A soapy, pedestrian adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's 1937 novel about a free-spirited young woman's voyage of discovery. Halle Berry plays the central role of Janie, shown first as a beautiful 17-year-old in a small Florida town in the 1920s, forced by her mother into marrying an ageing land-owner. Later, she becomes the wife of a new town's mayor. And finally, she finds true love with... well, we don't want to spoil things for the romantics out there. If you like love stories, the chemistry between the sets of lovers is reasonably convincing (although Berry fails to age, despite the story spanning the decades - and the designer dirt on her face as she works the fields is laughable). However, if you are seeking any of the book's serious comment on black rural life, or the role of black women, then this long, clichéd film will leave you disappointed.

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