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| Courtesy of Universal |
I’d heard nothing but rave reviews from both critics and general audiences (it’s currently rocking an 87 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and it has grossed more than $65 million with no signs of slowing down), so you’d think it would be impossible for Girls Trip to live up to the hype. Think again. I have no qualms whatsoever in telling you it’s a contender for my Top 10 in December. Honestly, the way 2017 is going, I’m thrilled that a comedy might make the list.
The film centers on four women who have been friends since college. However, in the years since, the “Flossy Posse” has drifted apart. Ryan (Regina Hall) is a self-help guru who is on the verge of landing a huge endorsement deal with her retired football player husband (Mike Colter). Sasha (Queen Latifah) is putting her journalism degree to use by running a sleazy gossip website and keeping collection agencies at bay. Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) is a divorced nurse whose entire life revolves around her kids. Dina (Tiffany Haddish, in one of the most fearless comedic performances I’ve ever seen) recently got fired for beating up the guy who stole her lunch out of the fridge.
None of their lives are the perfect versions they pretend to live on social media, so they jump at the chance to reconnect when Ryan is asked to be the keynote speaker for the Essence Festival in New Orleans. Although there’s clearly some unresolved baggage between them, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered and some of them make decisions that alter the course of their lives.
Girls Trip is an insanely raunchy movie (take that R rating very seriously, folks), but those who aren’t easily offended will find one of the most hilarious, heartwarming movies to come along in some time. The flick’s not just a Hangover-style gagfest that wants to see how far it can push boundaries. It’s actually a sweet story about friendship that doesn’t sugarcoat how tough adulthood can be, or how time can test the strength of lifelong bonds.
The performances are fantastic all around. Hall and Pinkett Smith mostly play it straight as the uptight characters, although they both get a few chances to shine once they fall under New Orleans’ spell. Latifah is charismatic as always, which helps her overcome what might be the film’s most underwritten role. If I have any complaints about Girls Trip, it’s that the momentum lurches a bit when the story slows down to focus on her character’s subplot.
But let’s get real here. Haddish is the actress everyone is going to be talking about as they leave the theater. I’ve been a fan of the comedian for a while thanks to her occasional appearances on Comedy Central’s fake game show @midnight (I’ve also heard she’s quite good on NBC’s recently canceled The Carmichael Show, which is available on Netflix), but nothing prepared me for the hilarious, astonishingly filthy performance she delivers here.
I’m not even joking when I say she deserves an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. If Melissa McCarthy could earn one for her revelatory work in Bridesmaids, it shouldn’t be out of the question.
Director Malcolm D. Lee (who also helmed the underrated Best Man movies), along with screenwriters Kenya Barris (creator of ABC’s Black-ish, one of my favorite TV shows) and Tracy Oliver have crafted a fun, sweet and crazy movie that seems destined for repeat viewings in theaters and on cable. I’m guessing a couple of sequels aren’t out of the question either, considering the monumental success of Girls Trip at the box office. I know I’m eager to spend more time with these women.
Girls Trip is rated R for crude and sexual content throughout, pervasive language, brief graphic nudity, and drug material.
Grade: A-
None of their lives are the perfect versions they pretend to live on social media, so they jump at the chance to reconnect when Ryan is asked to be the keynote speaker for the Essence Festival in New Orleans. Although there’s clearly some unresolved baggage between them, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered and some of them make decisions that alter the course of their lives.
Girls Trip is an insanely raunchy movie (take that R rating very seriously, folks), but those who aren’t easily offended will find one of the most hilarious, heartwarming movies to come along in some time. The flick’s not just a Hangover-style gagfest that wants to see how far it can push boundaries. It’s actually a sweet story about friendship that doesn’t sugarcoat how tough adulthood can be, or how time can test the strength of lifelong bonds.
The performances are fantastic all around. Hall and Pinkett Smith mostly play it straight as the uptight characters, although they both get a few chances to shine once they fall under New Orleans’ spell. Latifah is charismatic as always, which helps her overcome what might be the film’s most underwritten role. If I have any complaints about Girls Trip, it’s that the momentum lurches a bit when the story slows down to focus on her character’s subplot.
But let’s get real here. Haddish is the actress everyone is going to be talking about as they leave the theater. I’ve been a fan of the comedian for a while thanks to her occasional appearances on Comedy Central’s fake game show @midnight (I’ve also heard she’s quite good on NBC’s recently canceled The Carmichael Show, which is available on Netflix), but nothing prepared me for the hilarious, astonishingly filthy performance she delivers here.
I’m not even joking when I say she deserves an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. If Melissa McCarthy could earn one for her revelatory work in Bridesmaids, it shouldn’t be out of the question.
Director Malcolm D. Lee (who also helmed the underrated Best Man movies), along with screenwriters Kenya Barris (creator of ABC’s Black-ish, one of my favorite TV shows) and Tracy Oliver have crafted a fun, sweet and crazy movie that seems destined for repeat viewings in theaters and on cable. I’m guessing a couple of sequels aren’t out of the question either, considering the monumental success of Girls Trip at the box office. I know I’m eager to spend more time with these women.
Girls Trip is rated R for crude and sexual content throughout, pervasive language, brief graphic nudity, and drug material.
Grade: A-
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