Their Eyes Were Watching God (film)

Reception

Sharon L. Jones, an English professor at Wright State University writes that the film bears no comparison to the novel. The novel emphasizes Janie's life journey of living with others who try to help to establish identity for her; therefore, she struggles to find such an identity. However, Jones says the film leaves out many important concepts that help convey the central theme. She says that it is believed that Harpo's production focused the movie on the general idea of love more to reach a broad range of audience since most of her viewers are white females.

Virginia Heffernan of The New York Times comments on Halle Berry's performance as Janie. She states that out of all the actresses, Halle Berry excels at acting Janie's role. She pinpoints that the sexual scenes that Berry acts impacts viewers greatly to the point where they will definitely not forget the movie.

Ester Iverem, a journalist, highlights the movie's portrayal of Black romance and sexuality as distinctive features. She notes the compelling chemistry between Halle Berry and Michael Ealy, emphasizing that their convincing performances as lovers significantly enhance the film beyond its narrative. Iverem further compares the depiction of romance and sexuality in the movie to that in Hurston's novel, suggesting a noteworthy parallel between the two.

Cast