Phat Girlz

PHAT GIRLZ — ** — Mo'Nique, Godfrey Danchimah, Joyful M'Chelle Drake; rated PG-13 (sex, vulgarity, profanity); Carmike Ritz 15 Theaters; Century Theatres 16 (South Salt Lake).

"Phat Girlz" is first-time feature writer/director Nnegest Likke's cinematic buffet about big women living in a "fattist" society. While the topic will invigorate the plus-sized population and is an overdue eye-opener for others, the film is unfortunately uneven and self-indulgent.

Comic Mo'Nique plays the full-figured Jazmin Biltmore, who's just a department store drone but wants to design attractive clothes for women her size. Problem is, she can't seem to make up her mind. On one hand, she champions the plump woman, but on the other, she's constantly dieting in hopes of finally wearing that size 5 dress hidden in her closet.

She and her pals — fellow large lady Stacey (Kendra C. Johnson) and skinny cousin Mia (Joyful Drake) — escape to a Palm Springs resort where a group of Nigerian doctors eye the big girls with love and lust. Tunde (Jimmy Jean-Louis) particularly admires Jazmin's physique and fierceness, but as their relationship grows, so do her insecurities.

The film isn't content to spell out the fat equality message, but sits on you and shouts it. When Likke isn't high-fiving her "sexy succulent" sisters, she has them harp about their size and fetishize food. The director admits that she's still coming to terms with her own issues.

This is the heart of "Phat Girlz's" problem. Likke spends so much time nurturing Jazmin's neuroses, they become highly annoying, get in the way of the comedy and almost undermine her character's growth. Jazmin demands respect, yet doesn't give any to small and/or white women. She's fixated on getting a man but rejects Tunde's genuine admiration.

Likke crams so many examples of fat prejudices, jokes and doubts into the first two-thirds of the film that the remainder feels rushed.

It's as if she based the first two-thirds on her own life and thus had too much material to choose from. And the conclusion — in which Jazmin achieves well-rounded happiness — has yet to happen for Likke and thus comes off like an oversimplified fantasy.

In short, because of its good intentions and charming moments, "Phat Girlz" isn't a bad movie, but it's a badly made one.

"Phat Girlz" is rated PG-13 for sexual content and language. Running time: 99 minutes.