GIRLS TRIP Review

Movie Information

Release Date: July 21, 2017

Director: Malcolm D. Lee

Writer: Erica Rivinoja, Kenya Barris, Tracy Oliver

Cast: Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tiffany Haddish, Larenz Tate, Mike Colter, Kate Walsh, Kofi Siriboe, Lara Grice, Deborah Ayorinde, Janeline Hayes, Wild Wayne, Sunny Hostin, Nick Mundy, Ricky Wayne, Shrey Neil, Donna Biscoe, Aadyn Encalarde, Cayden Williams, Rachel G. Whittle, Ann McKenzie, John Wilmot, Sherri Marina, Mikki Val, Tonea Stewart, Anthony Michael Frederick

MPAA Rating: R

Runtime: 122 minutes

Production Company: Universal Pictures, Will Packer Productions

Genre: Comedy

Language: English

Country: USA

Budget: $28,000,000 (estimated)

We all have that group of friends that will be down for us until the end of time. Brothers and sisters from another mother, but it still feels like family. Though, as life happens and more and more time passes, the moments spent with those loved ones grows further and further apart. So what’s the best way to rekindle that long lost friendship? Take a getaway trip and kick back which is what this Girls Trip is all about. 4 women constrained by their everyday lives and want to just let loose in a weekend of fun. While this is a comedy there are a few laughs to enjoy, but there are also some serious issues that some of the characters go through that most can relate to. I didn’t say that to mean this is a serious film with deep dialogue which you’ll need to bring tissue to. Though with all the craziness that goes on, on screen you may walk away with more than you anticipated. Which is a bonus treat to the fun time you’re about to embark on.

One of the best things about the film is its opening showing the strong bond between the women in their school days. Their sync moves on the dance floor illustrates how well they know each other and how far they’re willing to go to be at one’s side. All have thriving careers and handles obstacles like a pro whenever they arise. Sasha (Queen Latifah) is my favorite out of the bunch. She’s the realist out of the crew, willing to always tell it how it is. The film is focusing on Ryan (Regina Hall), but her relationship with Sasha was what kept my attention the most. All was genuine between these two, and just like in the real world, sometime fights among friends aren’t always resolved peacefully and that was apparent early in the film. By doing this, it creates more than just a fun weekend of wild goose chasing and it presents problems which everyone has to deal with which is the truth. Basically don’t be friends with Sasha if you don’t want honesty. Characters like hers are always appreciated. Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) was a small comedy relief of sorts. She was that friend that is always overly cautious, can be a little bit annoying, and has lost their rhythm and all sorts of graveness. She served her purpose as well, creating a nice balance between all the friends. The character I absolutely despised was that of Dina (Tiffany Haddish). I don’t mind over the top characters, and we all have that one friend that’s wild, crazy, and takes it too far. Though, Dina took it to detestable levels of pain that will plague your mind for years. Her character was an abomination of embarrassment being over sexualized and raunchy. Now yes again, we all know women like this, but again, not to this level. Her words and actions were not funny in the slightest. Rough Night had a similar character to this fashion released earlier in the year. Though this characters actions was based off her personality and being insecure to a degree which was addressed in the film. That’s not the case with Dina. She flooded the scenes with obnoxious crude jokes that weren’t funny and completely out of place.

Besides all her shenanigans, the story had real world weight to it. Without spoiling one character, did everything in her power to maintain a healthy relationship. It was a question on whether it would work out or not (you’ll have to see it yourself to find out), but that’s not what stood out. How the women handled it was key point taken away here. While some methods were juvenile, others were well thought out with deep meaning and love. We’ve all had those rough times where we didn’t think we’d be able to make it, but it was our friends that held us together. That’s one of the few positive things that can be taken away here. I also appreciate the notion of being yourself and owning your own truth. That spoke volumes in the film, and was a beacon of light to anyone in real life that could be going through some of the problems presented in this film.

Other than that this film is a comedy. Some of the jokes landed while the others didn’t. The attempted comic relief of Dina was the large portion of jokes that didn’t land. While other did being innocent and believable. We’ve all had that, “Want to get away?” moments and this film is full of them. There’s been a ton of films floating around showing character mishaps while being intoxicated, but this time, it had its own flavor that stood out strong.

Girls Trip is a fun movie, but I won’t give a pass for entering the vault of Black films to be proud of. It would’ve been nice to see one of the women in a successful relationship, but it isn’t anything to bring the quality down. This film embraces the power of friendship and bonds that will never be broken. It shows how important it is to own up for your situations and not live a constant lie to impress others. It lets you know that Its ok to fail, and the only thing that matters is what you do afterwards. It gives examples of leadership, and empowering one another through tough times. It does all this and more, while making you laugh, and with all the little nitpicks, it was great enough to want to witness again

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