Phat Girlz

Tart, talented, and plus-size, Jazmin (Mo'Nique, The Parkers) lives in a world that insults and rejects her because she's fat--or is the emotional abuse she heaps on herself the real problem? A department store employee with fashion designer dreams, Jazmin flounders until she wins a Palm Springs vacation and meets a handsome Nigerian doctor named Tunde who cherishes a full figure as a mark of beauty. But can Jazmin overcome her self-loathing and accept Tunde's love? This plot summary doesn't capture the freewheeling style of Phat Girlz, a low-budget feature that proves that slick production values can't compare with spunky rhythmic editing, rough and ready wit, and an honest heart. The movies takes some broad but accurate shots at American culture's crazed body fascism (though the unchivalrous might point out that the movie's male romantic objects all have a pretty studly physique). Mo'Nique throws herself into her part, capturing the mix of self-deprecating humor and bitter anger that many heavy women turn brutally on themselves. Phat Girlz may end up as a fairy tale, but along the way it delves into the sharp, dark edges that make a happy ending well-earned. --Bret Fetzer

Price: $14.98

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