After reading the book and watching the the movie i feel the movie is a terrible representation of the story. It only held to the books basic plot lines. The language of the book represents the dialect of the south. The movie lacks the true southern feel. Halle Berry is OK as Janie, giving the strong black women role to a power black actress. Her surrounding talent is questionable though. The actor who plays Tea Cake is the first to really use the southern dialect and give the feel that the movie takes place in the south. I feel the movie is a weak representation of the symbols and archetypes in the novel. The book is filled with indications of different representations and intricacies that make it a OK novel. And what happened to Grandma dying? The book dedicates 3 chapters to the grandma and her plan for Janie but the movie totally disregards that fact. The book is more geared to a woman audience and i don't really enjoy it that much, and the southern dialect, while giving the book an authentic feel, makes it a hard read. The movie does a poor job of taking the good points of the book. I think if you are trying to enjoy this story, read the book because Hollywood does a poor job with this one, although i don't feel that book is a real knockout either.