After a long stretch of truly horrible raunchy comedies, the Malcolm D. Lee directed Girls Trip comes as a breath of fresh air.
Rating 3.5/5
There is nothing new about following a group of friends on a wild weekend away.
With the hugely successful Hangover series and the Scarlett Johannson-led film Rough Night earlier this year as examples. However, Girls Trip offers a new perspective with the group of women being four successful black women who are lifelong friends wanting to reconnect.
The success of Girls Trip comes from the chemistry of the cast.
Veteran actors Regina Hall, Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith have all worked together before and the addition of comedy newcomer Tiffany Haddish makes for something special.
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The cast all feel like real friends and to have a film not be framed by the male gaze and patriarchy shows that women are more than complacent sidekicks. These women are very similar to how modern day black women are portrayed in the HBO hit series Insecure.
They talk about sex, love and they all have problems they’re working through.
The breakout star is Haddish as Dina. She is that one friend that has no filter and will do and say anything.
While on the one hand, you cringe at the things she says, they are also the things you wish you could say aloud. Her comic timing is hilariously funny and the scene where Dina explains what “grape-fruiting” is will have you in stitches.
The script, in general, is funny from beginning to end. Screenwriters Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver never shy away from taking the physical comedy and dialogue well beyond the edge, but still are able to have all the raunchiness contribute to the overall plot.
Never in this film do you feel like they are throwing in a joke just for the sake of being edgy. They also do a great job of giving the characters depth and not have them just be one-dimensional stereotypes.
Hall is one of the most underrated actresses in Hollywood and as the anchor of the film, shows why she never stops working.
Girls Trip is a ton of fun and will have you in stitches from beginning to the end. This once again shows that black women are more than the sassy sidekick or downtrodden wife in an abusive relationship.