sank. I was disappointed because I'm a big [no pun intended] Mo'Nique fan! When she was on the Parkers and on tour, her hair, clothes and make-up were perfect. In a few scenes, she didn't even have on earrings! I just expected more.
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Name:
katee
Comment: I like Monique but I have this thing about not supporting movies that use slang...no one in her age demographic should be using the term PHAT and we certainly don't misspell the word girls. I always want what she does to be successful but it doesn't mean I am going to use my dollars to make it so. And as for WHITE HOLLYWOOD, they are still absolutely clueless about us.
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Name:
barbaraodom9
Comment: to be honest i'm not suprised the movie falied it sa tired subject that wasnt that funny from the start and african men love big women anyway so thats not any thing different.i do applaude monique for getting that phat girl money i mean if she were thin would she have had this chance to make money ?
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