An Unexpected Viewing

So I don't usually consider myself a fan of any product put out by Tyler Perry, even though I have honestly never seen any of his work, but when I saw the trailer for his new film, "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," I became extremely intrigued. It could have been because of all of the soulful wailing in the trailer, but I really think it was because of the performance of Taraji P. Henson. Ever since I saw her Oscar-nominated turn in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" I have been excited to see her other work. I caught her in a few episodes of season 2 of "Eli Stone" where she was great, but I really wanted to see her STAR in something. "I Can Do Bad..." seemed like the movie.

I couldn't find anyone to go see it with me, so when I had two free hours the other day I ventured to the mostly empty Crestwood Plaza and bought myself a ticket. The theater was empty until three older ladies walked in right after the trailers ended. I really had no idea what to expect in this film...

I really had to mull over the whole experience in my car after the movie. Henson's performance made the experience a memorable one, she put 110% in everything she did. Truly amazing.

The movie's real problem lies in it's decision to never settle into a certain genre or keep a consistent tone. Sure, a movie like "Inglorious Basterds" used these genre bending tone changes throughout the film, but it worked in Tarantino's world, but not in Perry's vision.

The separate pieces were definitely better than the whole. The scenes featuring Perry himself as both Madea and her husband, Joe, were actually laugh out loud funny, but never reached the the weightiness of the rest of the plot and these scenes seemed tacked on from another movie, albeit a funny one. Also, the musical scenes that were scattered throughout the film were compelling and quite moving, but seemed too shoe-horned into the plot. One or two worked, but the rest felt like part of a concert film.

The acting performances of Gladys Knight and Pastor Marvin Winans were not believable unless their scenes took place in a setting where they feel at home, respectively, on a stage or in a church. The one actor who really met Henson's lever of charisma and depth of character was Adam Rodriguez. He brought true gravitas to a rather thinly written character.

This movie was a truly mixed bag, but I would still recommend it.