The Women of Brewster Place (1989)

While technically a miniseries, the version I watched was one DVD long and under 3 hours so seems close enough to be included here. The pacing on the set is a bit odd, spending a good chunk at the beginning on Oprah Winfrey’s character and all her life experiences that led to her living on Brewster Place before finally bringing in stories of the other women. I really enjoyed the portrayals of the various women of different ages and experiences and how they interacted with each other and their environment. There is amazing talent throughout the cast, including Cicely Tyson, Leon, Mary Alice, and Lonette McKee. I had a really hard time figuring out in which era the production was supposed to be set. There were some parts that seemed like a nod to the 1960s but the rest all seemed of the modern era. The ending is atrocious and unfortunately leaves a bad taste after superb earlier acts. I wish there was a way to reshoot those last couple of scenes to make for a perfect film.