Tyler Perry's The Family that Preys
9/19/2008
Let me start by saying this: I’m a huge fan of Tyler Perry.
I love his movies. That is to say, I will go see a movie simply because his name is attached to it. (This, of course, bodes well for J.J. Abrams’ new Star Trek movie, in which Perry has a cameo.) So, when I heard that he was coming out with another movie, I knew I’d have to see it.
Each of Perry’s five previous movies contains much of the same elements. There’s always a strong family presence (healthy or not) in each of his films. There’s always some relational conflict (whether it be dishonesty, disloyalty, or the fall out from some past event). And there’s always humor. There’s also always a strong message about our relationship to/with God and how it should affect our relationships with each other. The Family That Preys has every one of these elements, but never quite leverages them as well as Diary of a Mad Black Woman or Medea’s Family Reunion.
The story of the movie revolves around two families, the Cartwrights (a wealthy white family) and the Pratts (a seemingly struggling African-American family), and their relationships to each other. The story begins at the wedding of one of the Pratt daughters, Andrea. The Cartwright matriarch, Charlotte, is paying for it to help out her best friend, Alice, Andrea’s mother (and matriarch of the Pratt family). It’s at the wedding that we’re introduced to all of the main characters of the movie (of which there are about three or four too many). We learn that Charlotte’s son, William, is also a high ranking executive in their family’s company as he is seen offering a job to Andrea.
It would make this review entirely too long for me to begin to describe to you all of the relational conflicts that happen and how they’re set up. But suffice to say, a soap opera’s worth of conflict happens.
What has always impressed me about Tyler Perry’s writing is how he never allows one of his characters to stand head and shoulders above the rest. There’s never a character who is above making mistakes or who is morally superior to the rest. As a result of this approach, I’ve always felt that his stories are easy to identify with. Not many of us have ever had to kill a helicopter with a police car, but we’ve all had to reconcile with our pasts in order to live at peace in our present.
Letting go of the past has always been a major theme in Perry’s movies. And along with it, Preys deals with living vs. just existing. As the movie closes, one character remarks that death is only a tragic thing if you haven’t truly lived. Personally, I think that this is an incredibly powerful message. Unfortunately, it feels like it comes out of nowhere.
Overall, I liked the movie. But it felt a little long. I think it could have used a little editing and maybe the subtraction of a few characters. It would have made a great hour and a half movie. What I got was just an OK 2 hour movie.
If you’ve never seen any Tyler Perry movies, don’t start with this one. Start with Diary of a Mad Black Woman. But if you’re a fan, you’ll enjoy The Family That Preys.
Josh Treece - not Josh Pease - is a Jr. High volunteer at his church. He’s beyond excited to see the next James Bond movie. Mainly because he like pretending to be a spy.
I love his movies. That is to say, I will go see a movie simply because his name is attached to it. (This, of course, bodes well for J.J. Abrams’ new Star Trek movie, in which Perry has a cameo.) So, when I heard that he was coming out with another movie, I knew I’d have to see it.
Each of Perry’s five previous movies contains much of the same elements. There’s always a strong family presence (healthy or not) in each of his films. There’s always some relational conflict (whether it be dishonesty, disloyalty, or the fall out from some past event). And there’s always humor. There’s also always a strong message about our relationship to/with God and how it should affect our relationships with each other. The Family That Preys has every one of these elements, but never quite leverages them as well as Diary of a Mad Black Woman or Medea’s Family Reunion.
The story of the movie revolves around two families, the Cartwrights (a wealthy white family) and the Pratts (a seemingly struggling African-American family), and their relationships to each other. The story begins at the wedding of one of the Pratt daughters, Andrea. The Cartwright matriarch, Charlotte, is paying for it to help out her best friend, Alice, Andrea’s mother (and matriarch of the Pratt family). It’s at the wedding that we’re introduced to all of the main characters of the movie (of which there are about three or four too many). We learn that Charlotte’s son, William, is also a high ranking executive in their family’s company as he is seen offering a job to Andrea.
It would make this review entirely too long for me to begin to describe to you all of the relational conflicts that happen and how they’re set up. But suffice to say, a soap opera’s worth of conflict happens.
What has always impressed me about Tyler Perry’s writing is how he never allows one of his characters to stand head and shoulders above the rest. There’s never a character who is above making mistakes or who is morally superior to the rest. As a result of this approach, I’ve always felt that his stories are easy to identify with. Not many of us have ever had to kill a helicopter with a police car, but we’ve all had to reconcile with our pasts in order to live at peace in our present.
Letting go of the past has always been a major theme in Perry’s movies. And along with it, Preys deals with living vs. just existing. As the movie closes, one character remarks that death is only a tragic thing if you haven’t truly lived. Personally, I think that this is an incredibly powerful message. Unfortunately, it feels like it comes out of nowhere.
Overall, I liked the movie. But it felt a little long. I think it could have used a little editing and maybe the subtraction of a few characters. It would have made a great hour and a half movie. What I got was just an OK 2 hour movie.
If you’ve never seen any Tyler Perry movies, don’t start with this one. Start with Diary of a Mad Black Woman. But if you’re a fan, you’ll enjoy The Family That Preys.
Josh Treece - not Josh Pease - is a Jr. High volunteer at his church. He’s beyond excited to see the next James Bond movie. Mainly because he like pretending to be a spy.
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