Judging from the outrageous trailer and talented cast, Girls Trip is going to be the ultimate summer blockbuster comedy. The movie, out July 21, is about four longtime girlfriends — played by Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, and Tiffany Haddish — who have a getaway weekend at the Essence Festival down in New Orleans. While reconnecting to each other and rediscovering their own wild sides, the sisterhood lets loose. The women take the Big Easy by storm à la Bridesmaids or The Hangover — booze, bawdy humor, men, and misadventures included.
The rowdy R-rated comedy (directed by Malcom E. Lee) is also special in its own right for the simple fact that it celebrates Black women "behaving badly" the way we typically only allow white women to. As our own Sesali Bowen put it, "[Girls Trip] doesn’t seem to punish Black women for being overtly sexual... Letting loose and having fun is still a privilege only afforded to white women thanks to the politics of respectability."
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This exclusive new clip from the movie— written by Tracy Oliver and Black-ish creator and showrunner Kenya Barris, and produced by blockbuster-backing Will Packer (Straight Outta Compton, Ride Along) — is another example of what separates Girls Trip from its peers: its celebration of Black women, Black culture, and Black voices.
In the hilarious clip, Ryan (Hall) schools tone-deaf talent agent Elizabeth (Kate Walsh) on some of the words that are definitely not okay for white women to say — i.e., Ebonics, also called AAVE (African American Vernacular English). Ryan politely informs the woefully un-woke Elizabeth, "Please refrain from saying things like ‘preach' or 'go girl,' 'bye Felicia,' ‘ratchet,' or any other colloquialisms that you may have heard or looked up on urban dictionary." It's a very funny scene, but it's also a valuable thing for both Black and white women to see on the big screen. Consider it a sneak peek of the smart, authentic humor we can expect from the film.
Watch the clip, below. Girls Trip hits theaters Friday, July 21.
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