The Six Triple Eight (2024)

December 28, 2024 5:29 PM

[TRAILER] During World War II, 855 women joined the fight to fix the three-year backlog of undelivered mail. Faced with discrimination and a country devastated by war, they managed to sort more than 17 million pieces of mail ahead of time.

Starring Kerry Washington, Ebony Obsidian, Shanice Williams, Kylie Jefferson, Sarah Jeffery, Pepi Sonuga, Milauna Jackson, Jay Reeves, Jeanté Godlock, Moriah Brown, Baadja-Lyne Odums, Gregg Sulkin, Dean Norris, Oprah Winfrey, Sam Waterston, Susan Sarandon.

Written and directed by Tyler Perry.

53% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

A Netflix original. JustWatch listing.

posted by DirtyOldTown (7 comments total)

A slice of history interesting enough that it nearly survives a Tyler Perry adaptation.

Put it on while you're at your parents' house and you won't need to pause if you get up for egg nog.

Stay to the end to see the 100+ year-old surviving members of the unit.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:31 PM on December 28 [3 favorites]

The Memory Palace podcast did a lovely episode on this topic in 2023, which was my first introduction to this slice of history. It also cites this website as a great resource for more information.
posted by Pryde at 7:24 PM on December 28 [2 favorites]

In my opinion, saying it "barely survives" is overly harsh. It's a solid treatment in the same tough/sentimental style of many WW2 films. I knew nothing of these women or their contribution, and I thought the movie was well-acted, especially by Kerry Washington, and Susan Saradon's Eleanor was a toothy delight. It's a decidedly female slant on the war, what with a mom lobbying the First Lady to fix the mail, and the solution coming thru the intervention of Mary McLeod Bethune to utilize a black WAC unit. I absolutely loved the closing with actual footage of the 6888 mirrored by shots from the film. I found it quite moving.

I hope the semi-snide opinions offered in the post don't turn people away from watching it. It's worth your time, especially if you've had your fill of the usual chiseled white dude WW2 pic.
posted by donnagirl at 7:44 PM on December 28 [5 favorites]

All of that is true, donnagirl. It is enjoyable, in its way. And I definitely think it's a fascinating true story.

It's a tricky one to give a quick review of, because it's a well-acted, handsomely mounted story about fascinating women, often overlooked, who definitely deserve the spotlight. I don't argue with any of that and I don't mean t give any of that short shift.

But it's also very corny melodrama in a distinctly Tyler Perry "What Even Is a 'Second Draft'?" kind of way. I'm a fan of corny melodrama on the right day, but it is what it is, straight by the numbers.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:41 AM on December 29 [2 favorites]

I enjoyed this movie because it's a fascinating true story and the acting is terrific. But I felt like it was made in the style of a Afterschool Special from 50 years ago. I would love to see a documentary about these women. I will definitely check out the Memory Palace podcast and 6888 website, thank you Pryde for the links!
posted by pjsky at 1:58 PM on December 29 [1 favorite]

It takes a lot of cultural shortcuts and assumptions, and is somewhat superficial because of that, but the pacing is swift as a result.

Reminds me a little bit of 'A League of Their Own'.

A rather bit more propagandistic (pro-"USA" and good intentions/ idealism) than even the aforementioned but it's "not terrible" to me. I'm not AA nor even A(merican), so what do I know.

Thanks for endorsing this, donnagirl!
posted by porpoise at 10:04 PM on December 29 [2 favorites]

"These white men..."
"Negro men, too."
posted by porpoise at 10:07 PM on December 29 [1 favorite]