Por Que Eu Me Casei?

Last night I went to the threatre not knowing what I was going to see. Literally. I had no notion of what films were playing. I wanted to see "The Lost Legion" because I was in the mood for a swords and sandal epic, but it wasn't playing anywhere nearby. Would I not be able to see Roman legions clashing with native armies in Briton? Answer; no. So, I looked up at the list of films, saw "Why did I Get Married", and made a blind ticket purchase for a film I had never heard of, nor had any notion of what it was about.

I've never seen the stage-play upon which this film is based, but, having seen many a stage play adaptation to the big screen, and having been thoroughly disappointed with every one of them, I can say that this one did a fairly good job.

The revolves around several couples whose marriages are teetering in varying degrees of distress. Secrets that have been held tight by husband and wife are eventually thrust into the open, testing the couples' fortitude.

Visually the film is warm and intimate, and keeps a good amount of zest by way of fine emoting. There are some ever so brief lulls, but the story content and delivery by the actors keeps the viewer's attention.

The one "antagonist" in the film (if he can be called that) was almost a little too obvious. The boorish husband character was barely disguised as to his true intentions. So much so that I was wondering if the character wasn't supposed to be putting on some kind of act. But alas, that wasn't the case. It was a shortcoming of the creative team.

Most of the film is light, but there is one segment that came out of left field to break up wit bound dialog. The more dramatic scenes were respectable, but weren't always given the same amount of care to the lighter scenes.

My one real complaint about the story is that I felt somewhat lost as to who was suffering from what history. There's a lot implied, and the more relationship-savvy viewer can probably puzzle out the nuances and idiosyncrasies of marital secrets and scandal. But I have to admit that I just didn't get a lot of the situations until they were spelled out for me. Ah well :-) Some light entertainment that delivers an abridged version of a play with fairly good aplomb. It is a film marketed for an African American audience, but marital situations are universal to all, and as such this film can be enjoyed by all audiences (though your theatre's audience may vary). Definitely a good rent when it comes out on DVD.

You have to credit Mr. Perry for presenting to us what we so rarely get to see in American film; upper-class, professional African-American couples working through real-life relationship problems. Unfortunately, it's execution leaves a lot to be desired. Though Jill Scott turns in a spectacular performance, and Malik Joba and Tasha Smith are solid, the performances are uneven at best. It's a classic morality tale with more melodrama to fill an afternoon's worth of soap operas. Some of the characters are far too one-dimensional to be credible, including the absurdly sadistic Mike, and the nearly as absurd (and conveniently single) knight in shining armor, Sheriff Troy. There's something oddly antiseptic about the film. Even the arguments seem neat and clean, with well-defined in and out points. Sometimes it is shot like a film, sometimes (with awkward stage-like blocking), it is shot like a play being filmed in a theater proscenium. The screenplay (and direction) has some gaps of logic, but even more egregious is its exposition, which could be held up as a lesson to any aspiring screenwriter on how NOT to write it (eg, "Did you ever think we'd all turn out like this? Diane's a lawyer, I'm a doctor, you're a real estate mogul"). Unfortunately, this type of sloppy exposition abounds throughout. Realism and subtly take a vacation on this one, however, it's still a pleasant, if overly-simplistic, morality tale that's likable enough.

First of all I must say that I don't understand the low ranking, it is truly an underestimation of this film. I must admit that while I am a Tyler Perry fan I have been underwhelmed by his previous box office offerings. This film for me was a welcomed departure from his other films, it just seemed more professional, well directed, and the casting was phenomenal. Evan though it was rather preachy it seemed much less "after-school-specialish" than his initial movies. Jill Scott was amazing, Tasha Smith was Hilarious, and Janet Jackson wasn't as boring as she usually is. I hope this film is a precursor of more to come from Tyler Perry.

I liked the movie for its entertainment value. I am a fan of Tyler Perry's plays. The film is not Oscar worthy but it has good comedy and a message. This is Tyler Perry's style and many people have come to love his plays and films. The acting was mediocre. I wasn't completely drawn into the characters and their dilemmas. The cinematography was low budget. Having said that, the IMDb 3 rating is way too low for this film. In general, I rate Tyler Perry's films between 5 to 6 stars. To me this rating means a film worth renting but not worth spending the money to see it in the movies. I would purchase it on DVD if available for half the price of a new release.

This review is targeted for people who are not familiar with Tyler Perry's work. As for his fans, I already know you are going to see this movie.

Like other reviewers of this movie, I can't believe the low ratings that some people gave it. I rented this movie as a lark. Other than hearing his name, I was not really familiar with Tyler Perry nor had seen any of his other productions. My Hubby (of 30+ years) is out-of-town, and because we have only sons, I get out-voted a lot and thus don't get to see many "chick flicks." I discovered that this film is neither a "chick flick" nor a "black flick." It is a comedy-drama HUMAN interest film about four married couples who vacation together once a year to reaffirm their marriages. The situations that these couples face are those that anyone who's been married any length of time might relate to. I loved it! It made me laugh and cry and think. What more can you ask of a film?! It was beautifully filmed and the acting was top-notch. Sure there were a few weak spots here and there, but all-in-all, well-crafted.