The Women of Brewster Place (1989)
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87% of users liked it
(1,895 ratings)
Based on the novel by Gloria Naylor, The Women of Brewster Place was produced by and stars Oprah Winfrey. The film concerns a variety of women who live in the housing project located on Brewster Place, and tells about their lives as they struggle in the face of racism, poverty, and troublesome men.… More Based on the novel by Gloria Naylor, The Women of Brewster Place was produced by and stars Oprah Winfrey. The film concerns a variety of women who live in the housing project located on Brewster Place, and tells about their lives as they struggle in the face of racism, poverty, and troublesome men. Winfrey portrays Mattie Michael who was kicked out of her parent's (Paul Winfield and Mary Alice) house after refusing to reveal the name of her soon-to-be-born child's father. She eventually inherits a house, but loses it after her son skips bail. Robin Givens plays Kiswana, a focused woman who does her best to improve the situations of those around her. During a conversation with her mother (Cicely Tyson), Kiswana learns how her decision to change her name from Melanie is a betrayal of her family history. Cora Lee (Phyllis Stickney) craves being needed by babies and continues to have children, although she becomes neglectful as her children age. Miss Sophie (Olivia Cole) traffics in neighborhood gossip. Theresa and Lorraine (Paula Kelly and Lonette McKee) are a lesbian couple who live on Brewster Place because they believe the people in the neighborhood might let them live in peace. The Women of Brewster Place aired March 18-19, 1989, on the ABC television network. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Directed By
- Donna Deitch
- Genres
- Drama, Television
- In Theaters
- Mar 19, 1989 Wide
- Studio
- Xenon
Critic Reviews
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Kari Croop, Common Sense Media
Classic miniseries tackles weighty women's issues.
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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Engaging portrait of seven women in a ghetto tenement who are struggling to overcome the hardships of poverty and the disappointments of shattered dreams.
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Cast
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Oprah Winfrey
as Mattie Michael
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Jackée
as Etta Mae Johnson
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Cicely Tyson
as Mrs. Browne
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Robin Givens
as Kiswana
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Lonette McKee
as Lorraine
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Phyllis Yvonne Stickney
as Cora Lee
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Moses Gunn
as Ben
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Clark Johnson
as Butch
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Lynn Whitfield
as Ciel
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Eugene Lee
as Basil
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Paul Winfield
as Sam Michael
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Mary Alice
as Fannie Michael
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Barbara Montgomery
as Miss Eva
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Olivia Cole
as Miss Sophie
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Douglas Turner Ward
as Rev. Wood
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Kemper Sam Williams Jr.
as Garvin
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William Allen Young
as Eugene
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Leon
as Abshu
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Paula Kelly
as Theresa
- Shari Belafonte
- Vanessa Bell
- Jack Kelly
- Glenn Plummer
- Cathy Tyson
- Jackée Harry
