Girls Trip: Movie Review
Just one month ago we saw the release of “Rough Night” in theaters. The story centered on four college friends who have grown-apart in the years following but have come together for a weekend girl’s trip to Miami. That film’s title was pretty spot-on because it felt like a rough night just watching the unfunny comedy. Needless to say I wasn’t all that keen on going to see “Girl’s Trip” which shares a very similar premise. Despite both “Rough Night” and “Girl’s Trip” sporting impressive casts, it is the latter that succeeds where the former could not. “Girl’s Trip” is absolutely hilarious.
When Ryan Pierce (Regina Hall) learns that she will be receiving an Essence Award for her work helping others, she decides to invite her friends who she hasn’t seen in more than five years. Sasha (Queen Latifah) is a celebrity journalist who has fallen on financial troubles. Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) is a single mother of two who is tightly wound, and Dina (Tiffany Haddish) is the one friend who hasn’t changed one bit since college.
Set mainly in New Orleans, the grown women revert back to their college days by getting into all sorts of trouble. Haddish is the scene stealer here delivering most of the film’s biggest laughs. “Girl’s Trip” earns its’ “R” rating as it was much raunchier than I expected. However, it’s not raunchy for the sake of being raunchy, it is damn funny too.
There are side stories involving Ryan’s husband (Mike Colter) and his infidelity, also a former flame (Larenz Tate) that Ryan shares undeniable chemistry with. Although Tate has featured in numerous television series over the past decade, I felt like its’ been way too long since he’s been featured on the big screen. Tate has always been very charismatic and it’s good to see him share some screen time with these talented women, even if he wasn’t given much to do.
Although “Girl’s Trip” features four writers, one of them happens to be Karen McCullah (“10 Things I hate About You”, “Legally Blonde”, “The House Bunny”, “Ella Enchanted”). She obviously knows how to write comedy. Malcolm D. Lee (“The Best Man”, “The Best Man Holiday”, “Roll Bounce”) does a good job at directing stories revolving around friendships. With talent like this behind the camera, it shouldn’t be a surprise that “Girl’s Trip” turned out as well as it did.
Another thing that surprised me was just how moving “Girl’s Trip” was. There is a strong message here about the people in your lives that truly matter and that one should know their own truth. The final act nearly brought a tear to my eye. There are some big movies out there in theaters right now, but if you just want a good laugh, take a trip to see “Girl’s Trip”.
By: Marc Ferman
