You Are Cordially Invited To Take Part In This Discussion...There's been a lot of buzz about Tyler Perry's new movie for good reason. Why Did I Get Married is #1 at the box office this weekend pulling in an estimated $21.5 million. The second best thing to do behind actually seeing the movie happens to be discussing it with others who have seen it. However, if you have not seen it yet and don't want your viewing experience to be spoiled, turn away at this point.
Intro: Going in to this movie, I had a very good feeling about it. I had enough of a good feeling to get off from work a little early to make it to the last matinee show of the evening on Friday. I could tell that the other people were just as excited as I was judging from the way we strangers easily held conversations among each other as we stood in line to purchase our tickets and movie snacks. Could we ever have imagined that the mastermind behind stage plays recorded on grainy VHS tapes would develop into a multi-talented force to contend with in the world of entertainment? I'm amazed how Tyler Perry keeps reinventing himself.
The Characters: Let's review a brief description of each character to bring us up to speed. Here it goes:
Dianne and Terry played by Sharon Leal and Tyler Perry: Dianne was the attorney who was attached to her work so much so that she barely had time to notice her husband. So when they mentioned that they had not done the "couple thing" in months, quite a few murmurs could be heard in the viewing audience. Terry was the pediatrician aspiring to add more kids to the family.
Patricia and Gavin played by Janet Jackson and Malik Yoba: Patricia was the pyschologist and book writer who was preparing to receive a very important award for her work. Gavin, the architect, was the loving and supportive husband. They struggled to deal with the lingering feelings of guilt and anger surrounding the accidental death of their child.
Angela and Marcus played by Tasha Smith and Michael Jai White: Angela was the hotheaded salon owner. I think everybody knows at least one person who acts like Angela. The Angela type is a loudmouth, in your face, won't back down, doesn't care who gets hurt, will get her point across first type of person. But she's not all bad. Her mouth and over the top actions sometimes come in handy. I personally like the way she NFL fullback-style blocked her hubby from carrying the luggage for the single chick who only showed up to make trouble for Sheila and the other ladies. Angela sent Trina's bag all over the ground rightfully so. For that, we love Angela. I just wished Angela had treated the hubby better. Speaking of him, he was the former football player who played the role of verbal punching bag for the first half of the film. He never could seem to get a word in edgewise between his current wife and his ex. But he managed to man up eventually. I guess he had to snap a little bit, knowing that his wife wasn't the only one creeping.
Sheila and Mike played by Jill Scott and Richard T. Jones: Sheila was a trail of tears from the beginning to the end of the movie. I've always wondered why some women take so much abuse over the years. Shux, I would have been done with her man when she got removed from the plane and was forced to drive all the way to the mountains. Her husband, Mike, was as verbally abusive as one could get. He acted like a schoolyard bully piling on the insults about Sheila's weight. Mikey really should have been bashed in the head with the champagne bottle much earlier or at least slapped one good time. He never showed a bit of concern about Sheila until they divorced and she married that cute Sheriff.
Trina played by Denise Boutte: What nerve of a sideline chick to join in on a couples' retreat?
Troy played by Lamman Rucker: Boy was he a relief to Sheila and to the women in the audience at the movie. He wasn't just a cutie. He provided some real sensible advice. He flatly let Sheila know that her low self-esteem and self-directed insults weren't particularly attractive. What can we say? She upgraded to the right man.
My Observations and Thoughts About The Movie...I don't feel the need to beat around the bush. I can tell you right off that bat that I give this movie high marks. No, I'm not a professional movie critic. But I will explain my review of the movie. First of all, I felt like that movie was universal. It spoke to people from all walks of life no matter the race, culture, gender, age group, or economic status. And it wasn't a bonafide chickflick that men had to avoid like the plague. There was a little something in there for everybody. It doesn't matter whether a couple lives in a mansion or a shack, because anyone can have marital or dating-relationship problems.
The movie started out very calm and very unassuming of the fiascos that would rear their ugly heads as the movie progressed. It was quite refreshing to hear how four couples who met in college manage to come together for a reunion annually to improve their marriages. The characters were polished with their well-developed careers and well-to-do lives. These were some together folks living some together lives with the exception of a couple of people. Therefore, early on in the film it put us on track to view Mike and Marcus as the dogs and Angela as the loudmouth. In the flip of the script, Mike turned everything around and pointed out everyone's flaws in an attempt to take the heat off of his neck. Boy did he say a mouth full. By the time, they got up from the dinner table, none of the couples were talking. Nobody was left in the clear except that cute Sheriff. *lol* Everybody was mad. Even the goodie two shoes characters were left with bruised images. Was Patricia really all that together? Was Gavin really the supportive husband? How could Dianne keep that secret from Terry? And how could Terry have paternity questions? The movie left the audience wondering how the characters were going deal with their problems as extensive as they were.
The movie could have very well ended with Mike being knocked the fool out on the floor. But I think Perry wanted to do more than acknowledge that problems exist in marriages; he wanted to show how couples could explore solutions. Of course, a bunch of jaded critics may come along and dismiss this movie for wrapping up its loose ends as if this only happens in a perfect world. I beg to differ. Quite a few characters had to let their egos go and make themselves vulnerable to more effectively communicate with their spouses. If Angela could speak sweetly to her husband, it surely made it sound possible for the others to overcome their problems. For once I was glad to see that sisters and brothers weren't at each other throats. I'm just glad that the movie showed us in a more positive light, since many of us actually live that way. One thing is for sure. I plan to buy this movie when it comes out on DVD. Tyler Perry is winning me over more and more.
Let The Discussion Begin...Pull up a chair and make yourself welcome. Post your review of the movie in the comments section. Did you like it or not? Are there any particular scenes that interested you? Did you have a favorite actor? What could have made the movie better? Or were you satisfied just the way it was?
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