The thing that hurt this movie the most was there was no impact at all. There were a few revolting scenes, but aside from that, nothing special. Oprah's performance didn't amaze me in any way. What I saw from her was a talk show host who looked like she hasn't made a movie since 1985...what a coincidence? Any other black actress could have acted the same way with this part. Danny Glover's performance should be noted in this film. The best performance of all was Kimberly Elise as Denver, Oprah's other daughter. Showing her go from a frightened child to a more mature girl near the end of the film was a relief. Of course, we can't forget Newton's pitiful performance as the long lost Beloved. Gimme a break. She was just plain awful. Do your snarling somewhere's else.