"Girls Trip" is one!

dave-mcclain

score 8/10

Showing "black women being carefree and having fun just like everybody else." That's what Tracy Oliver, co-writer of "Girls Trip" (R, 2:02), wanted to accomplish with this movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "I think we need to show all aspects of black lives," Oliver said. "I love 'Moonlight', I love 'Hidden Figures', but I also want to see some people who are having fun and just showing female friends hanging out." After all, minorities are becoming not just the stars, but the subjects of more and more movies these days, and not just in historical dramas. But even contemporary films with predominantly black casts have been, more often than not, comedies, focusing mostly on one character or couple (for example, 2013's "Baggage Claim"), mainly featuring one black star (2015's "The Wedding Ringer") or with a large ensemble cast (2016's "Almost Christmas") of mostly men. But what about the girls? In the same way that movies mostly about white women explore their friendships, family relationships and show they can be just as funny and raunchy as the men ("Bridesmaids", "Sisters", "Bad Moms", "Rough Night", etc.), 2017 offers up "Girls Trip" to represent – and entertain.

Similar to "Rough Night", this movie features four close college friends who have drifted apart over the years, but who long for a reunion – and a chance to recapture their lost youth, if only for a weekend – and make some fun new memories along the way. Regina Hall plays Ryan Pierce, a self-help guru whose book, "You Can Have it All", has made her a brand of her own and who is enjoying riding that wave with her husband and business partner, ex-NFLer Stewart Pierce (Mike Colter). Sasha Franklin (Queen Latifah) has achieved some fame too, but doesn't seem very proud of using her journalism degree as a celebrity gossip writer whose blog "Sasha's Secrets" is starting to fizzle. All four of the main characters miss having fun together, but maybe the two who need it the most are Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) who has become a loving, but overprotective single mother who has forgotten what it's like to have fun, and Dina (Tiffany Hadish), a hot-head who just lost her job due to her significant anger management issues.

When Ryan is invited to be the keynote speaker at the annual Essence Conference in New Orleans, she decides to turn the trip into a much- needed reunion for her three best friends. But when they get together, problems soon develop. It quickly becomes clear that Ryan's media-perfect marriage isn't quite a perfect as it looks. Ryan and Sasha still harbor hurt feelings from the way a joint business venture turned out five years earlier. Sasha is under a lot of pressure to post a big celebrity news item by the end of the weekend. Lisa is in desperate need of a good time and, when things get frustrating, well… did I mention that Dina has anger issues? As the girls try to support Ryan in her marital troubles and help Lisa reawaken her inner wild child, they all enjoy New Orleans, the perks of Ryan's celebrity and the concert events at the conference, while flirting with men, drinking and just being crazy, including getting involved in a dance-off with a younger group of girls, a bar fight and an ill-advised zip-lining incident. Meanwhile, Ryan learns that a producer is in town to talk to her about starting a talk show and clothing line with her husband and, as all these tensions build, Ryan's conference address starts to look like the time and place for all of these issues to come to a head and/or resolve themselves, one way or another.

"Girls Trip" accomplishes its goals quite impressively. It shows black women cutting loose and also getting past their differences, overcoming the distance that time has placed between them and strengthening their friendships. The disparate characters we get from co-writers Kenya Barris (TV's "Black-ish") and Tracy Oliver (both of who also wrote "Barbershop: The Next Cut") provide great opportunities for story-telling and comedy. Malcolm D. Lee ("Barbershop: The Next Cut", the "Best Man" movies, "Undercover Brother", "Scary Movie 5") makes great use of those opportunities – and the talents of his accomplished stars. This movie is also a celebration of music by black artists, what with performances by Common, Sean Combs and Ne-Yo, among others. Cameos by Mike Epps and Ava DuVernay are also a lot of fun and supporting players like Kate Walsh (as Ryan's ditzy manager) and Larenz Tate round out the cast wonderfully. This may not be the most original comedy of the year and some gags are a little over-the-top, but "Girls Trip" has heart, addresses an underserved segment of the movie-going population and should be great fun for Movie Fans of all backgrounds. "A-"

dave-mcclain 22 July 2017

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3761067/