Phat Girlz
Fox Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: April 7, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
36
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
6
Negative:
7
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
Clumsily directed yet entertainingly written by Oakland native Nnegest Likké, Phat Girlz is like "Rocky" with cellulite. Or maybe "Pretty Woman" without all the bony butts. It has a lot of heart and soul, but it's almost never mean-spirited. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
This is a disarming and, in its own way, delightful vehicle for its star and executive producer, the comedian and actress Mo'Nique. Who could hate this movie? Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsRobert Dominguez
The plus-size personality of comic actress Mo'Nique fills the screen in Phat Girlz, a sweet, if thinly plotted tale. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesJohn Anderson
Likké should be applauded for tackling a subject that's bristling with sociopolitical thorns and that raises some provocative questions, particularly about what we find attractive in other people and why. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
The humor's vulgar and the plot feeble, but this is a cut above the gross-out comedies aimed at male teens, and its heroine and her gal pals keep the high jinks amiable. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
While it's a pleasure to watch the likeable Johnson open up and come out of her shell, Phat Girlz belongs to Mo'Nique, a grating, belligerent woman who alternates self-deprecating fat jokes with drama-queen meltdowns and simpering pleas for acceptance. Save it for the talk-show circuit, please. Read full review
40
The New York TimesNathan Lee
Barely written and stiffly directed. Read full review
40
VarietyJoe Leydon
Mo'Nique, a vet standup and sitcom performer whose sassy, brassy shtick isn't nearly enough to support material this insubstantial. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyMark Olsen
Mo’Nique's character here is so underwritten that the actress doesn't get a chance to really capitalize on her extra screen-time. Her sassy forte may be talking so straight-up she sounds crazy, but she seems a little advanced to be doing "yo mamma" jokes. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jennie Punter
If it weren't for Mo'Nique's fresh, appealing screen presence, Phat Girlz would fall flat. Read full review
30
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
Lackluster dialogue, ludicrously unbelievable storyline, and the fact that the entire film looks and sounds like it was shot on a camcorder mean nobody outside of the studio’s target demographic is likely to check this out. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
The writing is rudimentary and the direction often awkward, but Mo'Nique would confound a veteran director. Read full review
25
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Even Mo'Nique's outsize presence isn't enough to make ancient gags about stuck-up popular girls or about voluptuous vultures clearing a whole buffet table in one fell swoop funny. Read full review
25
New York PostKyle Smith
The film is amateurishly directed and sluggishly paced with an anorexic plot. Even the photography, sound and costumes are substandard. Read full review
25
Entertainment WeeklyGregory Kirschling
Jazmin's so fat that the movie reduces her to a single discernible characteristic, which is a telltale mark of many a wholly awful comedy. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
A dish of empty calories. Read full review
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