Phat Girlz Reaction: We Call Mo'Nique's 2006 Comedy Sweet and Funny, But Wish The Happy Ending Wasn't So Rushed

Our overall verdict on Phat Girlz going in blind: it is a cute, low-budget comedy that earns its happy ending even if the movie rushes to get there. Right after the credits rolled, the verdict was "That was a cute movie," followed by, "Yeah, that was really sweet."

This one matters for fans of Mo'Nique because it is a rare 2006 comedy built entirely around a plus-size woman's confidence arc and a plus-size fashion line, something we noted "didn't get talked about a lot" at the time.

We Clocked Phat Girlz As Shot on Video Almost Immediately

Early on we picked up on the low production value, saying "This is definitely shot on video" and guessing it was an indie picked up by Fox Searchlight's smaller pipeline. That instinct kept coming back whenever the picture quality shifted between wide shots and close-ups, but it never soured us on the story itself.

The Bank Loan Scene Frustrated Us

When Jasmine Bilmore gets denied a business loan over her grandmother's house being in an "upper middle class neighborhood" that the banker calls "a high-risk zone," we called out the redlining joke as painfully accurate. "Every time I see one of those bank loan scenes in a show or movie, I get so frustrated. It's just so heartless" was the reaction, and we agreed it "fully is."

The Palm Springs Romance With Dr. Tunday Won Us Over

Once Jasmine wins a spa vacation and meets the Nigerian doctor Tunday, we genuinely enjoyed watching him woo her with old-school patience, no rushing, no wham-bam. We liked the cultural detail about how, per the film, in Africa a woman's body size reflects social status and "the thicker she is, the richer she's presumed to be." Watching Jasmine come alive on screen, we said, "It's nice to finally see her having a win."

The Mannequin Meltdown Was A Genuine Rock Bottom Moment

After Jasmine assumes Tunday is cheating and pushes him away, her breakdown fighting a department store mannequin is played big and chaotic, but we saw it as the movie's necessary low point before her self-love comeback, complete with memories of her grandmother telling her she's beautiful.

The Fashion Line Payoff and the Ending Felt Like Too Many Endings

Once Jasmine launches her Thick Madame line and it goes national within a year, we loved the message but felt the healing that got her there was glossed over. We compared it to the abrupt turnaround in Knocked Up, saying that kind of quick fix works better here because the subject matter, body image and self-worth, is "not explored as often" and deserves the extra grace we gave it. We also noted the movie seems to tease multiple endings in a row, joking it was doing "the Return of the King thing." One gap we pointed out: Jasmine never actually apologizes to her cousin for bruising her head during that meltdown.

Our Bigger Takeaway: Story and Heart Beat Budget Every Time

By the end we agreed that good audio and a strong story carried this film past its budget limits, noting "the biggest thing when it comes to low budget film isn't the video, but the audio" and that Phat Girlz "had decent audio so they spent their money wisely." We also gave credit to Eric Roberts' supporting role for helping the film's distribution chances. Our closing thought summed up the whole reaction: "Someone worked really really hard on that and it's the best movie they could create."

Do you think Phat Girlz earned its fairy tale ending, or should the movie have shown Jasmine's healing over a longer stretch of time?