Pourquoi je me suis marié aussi?

The original "Married" was not Oscar material, but it was at least a solid 5 or 6 on a 10-point scale. It had some freshness and some unpredictability to it that at least made for some fun entertainment.

The sequel is none of these things.

Quite possibly one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Clichéd to the hilt. Weak, repetitive, IQ-lowering humor bordering on sloppy slapstick. From the slow beginning to the disappointing end, this movie is starved. The plot is begging for more development, the actors are aching for better utilization of their characters, and the script is pleading to be burnt to ashes.

Like Perry's "I Can Do Bad," this movie seems rushed as if very little thought was put into making it. I have no idea how the mess I saw on that screen made it pass the editing booth. There's just no way...unless someone was trying to beat some kind of deadline and concluded that since this movie is guaranteed to win the box office, "who cares about quality? We make it and 'they' will come. Release it." And release this stink bomb of a film they did. What a waste.

I hate to be all negative, so I will try to offer one positive. Like in the first movie, Janet stretches her acting and almost comes off as a decent actor. Kudos to Perry for helping get that out of her I guess.

And with that, I'll turn in as I'm sleepy after watching that sleep-inducing tripe of a film. Maybe in the morning I'll feel less angry about giving away two hours of my time that I will never get back. And don't say you weren't warned...even if you're a Tyler Perry fan, you will find my critique to be true.

Toodles

The Mrs (her choice of movies) & I walked out after 20 minutes or so & was allowed into another movie. I am not an actor but my gosh that was some really shallow acting. The setting was nice but very little action, elementary dialogue was rampant & too many close up's of actors faces. I thought the actors had recently memorized their lines & repeated them without any emotion or passion. The movies plot was weak & the photography and cameras set ups were below par. My suggestion #1, do not waste your money.Suggestion #2, Tyler Perry is living off the positive movies of the past & should get back to producing a more thoughtful & deeper movie content.

The first installment in this series was decent enough to spark my interest in checking out the sequel. Unfortunately, Why Did I Get Married Too was a sub-par attempt to reprise Perry's previous venture in couples therapy. There were a few redeemable aspects of the movie, namely, some of the characters have been further developed. The new aspects of their relationship dynamics made it interesting to see how their lives have changed. Also appreciated are the moments of bare sincerity in the dialogue. There are a few scenes where a husband and wife could be seen having a believable, vulnerable discussion about the impact of individual choices on their relationship without the bravado of over-the-top displays.

Sadly, any redeemable parts of this film were heavily flanked in overwrought dramatic scenes in an effort to create meaningful turning points, and mostly uncomfortable attempts at humor. It's as if Perry thought that hearty laughter from the characters in the more comedic scenes would somehow make the scene funnier; the mission was not accomplished. Also, Perry decided to have the movie be more dependent on Janet Jackson's character as the center pin of the plot, which is an unfortunate shift because she simply doesn't have the skills to deliver. While she is more highly emotive throughout this film, she isn't believable. It just left you feeling uncomfortable watching it happen. To make matters worst, the scene transitions felt abrupt, like you were being yanked by the collar from one end of a room to another.

On a more pitiful note, there were several lines and scenes that were way too close to those from the movies Boomerang, Soul Food, and Unfaithful. It's one thing to have a trite storyline; it's a whole other issue when scenes are taken from other movies and executed so similarly to the original that the forerunner immediately comes to the viewer's mind. This kind of poorly-done mimicry leaves you feeling duped by and embarrassed for the person attempting it. The worst part was the ending, which felt rushed and forced. Perry is certainly invested in happy endings, but this was insulting to the characters and the viewers.

Overall, the only reason I continued to watch the movie was not because it was in any way worth it, but because I have a sometimes silly desire to finish what I've started. I hope that Perry soon decides to employ screenwriters to broaden the scope of what seems to be a one-man show and production because movie scriptwriting requires a level of skill that he has not yet polished.

Why Did I Get Married Too (2010)

I didn't see the first one, so can only approach this for what it was--an ensemble film that works with the problems of contemporary marriage. Yes, in particular this focuses on black America, but Perry seems to pull out the ways this part of the culture resembles American culture at large. And so there lies the flaw, in a way, of making much of this movie: it inevitably revisits familiar material. Does it do it well, or with freshness, or any edge of originality? Maybe only in the sense that it represents very very well to do African Americans, a segment not typical Hollywood fodder.

This isn't a rotten film, as some viewers like to say, but it isn't as well acted, sharply written, exquisitely filmed, or narratively interesting as it could have been by far. And it compares badly with Perry's wonderful "For Colored Girls." You might say this is ambitious--there are nine full blown main characters, each more or less equally dealing with their spouses--but in a way it is overwhelming, and for me at least I had trouble keeping all the story lines straight at first. But these narratives don't ever quite get fleshed out as fully as they need to be, both for their own sake, as small stories, but for the movie as a whole, since none of the content really goes deep. I don't mean it isn't emotional, but it's moving in a surface way.

If you do give this a shot, be aware that the second half of the movie is much better. It's less chitchatty, more serious, has better acting (including some really moving, intense stuff) and has the various plots intertwine and get a little edgy. But also be aware that none of this is especially well done. It rides in a style that might really be called prime time television, interesting but not amazing or transforming.

I am by no means a fan of Mr. Perry's work, I feel as though they movies are a simple formulaic ploy to pull cash out of the pockets of Black people. You say Jesus, roll your neck, cry a lot & then have a light skinned man save the day and there you go. This film provided all of that as usual, but was far better than the very low ratings would warrant or suggest. I believe in keeping it all real and the movie was good. Not great mind you, but good. I would like to see Perry open the door to some other struggling filmmakers and allow for greater creativity and choices, but I think he may be afraid of being shown up. Just my opinions here, but he really has got to do better or even better said we as Black people have to stop running behind anything with a Black face on the poster and make these filmmakers give us really really good movies to watch.