Phat Girlz

Mixed messages weigh sassy vehicle down

By TOM MEEK | April 11, 2006

3.0 Stars

We’re all beautiful on the inside and it’s okay to be overweight, or so goes the message of this Mo’Nique vehicle. As Jazmin Biltmore, a retail clerk with big dreams, the plus-size actress/comedian is funny and endearing, even when she orders up four cheeseburgers with extra mayo and a cream pie at a “Fatassburger” joint. Health must not be a concern of rookie writer/director Nnegest Likké. Like its star, this high-cal empowerment fairy tale has sass, but the low production values, jerky plot points, and mixed messages weight it down. Jimmy Jean-Louis combines hunkiness and sensitivity as a Nigerian doctor with a thing for “thick madams,” Kendra C. Johnson convinces as Jazmin’s strait-laced cohort turned sex freak, while Eric Roberts fills in as the fashion mogul who shares Jazmin’s vision of large and lovely wear.

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Topics: Reviews , Eric Roberts, Mo'Nique

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