Review by Mike Martin
Stars Tyler Perry, Janet Jackson, Jill Scott, Sharon Leal, Malik Yoba, Richard T Jones, Tasha Smith, Lamman Rucker, Michael Jai White, Louis Gossett Jr, Cicely Tyson
Written by Tyler Perry
Certification UK 12A | US PG-13
Runtime 121 minutes
Directed by Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry is one of the most successful film-makers and actors in the US, whose movies regularly take heaps of money and crash into the top 10. So why has he made little impact in the UK, or anywhere outside of his native America? There are two possible answers – his films feature a lot of very self-righteous God-bothering types, and all have an exclusively black cast who mean little in the UK, Janet Jackson apart. There could also be a third reason – his films are poor – badly written, plodding and they look dreadful.
Strangely though the one thing he can do is get great performances out of his talented cast. Here he has reassembled the cast of Why Did I Get Married? – which we all remember, right? – and put the four couples on holiday in the Bahamas. They all seem to be having a great time, until Mike (Jones) reappears as an unwelcome guest trying to win back Sheila (Scott) even though she has remarried. Not only has she remarried, she has got her life together Oprah-style, losing weight, gaining self-confidence and putting her terrible violent past with Mike behind her.
Cracks start appearing in the other couples’ relationships too, with the loud, alcoholic Angela (Smith, hilarious) apparently convinced hubby Marcus (White) is having an affair, and even Terry (Perry) and Dianne (Leal), who seem to have it all, apparently don’t.
Jackson plays a marriage counsellor who is also having problems with hubby, but of course, after lots of talking and hugging, it all gets worked out – although not quite in the ways you might expect. Jackson made the film when she heard of her brother’s death, and lets rip in her big emotional scene, swinging a gold club with a vigour Tiger Woods could do with.
Perry’s films are clearly well-intentioned, but also desperately melodramatic and forced, and way, way too long. This one, despite his cast pulling out all of the stops, especially the ladies who are all excellent, is like watching an episode of Oprah dramatized. It’s sentimental, weakly written and visually amazingly shabby – the opening scenes in the Bahamas frankly could be anywhere.
Perry always feigns surprise when told his films do badly in the UK but it’s no great surprise – us Brits have a healthy scepticism about openly religious films, and no amount of strong acting will overcome that. Well-meaning it might be, dull it certainly is.