#45 "The Family That Preys"

Stats: 2008. Starring Alfre Woodard, Kathy Bates, Saana Lathan, Tyler Perry. PG-13.

Background: Once upon a time, I went on a Tyler Perry binge. I think it was after watching Why Did I Get Married? I went on half.com to see if I could buy it, and I discovered I could get a bunch of Tyler Perry movies for a couple bucks each. So, sight unseen, I bought The Family That Preys and Meet the Browns in addition to WDIGM? and Daddy’s Little Girls, which I’d seen previously. What I should have done is buy all the Madea movies (Tyler Perry's alter-ego) … she’s absolutely hilarious, but I didn’t realize that at the time.

Plot: Alice and Charlotte have been best friends forever—despite the fact that Alice had to struggle to make ends meet while raising her two girls alone, while Charlotte ran a multi-million dollar corporation. Alice’s daughter Andrea goes to work at Charlotte’s company and begins an affair with Charlotte’s married son while her husband struggles to get his construction business off the ground.

Reactions: This is one Tyler Perry movie I should have passed by. I have no complaints with the acting—I especially loved Rockmond Dunbar (Prison Break’s C-Note!) as Andrea’s beleaguered husband. I think it’s the plot. The villains are so villainous, that even when Andrea is supposed to become more sympathetic, I was just like, “Good riddance!” Her sister isn’t much better, though she’s not nearly as evil as Andrea—she’s just annoyingly judgmental. Now that I think about it, this could have been a nice “Prodigal Son” type story, but that’s not the route Perry chose to go. Maybe for the sequel? (Also, a little Madea would have helped—she could have whipped Andrea back into shape quickly—while adding some much-needed comic relief.)

I really disliked this movie the first time I saw it, and I would have resold it right away, had I not been doing this rewatch project. When I got to it in its turn, I disliked it as much as I did the first time.

Verdict: Sell.