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April 2006
Phat Girlz |
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By Kam Williams
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Plus-Sized Sisters Find Acceptance in Africa in Cross-Cultural Romantic Comedy
Jazmin Biltmore (Mo'Nique) is at war with the world. This plus-sized sister's problems start with the fact that she works at a posh, L.A. clothing boutique frequented by thin women, and as Jazmin puts it, "I hate skinny bitches!" and it doesn't help that she "ain't been laid in nine months" of her customers are accompanied by black men. "If I see another brother with a white girl, I swear I'm gonna shoot somebody," she informs her equally-plump, best friend, Stacey (Kendra Johnson), just before another such couple shows up and an ugly scenes ensues. Jazmin is further frustrated by the fact that she can't lose weight, despite trying every diet under the sun, and by strangers who feel free to pick on her just because of her size. Luckily, she's irrepressibly sassy and great at trading insults, so she's quick to counter any criticism, like the lip she gets from the cashier at a Fatassburger Restaurant who objected to her ordering an unhealthy meal. "You're so ugly, your birth certificate is an apology letter," she responds, followed by, "You're so ugly, your momma got morning sickness after you were born." Jazzmin's hope for happiness rests with achieving two elusive dreams: first, finding a clothing manufacturer willing to take a chance on a line she's designed with big women in mind; and second, finding a mate who'll accept her just as she is. This is the point of departure of Phat Girlz, a film which unfortunately fails to do a decent job of convincing the audience of its basic premise that being morbidly obese is a condition which deserves to be celebrated. Sure, Jazzmin is quick to announce that "PHAT" stands for "Pretty Hot And Thick" or that "FAT" stands for "Full And Tasty" or "Fluffy And Tender," yet conventional wisdom suggests that she'd be a lot better off not arrogantly over-indulging in so much junk food. In any case, her knight in shining armor arrives in the person of Tunde (Jimmy Jean-Louis), a "spear-throwing, lion-hunting Mandingo with a big [bleep]." Tunde, an M.D. from Nigeria, is in America with a couple of colleagues for a medical convention. He meets Jazzmin who won a vacation for three at the same Palm Springs resort. The African trio lavish their attentions on her and Stacey, while ignoring curvy, "malnourished" Mia (Joyful Drake) because in their culture, the bigger the better, since size determines a female's social status. Though sparks fly between Jazzmin and Tunde, the romance can't blossom due to the dictates of the Hollywood three-act formula. The illogical script has the grateful gal sabotaging the budding relationship and focusing on her designer career till she wises up and makes her way to the motherland with hopes of reconciliation. Other than trash-talking Monique's playing the dozens, there's not much funny to recommend about this preposterously-plotted picture, unless you count the godawful makeup job performed by Kristina Frisch on virtually every actor. She must have gotten her degree from Clown College. |
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