Phat Girlz

I must confess, I was sure I was going to dislike this movie, with its “Ph� and “z� in the title. I just knew I was going to feel like a fish out of water trying to relate to the characters and the story. The first few minutes of the movie did nothing to change my mind.

The movie stars Mo’Nique in the role of Jazmin Biltmore. Jazmin is a full-figured woman with an attitude to match. Her best friend is Stacey (Kendra C. Johnson), also a plus-size woman; and rounding out the threesome is the thin and attractive Mia (Joyful Drake). The story really begins to roll when Jazmin wins a contest that sends the trio on an all-expenses paid vacation to a trendy spa in Palm Springs.

It was about this time that I was surprised to find myself enjoying the movie and beginning to get interested in where things were going. On the surface Jazmin appears to be confident and secure but we soon learn that inside, she feels the pain of a woman who fails to meet our culture’s standards for size and beauty. This inner struggle comes to the surface when she and her friends meet three visiting Nigerian doctors, Tunde (Jimmy Jean-Louis) and his two friends (Godfrey and Dayo Ade), who have very different cultural perspectives on the subject.

This encounter with a set of standards that turns everything the girls have been conditioned to believe on its head is the subject of humor and, in some cases, serious examination. A particularly interesting example is when Tunde asks Jazmin why she refers to her friends and herself as “bitches.� She explains that it is an affectionate term used among friends, and she is angered moments later when he uses it to address her. Tunde merely comments with a smile, “It’s not very affectionate is it?�

Finding herself being romanced by Tunde, Jazmin is unable to accept the love he offers. She simply can’t see herself through his eyes and accept that she is worthy. In response, she runs from him. How this is resolved and the final outcome is the subject of the remainder of the film.

To be sure, you will find crude humor and various stereotypes littering this movie. If that sort of thing isn’t your cup of tea, you should probably steer clear of this one. If you can get past that, I think you will find lurking under the surface a rather touching and heartwarming film. It takes an interesting look at the pain that trying to meet the expectations of our contemporary society can inflict on a person. It questions the criteria we use to examine ourselves and from where we should draw our self-worth. On the whole, I would say that’s a good subject to leave the theater thinking about.

Phat Girlz is written and directed by Nnegest Likké in her feature-film debut. It also features Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts in a supporting role. The film is suitably rated PG-13 for sexual content and language, including some crude sexual references.