Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself Review

Posted by Bryan Kristopowitz on 09.14.2009

A decent movie with great musical performances...

"Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself" Review

Taraji P. Henson- April
Adam Rodriguez- Sandino
Brian J. White- Randy
Hope Olaide Wilson- Jennifer
Frederick Siglar- Byron
Kwesi Boakye- Manny
Gladys Knight- Wilma
Mary J. Blige- Tanya
Marvin Winans- Pastor Brian
Greta Glenn- Mama Rose
Tyler Perry- Madea/Joe

Directed by Tyler Perry
Screenplay by Tyler Perry, based on his play

Distributed by Lionsgate
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving a sexual assault on a minor, violence, drug references and smoking
Runtime- 113 minutes

Website: http://www.icandobadmovie.com



Tyler Perry's latest flick, "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," is pretty much like the writer/director/producer/actor's other movies, which is fine for this reviewer because I usually enjoy his movies. It's got comedy, it's got drama, it's got a heavy dose of melodrama, and a message of potential redemption for the main character, and it's all relatively well made. Perry has never been a flashy director. But what sets "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" apart from "Madea's Family Reunion" and "Meet the Browns" is music. The movie features five amazing musical performances that will have you rocking and swaying in your theatre seat because they really are that dang good (and one is Oscar nomination worthy, at least as far as I can tell).

Perry once again dons the dress and wig as Madea, but the gun toting grandmother only appears in a few scenes. The real focus of the movie is April (Taraji P. Henson), a night club singer with a drinking problem and a bad ass, married boyfriend (Randy, as played by Brian J. White). April's life is a mess that quickly gets messier when her niece and nephews Jennifer (Hope Olaide Wilson), Byron (Frederick Siglar), and Manny (Kwesi Boakye) have to stay with her after their caretaker, April's mother Mama Rose (Greta Glenn), goes missing. April doesn't like children, doesn't want children, and Randy can't stand kids period. April also has to deal with Sandino (Adam Rodriguez), a Colombian immigrant sent to live in her house by the local church (the pastor, Pastor Brian, as played by Marvin Winans, asks April if Sandino can stay with her in exchange for fixing up her house. Sandino is a handyman by trade).

April just doesn't know how to handle all of this new stuff in her life. She was much happier when it was just her, Randy, her career, and the booze (she's a heavy smoker, too). She's also got unresolved issues with her mother stemming from what happened to her sister, who was a crack addict. April feels as though she can't trust anyone, always thinking that the people in her life just want to use her for something. At first she seems okay with this as she knows that Randy doesn't really love her. He's paying the bills and he's good in bed. That's what matters for her. But, as you'd expect, April starts to question if this is the best way to live. Will she be able to figure out what's truly best for herself and those around her and put an end to her selfishness?

While all of that is going on, there's a parallel story involving Jennifer, Byron, and Manny. When we first meet the kids, they're breaking into Madea's house looking for stuff to steal to sell for food. They don't know what happened to Mama Rose (they haven't seen her in four days), and Jennifer decides to take charge and "care" for her brothers. Byron barely speaks and probably has a learning disability (that wasn't said by anyone in the movie, but there are hints that that's the case), and Manny has asthma, diabetes, and night terrors (he's a crack baby). Jennifer is mean, moody, hard, and dark because she, like April, can't see the good in anyone or anything and just assumes that people are only interested in using her. She's also too young to have to take care of her brothers and is slowly bending under the stress. Will she be able to fix herself so she doesn't end up a bitter, mean, rotten woman?

April's story is a little more fleshed out and obviously the more uplifting. You just know how April's life is going to end up as soon as you find out what her problems are. It's a little different for Jennifer, and as far as I'm concerned it's the movie's only real weakness. The main message of the movie is basically don't allow the bad stuff in the world get you down. Don't be selfish, and allow yourself to love people and to be loved by others. It's a message that can and should resonate with April since she's an adult with a job. You can expect her to know how to take care of herself and fix her problems. It's not as open and shut for Jennifer, although the movie tries to make it so.

If Jennifer is a kid and has had a hard, crappy life, how can anyone realistically expect her to ever think that there's anything good in the world? How can we expect her to overcome her problems when that's all she's ever had and known? The movie never really deals with that beyond saying "Get over it and move on." That just doesn't seem plausible. What happens if she can't "get over it"? Can the world really be disappointed in her if she can't get over it? What resources does she have to use to fix herself? When does reality trump hope and faith?

I'm sorry for bringing everyone down there, but it's something I've been thinking about for a day now.

Now, as I said, the music is what sets this Tyler Perry movie off from the others. The flick starts off with a kick ass song by Taraji P. Henson's character (I believe it's called "Rock Steady" or something like that). The great Gladys Knight, who plays a local church member that helps April find her way, sings a song that's nothing short of soulful. Marvin Winan, as Pastor Brian, sings a gospel song that just keeps building and building to an insane conclusion (I don't think I've ever seen anyone sweat as much in a movie in my life). And then there's Mary J. Blige's two performances. I don't even like Blige and I have to say that both songs and performances are amazing, especially the title song she sings in the night club. "I Can Do Bad" the song, as far as I can tell, is an original song and should no doubt get an Oscar nomination. It really is that good. It'll be a travesty if this movie doesn't get a soundtrack CD.

The acting throughout is decent. Taraji P. Henson does her usual great job as April. She knows when to be a bitch, when to be vulnerable, and when to be a mean and vengeful bad ass. She also has great chemistry with pretty much everyone in the flick and helps make them look better. I'd also like to mention that Henson looks fabulous in a short skirt. Top notch.

Adam Rodriguez does a decent job as Sandino the Colombian immigrant, although there isn't much of a character there to begin with. Rodriguez needs a bit more screen presence to compete with Henson. Hope Olaide Wilson is outstanding as Jennifer. It's great how her sometimes stilted dialogue delivery actually works for her character since she's trying to be "strong." And Frederick Siglar and Kwesi Boakye are fine as Byron and Manny, Jennifer's brothers. I think Siglar's gentle performance as the perpetually smiling Byron is the best between the two. He doesn't say much, but you're going to remember his face.

And then there's Brian J. White as Randy. If there's one thing Perry does consistently in his movies are his villains, especially male character. There is absolutely nothing redeeming about Randy. He's a prick, a douchebag, and a scumbag all rolled into one. There's also a hefty amount of sleaze thrown in here from White, all done with his eyes and his voice (listen to the way he says "Mexico"). And you're probably never going to forget the scene involving Randy and Jennifer in the kitchen late at night and the subsequent aftermath. Gross, nasty, and disturbing.

Perry's small performance as Madea is good but could have been trimmed (there are too many riffs that go on too long, especially the ones from Perry's other character Joe). Perry's best bit, though, as Madea, is the Bible story. That'll be a staple on youtube for years.

While it's certainly not Perry's best effort as a director, "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" is a decent enough movie anyway. It'll be a hoot for regular Perry fans. And as I say dang near every time one of these things comes out, if you haven't seen a Tyler Perry movie you should give him a chance at least once in your life. The movie may be kind of corny and sentimental, but it's entertaining, and what's wrong with that every now and then?

Go see "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself." Good story, great performances, and great music abound.

So what do we have here? Gratuitous Taraji P. Henson wearing a giant afro wig and "singing" her heart out, gratuitous Tyler Perry dressed as a woman, pot humor, gratuitous VCR breaking, child feeding, gratuitous discussion of the lack of "Yes ma’am, No ma’am" in society, gratuitous threats of humorous child abuse, gratuitous street bum, gratuitous dangerous bald guy, gratuitous well meaning church people, gratuitous Colombian immigrant, gratuitous Gladys Knight, gratuitous Mary J. Blige, gratuitous kids playing soccer with a nerf ball, gratuitous harsh anti-immigrant sentiment, attempted child rape, floor fixing, a heartbreaking story about an old woman on a bus, gratuitous insane Bible story, gratuitous Mary J. Blige singing a song that should get nominated for an Oscar, a pedal boat ride, a spiffy new room, gratuitous Marvin Winans singing like a motherfucker, more attempted child rape, 2 x 4 to the back of the head, attempted electrocution, gratuitous "Oh, Lord, I want you to help me," and a big ass block party.

Best lines: "I know ain't nobody breaking into my house!," "You want some mo' samich?," "Hey, Big Bird, calm the hell down," "Let this child talk before I choke you out," "Ya'll don't hear knocking at this damn door?," "Slam it again, heifer!," "What's up, Mexico? You legal?," "You better stop rolling your eyes at me," "You don't feel it? You don't feel the anointment?," "I ain't never seen such a selfish person in all my life," "My bed! My bed!," "This is the bomb, Sandino," "What the hell you knocking on this door, Mexico?," "When a grown man takes an interest in a little kid, something ain't right," "You a child molester, Sandino?," and "Oh, Lord, I want you to help me."

The 411: "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself" isn't all that different from Perry's previous movies, and whether or not you think that's a good thing or a bad thing depends on how you feel about Perry going in. If you like him and his movies you'll probably enjoy yourself. If you don't, well, at least the musical performances are there for you to enjoy. They're all great, especially Mary J. Blige's "I Can Do Bad" song.

Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]