Alma Gold runs a neighbourhood beauty parlor from her home, and concentrates on chivvying along her staff and her teenage daughter Rainbow. Alma is a little serious, maybe even a stickler. Enter Alma's sister Ruby, a minor yet glorious celebrity who made her name playing Josephine Baker in a biographical play, but is struggling to find the work she needs to fund her extravagant lifestyle. Mizan Kirby has an absolute ball as the wild and high maintenance Ruby who quickly puts stars in the eyes of her niece, and attempts to shake up Alma's life. They settle into being a quirky and squabbling family unit.
What is very nice is that the movie a gentle one where conflict levels never rise to a level that might cause unease to the viewer. The set is mostly Alma's house, which is covered in dark wood panelling, plants, sumptuous and exotic paintings that pull you in, feather boas, and antiques, it's a decadent haven. It's a movie that focusses on the life of three Black women (ok one of them is a teenager who thinks she is a woman), their hopes, dreams, and worries, and we see how the women talk when they're with other women and that's pretty rare for the cinema. The big music, big dancing and big laughs will stay with me (Rainbow's lusty dreams were the funniest). It was a great benefit to see it on the big screen, so I could almost feel like I was sat in Alma's house.
