Tyler Perry’s new film, Why Did I Get Married Too? is set in the lush Bahamas, promising viewers a relaxing retreat with a few laughs and not too much drama.
It is a sequel to Perry’s similarly named box-office success three years ago and has an all-star cast that includes Janet Jackson, Malik Yoba and Jill Scott.
Yet, the film’s over-the-top acting and highly charged histrionics has left some viewers dismayed at Perry’s portrayal of marriage. Jackson, who plays a college professor, goes berserk in her house (seemingly) made of glass, breaking up everything within reach. The same goes for Angela (Tasha Smith) , married to Marcus (Michael Jai White), whose constant accusations about his cheating just get old.
Perhaps Married’s most offensive message is that African-American women have no problem going to their husbands’ jobs to engage in screaming matching and even acts of violence. Certainly domestic violence often is committed in the workplace, but again, Perry’s directorial is over extended in these scenes.
Thus, for anyone who has seen the movie, one must ask, “Would you get married, based on what Perry presents?” The movie, by the way, reaped $31 million in select theater openings this past weekend, which means lots of people saw it.
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Alease Sims of Richmond, Va. describes the film as “a train wreck and way less than what I expected. Some of the scenes were just stale and some overdone. Where was he going with that?”
Sims, a married mother with two children, says that the movie in no way influences her thoughts about marriage.
“I’m still glad I got married,” she said.
Shauna Rhone of Nashville, Tenn. says that while she has not seen the film, she doesn’t think it necessarily means that African Americans can’t be portrayed as being loving toward their mates.
John Q and the series Lincoln Heights are examples of black love, she said.
Rhone, who saw the original Married, believes that movies are just that: movies.
“Imagine what your life would be if you reshaped it every time you left a theater. None of the actors in that movie are married to each other so it shouldn’t change one’s attitude about marriage.”
Cheryl Smith of Dallas agrees, saying that the movie made her laugh and cry.
“The movie did not sour me on marriage,” she said. “Watching the elderly couple (portrayed by Louis Gossett Jr. and Cicely Tyson) was really rewarding and put things into perspective when you begin to understand what is really important in life.
“In relationships, I am already in that place where Patricia (Jackson) and others were, near the end of the movie — everything shouldn’t be an issue and pick your battles. I also got the message about trust, which can be a deal breaker. I have never been married but I would love to be.”
