Rating: NR
Genre:
Drama
Release Date: 01/30/2001
Sound: 2
Run Time: 180 Minutes
Flags: Suitable for Children
Distributor/Studio: Xenon
Based on the novel by
Gloria Naylor,
The Women of Brewster Place was produced by and stars
Oprah Winfrey. The film concerns a variety of women who live in the housing project located on Brewster Place, and tells about their lives as they struggle in the face of racism, poverty, and troublesome men.
Winfrey portrays
Mattie Michael who was kicked out of her parent's (
Paul Winfield and
Mary Alice) house after refusing to reveal the name of her soon-to-be-born child's father. She eventually inherits a house, but loses it after her son skips bail.
Robin Givens plays
Kiswana, a focused woman who does her best to improve the situations of those around her. During a conversation with her mother (
Cicely Tyson),
Kiswana learns how her decision to change her name from
Melanie is a betrayal of her family history.
Cora Lee (
Phyllis Stickney) craves being needed by babies and continues to have children, although she becomes neglectful as her children age.
Miss Sophie (
Olivia Cole) traffics in neighborhood gossip.
Theresa and
Lorraine (
Paula Kelly and
Lonette McKee) are a lesbian couple who live on Brewster Place because they believe the people in the neighborhood might let them live in peace.
The Women of Brewster Place aired March 18-19, 1989, on the
ABC television network.
~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide