I Can Do Bad All By Myself

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: September 11, 2009

DVD Release Date: January 12, 2010

Plot 411: A woman must taken in her niece and nephews when their caretaker, her mother, goes missing.

Review: This is the worst Tyler Perry movie I've ever seen. I think the script was really bad. Most of Perry's movies possess a deeper meaning that is relatable to most audiences. You are able to pull something from it no matter where you are in your life. The plots all seem to have a purpose that is fulflled by the end of the movie. However, the pace of this movie was just dreadfully slow. Instead of building up emotionally, like most of Perry's movies, this one seemed to drag along and I found my mind wandering. Major character development seemed to stagger forward instead of evolve. Some of the lines were cheesy as all hell. Taraji P. Henson plays April, a nightclub singer who doesn't possess the ability to love anyone. She lives her life apart from her family and is in a relationship with a married man (Brian J. White), thus creating a barrier between herself and the world. When her mother, the guardian of her sister's children, goes missing, she is forced to take in her niece and two nephews. She also takes in Sandino (Adam Rodriguez), on the advice of her paster, because he is down on his luck. I think Rodriguez should stick with CSI: Miami instead of going to the big screen. He doesn't exude the pressences of a leading man. The film made good use of Gladys Knight, Marvin Winans and Mary J. Blige by killing an unknown number of minutes by giving them solos.

Watch It: Maybe if you enjoy Tyler Perry overall. If you don't like him, this movie will make you hate him.

Skip It: Because Madea is barely in this movie and I've gotta say that she's probably the best part of the film.

Daddy's Little Girls

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: February 14, 2007

DVD Release Date: June 12, 2007

Plot 411: A hard-working single father fights for custody of his three daughters with the help of a well-educated woman.

Review: Idris Elba plays Monty James, a blue-collar worker with a strong sense of ethics. His three girls live with their grandmother as he and his ex Jennifer (Tasha Smith) sort out their lives. However, when the grandmother dies suddenly Jennifer sues for custody of the girls despite being unfit for the job. Monty takes a job as a chauffeur to increase his cash flow in anticipation of a long court battle. He ends up driving for a snooty uptown lawyer named Julia (Gabrielle Union). When he seeks legal help from Julia, she blows him off but shows up at the last minute to represent him in court. Their relationship takes a turn when Monty finds out it's Julia's birthday and takes her out. She sheds her uptight and rigid attitude and finally has some fun. Unfortunately, misunderstandings and miscommunication muddle their friendship and Julia falls back on her cynical view of life. When Jennifer is awarded custody, Monty is desperate to find a way to get them back. But, will Julia be there to support him and fight for what's right? This is another interesting slice-of-life movie by Tyler Perry. I like that he shows representations of African Americans in different strata of society. There are too many movies that only portray black people in ghetto-like situations. This movie shows us people in several different financial situatinos in life and the issues that come along with them. Like other Perry shows, this one deals with real problems that regular people face. The themes are universal and relatable, in some way, to everyone.

Watch It: For a heart-wrenching/heart-warming snapshot of one father's fight for his children.

Skip It: If you're so over Perry's preaching of family values.

Meet The Browns

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: March 21, 2008

DVD Release Date: July 1, 2008

Plot 411: A woman takes her three children from Chicago to Georgia to meet the father she's never known for the first time at his funeral.

Review: This is another Tyler Perry great. He's cornered the market on African American family dramas with a twist of romantic comedy. All of his films deal with real-life hardships that happen to good Christian people. Despite the fact that his movies are always loaded with moral lessons, he doesn't get too preachy. His plots are all authentic and people are able to see their own lives in these movies. In Meet The Browns, Brenda (Angela Bassett) is having a hard time making ends meet for her and her three children. She loses her job and her power is shut off. Things couldn't look any worse than they are. She receives a letter informing her that her father has died and some bus tickets to Georgia. She's never met the man before but decides to go down and pay her respects. When she gets there, she meets her extended family, including her half sister Vera (Jenifer Lewis) and two half brothers Leroy (David Mann) and L.B. (Frankie Fasion). Lewis and Mann steal the show with all of their outrageous antics. They will make you crack up! I love Lewis in particular because she's so damn obnoxious. Bassett, as always, is wonderful and amazingly slips from one emotion to the next. She makes Brenda seem so real and alive. She pulls the audience in and we connect with Brenda. We're Brenda champions - with her every step of the way.

Watch It: If you like Madea films. She makes a great cameo in this one.

Skip It: If you're looking for a true romantic comedy. This one's a tad on the serious drama side.

The Family That Preys

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: September 12, 2008

DVD Release Date: January 13, 2009

Plot 411: The lives and families of two very strong Southern women ebb and flow through good times and bad.

Review: This is another great Tyler Perry flick. I love his films because he focuses on the family unit and always portrays very strong female characters. One of the main reasons I think I love this film the most out of all of his movies is because of the great relationship between the two female leads, played by Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard. Despite the fact that they're complete opposites, they have been best friends for 30 years and have seen each other through so many things. The relationships with and between the other characters are also intriguing to watch unfold. You become completely sucked into the drama as if you're a part of the family yourself. This is definitely one of Perry's strengths. Another moving performance is by Sanaa Lathan, who plays Woodard's daughter. She is normally cast as the good girl but did a great job at playing against type in this one.

Watch It: For a dog fight and emotional toils between friends and family.

Skip It: If you expect anything less than a Sunday preaching.

Trailer: