Phat Girlz - Hollywood gets the weight issue wrong as usual
September 4, 2006 – 9:11 amby Darren
Okay, Heather and I viewed the DVD presentation of “Phat Girlz” starring Mo’Nique last evening. I can be honest, I wasn’t expecting much, and that’s what I got. The movie was made by first time movie director Nnegest Likke, who also wrote it. Now Mo’Nique does a pretty good job keeping the laughs coming, but the attitudes surrounding weight are all over the place.
The theme of this one, like most movies of this type, was to “be yourself”. We see Mo’Nique going through quite a few scenes of wish fulfillment, where she gets back at everyone who ever put her down for being fat. Then she wins a trip to a resort, where the story and the message comes apart for me. Mo’Nique and her other fat friend head off to a resort for a trip they one, and who should the run into but a conference of Nigerian doctors. Good thing for them too, because Nigerian doctors love fat women, it turns out, and are instantly smitten with the pair.
Better yet, the Nigerian doctor isn’t really a doctor at all. He’s Haitian supermodel Jimmy Jean-Louis, who has spent the past decade not studying medicine at all, but rather doing crunches so he could expose his six-pack abs to Mo’Nique. Okay, so what the heck is the message? Tunde, as he’s called, loves Mo’Nique instantly for who she is, telling us that it’s what’s inside that counts. Why, then, does the man have to be a hunk then? This is where I got lost.
Wasn’t Mo’Nique ultimately just as guilty of judging a book by its’ cover as society seems to be? That was my take. All in all, the movie was enjoyable, but the story was just too disjointed. If we were all supposed to learn that beauty doesn’t matter and we need to be ourselves, then why didn’t Mo’Nique wind up with an average looking house painter instead of the model/doctor? I guess we all know why: because it’s Hollywood and they figured it would make a better ending.
So has anyone seen this? What did you think? Are there any good movies that handle the weight issue?
4 Responses to “Phat Girlz - Hollywood gets the weight issue wrong as usual”
This movie could have used more focus. I think it tried to deal with a number of different topics (including how other societies viewed heavy women) but didn’t go deep enough in them for it to work cohesively into the plot line.
Queen Latifah did a much better job in the movie “Last Holiday”
By Heather on Sep 4, 2006
Queen Latifah didn’t really have a bad image in “Last Holiday”. She just thought she was dying.
Mo’Nique is funny though. A couple of her one-liners were hilarious. I also enjoued the scene where she goes crazy while laying in bed eating pizza and the fat woman on TV is laughing.
By Darren on Sep 4, 2006
I haven’t seen this movie, but I have seen this double standard applied in society. It’s pretty sad, really. I have a number of friends who are using online dating services. I found my own boyfriend on one and while he’s older than me and not movie star handsome, he’s supportive, funny and intelligent. My girlfriends, on the other hand will dismiss a profile based on just the picture. People who judge by outward appearances are missing out on meeting a sincere person who will be good for them. If all you’re looking for is good looks, then that’s all you can expect that person to offer you.
By Rhonda on Sep 5, 2006
Plus, let’s face facts. It’s the “good looks” which are one of the first things to leave with age.
By Darren on Sep 5, 2006