louis ferrigno I just recently caught this film and I loved it. This was an artistic film. I think those that don't get poetry and film meshing together, won't understand this concept. It was brilliant. All of the characters had situations that I believe ALL women, not just AA women can relate to. SPOILER DO NOT READ FURTHER-Unfortunately there are many women that have been raped, abused, sex addicts, had an abortion, loved someone that didn't love them back, etc. I must say the acting by Anika Noni Rose was perfection. The horror on her face when she saw Khalil Kain unbuttoning his shirt was what I imagine any rape victim would look like. Her body language and somber mood after the rape seemed very real. Millions of women are victims of sexual assault every day. Anika brought the horror of sexual assault to the forefront in an honest way in her scenes. I do agree with other posters that say the back alley abortion didn't seem realistic for today's times. Yet the tragic reality is abortion still exists. My only problem with the scenes were they focused too much on the physical pain endured by the character and not the mental anguish that would surely come with this act. I love Elise Neal in all that she does. However, I found it strange that a woman who is abused and lives in what appears to be a ghetto, is working for a high powered executive. Usually, assistants to high powered execs get paid pretty well. So her occupation and living arrangements didn't mesh. And most women with a great job/career I believe would have high self esteem and not subject themselves to the abusive treatment. I know that women get abused but the occupation/living arrangements didn't work well for me. Janet Jackson was cold in a creepy way. If she was trying to channel the brilliant Meryl Streep it did not work AT ALL. She just cannot act. Period. Point Blank. When I saw her in Why Did I Get Married, I laughed during all of her scenes. They were supposed to be serious scenes, so that is not a good sign.Phylicia Rashad (sp?) was brilliant as the nurturing apartment manager. She did not overact. She showed concern in a sincere way and executed her lines well.Thandie Newton was brilliant. It was odd seeing such a pretty woman act as a sex addict (not a prostitute) It was a contradiction, but I guess these women exist.Whoopi Goldberg played the cult-obsessed mother very well. I am sure everyone has encountered a person obsessed with religion at one point or another.Loretta Devine is great at everything she does. She can do no wrong in my eyes. She just has the acting chops. Kerry Washington was great at highlighting the pain of infertility. The conundrum of having to work with people that don't want their children when she so desperately wanted children for herself.The male actors: Khalil Kain-you portrayed a monster. Very real. Very scary. Omari Hardwick-you portrayed a down low guy exceptionally well. Richard Lawson-you portrayed a jerk very well. Hill Harper-you do these subtle nuances that are so brilliant. You came across as caring, loving and very supportive in the few scenes that you had. Perfect acting as always. Kudos to all the men in this film. Great job even for those with difficult roles!Needless to say with the exception of Hill Harper, all of the men were creeps, jerks, abusers, rapists, drunks, down low. This male bashing formula is something I notice in all Tyler Perry films. He surely has a disgust for his own gender, which may be because he was harmed by men when he was young. I never really see Tyler Perry portray AA men in a positive light. Being that his films are seen by so many AA people that isn't a good thing. Young black men need some films to inspire them and portray them in a positive light. Regardless of the scene or the character this movie had my attention from beginning to end. It was very intense, I cried a few times. It was raw and gritty. It was not slow whatsoever. It was very deep, sad and disturbing. It is not the type of movie I would want to see again because of that. That does not take away from it executing N. Shange's poetry perfectly. The pain that these women experienced in their film is real and it happens to women every day.

HollywoodVixen90 First of all, I have no idea there are so many bad reviews about this movie. I thought this was a great movie. I had seen previews for this movie and when I learned what it was about I knew I had to see it. I am not really a Tyler Perry fan, I mean I don't really care for Tyler Perry's movies, for example the Madea series, I just don't care for them. Anyways, I LOVED this movie. It was a lot better and different than I expected. This is a very powerful movie about the lives of 9 women, and the ways that their lives are all connected. There's Crystal, who lives with her children and her abusive boyfriend. There's Jo, who is a successful businesswoman with good money but stuck in a unhappy relationship with her husband who is trying to hide a big secret from her. There's Juanita, a nurse who is in love with a man who keep leaving her and hurting her and she keeps putting up with it. There's Tangie, who is a lonely girl who tries to cure her loneliness by sleeping with man after man so that she can feel loved. There's Yasmine, a young dance teacher with a dance teacher who is raped by someone she trusts. There's Kelly, who is a social worker who is devastated when she learns she cannot have children and she is also connected to Crystal, and Nyla. Then there's Nyla, she is Tangie's sister and is also in Yasmine's dance class. When Nyla discovers that she is pregnant she realizes that she is faced with a difficult decision to make. Whoopi Goldberg is also in the movie with a good performance as Tangie and Nyla's mother who is a religious fanatic. Phylicia Rashad is also in the movie as the apartment manager of the building that Crystal, Tangie, and Nyla live in. This is definitely a must-see movie in my opinion. It definitely has some strong emotional moments which made me cry and feel for the characters. This is obviously a different kind of movie from the usual Tyler Perry movies. It is not in any way a comedy. It is definitely a excellent, moving drama. I would not say that this is a chick flick either, I think men could watch this movie and actually enjoy it as well as women. This is one of the best movies I have seen in awhile.Please see this movie, I'm sure it will have an impact on your life!!!

pik923 I truly appreciate this film and congratulate the well rounded cast - men, women, small parts, large parts - well done. There are a few flaws in the film, which I don't want to get into as it could influence some of you who have not seen the film.....these flaws have to do with the script not staying on the edge enough - meaning I was able to guess where the script/action was going and that is something I don't like doing - I want the script to always always always surprise me. With that said, I can forgive the screenwriter a bit, but not totally.Janet Jackson was for me the surprise of the film - I thought she was truly wonderful in her role and did a fine job. She was one of the few 'non actors' in the film and held her own with everyone else in the ensemble cast. I had expectations from others in the cast, having seen their work in other films and they all did well and appreciate their performances. The only other 'big' disappointment in the film was the role played by Whoopi Goldberg - I'm a big fan of her work however something was a miss with her role and I don't blame her. Again I think it has to do with the script.I am not a Tyler Perry fan - I think he does a lot of negative images and impressions of African Americans and he loves stereo-types. Besides Precious, most of his films are very flawed, even racist. This film perhaps would never have manifested if it wasn't for the influence and power and money Mr Perry has. I don't think he should have directed the film and written the script. I think he should have worked more in collaboration with someone or someones and that would have helped the film tremendously.His ego got in the way too many times....however again, that is part of the 'flawed' aspect of a film, which generally speaking I appreciate and enjoy. I rated it 9 because of the ensemble cast - they did a great great great great job.

ershaffer-43-506987 I loved the show when I saw it on Broadway decades ago.I wondered why I hadn't seen the movie around much, and rented it on TV.I found a riveting series of great interlocking stories, moving and powerful performances, and updated perspectives on race and gender (we get behind some of the men's problems too, without excuses for the inexcusable).The job most commonly presented for women in movies these days is "princess." No kidding. This movie sweeps us up while showing women who do the work we really do, and the complex choices and roles we face in our relationships and our lives.I highly recommend it!