I Can Do Bad All By Myself (2009)

The fact that this movie has 3.8 out of ten stars is laughable. That would indicate that many people gave this 1 star meaning it is the worst they have ever seen. I mean Slasher films with 9 sequels have higher ratings than this! I guess people hate moralistic stories. People say that it is too "Preachy?" This wasn't Tyler Perry's first movie and anyone who watched it knew what they were getting into. I think people purposely watch movies they KNOW they will hate in order to bash them. Very good movie, it gets your emotions going and has a great message. Madea is as hilarious as ever. Worth the watch. Maybe not the greatest movie you will ever see, but that can be said of a lot of movies.

I watched this movie on cable. I didn't pay to see it in the theater or from Redbox or anything like that. And you know, it was worth it. Despite all the bad reviews and negative press, Tyler Perry knows how to make a movie that we will sit through just to see the bad guy get theirs. And these are not supervillains, or anything like what you see in most movies, these are the run of the mill badguys. The guys who make you happy that you don't know them or if you do, make you feel bad about knowing them. These are stories about the everyday kind of badguys who make us want to slap someone we know for doing exactly what is on the screen. That is why Mr. Perry makes money off of "bad" movies. He tells the stories he knows or knows of and that makes them something we can relate to and feel, maybe not good about but definitely familiar with.

"I Can Do Bad All by Myself" is one of Tyler Perry's latest movies that débuted in theaters on September 11, 2009. I don't know why the rating for this film is a 2.8 out of a 10. I give this movie a 10. I thought it was absolutely wonderful. There is just the right amount of comedy (from Madea) and drama from the situations to make this movie a perfect 10. The storyline is about three siblings; Hope Wilson as Jennifer, Kwesi Boakye as Manny, and Frederick Siglar as Byron, of a deceased crack addict who now live with their grandmother, Mama Rose. The children break into Madea's house; Madea is played by the amazingly talented actor/producer/director, Tyler Perry. Instead of calling the police, Madea decides to take matters into her own hands and teach the children a lesson. Madea takes them to their "auntie" April's house. April played by Taraji Henson, is a self centered night club singer that drinks a lot, and is having an affair with a married man, Randy, as Brian White. April nor Randy like kids, and neither of them want Jennifer, Manny, nor Byron around. Sandino who is the handsome and very talented Adam Rodriguez, shows up at the church just down the street from April's house. Sandino is a handy-man that moves into April's house and agrees to fix it up in exchange for room and board. Sandino tries to get April to open her heart, not only for her niece and nephews, but for a chance for her to find true love. Although not a true story, it is a very touching story. In watching the movie, you can just really get into it and feel the emotion of the actors/actresses. You can really feel the hurt and pain the children are going through. Madea also tries to provide inspiration to the kids, but it's in her own special "Madea" way. She tries to make Jennifer feel better about herself, and make her feel like she is a special person and has a reason to keep going. Madea just has a funny way of portraying her inspirational message. But this is what makes the movie part comedy. The scenes that have Madea are the scenes that "lighten" up the movie, poke fun, and just make you laugh until you want to cry. I am a huge Tyler Perry fan, so I look forward to the scenes with Madea in them. You never know what she is going to come up with next. The way she says things just cracks you up. She always pronounces words incorrectly, but she thinks it's correct. That's what makes it even funnier. Madea and Joe (also played by Tyler Perry) are always getting into arguments. It's amazing how cutting edge technology can portray Madea and Joe in the same scenes talking (fussing mostly) with each other, when it's actually the same person playing both characters. If you did not know that Tyler was playing the role of both characters, you would never be able to tell it from the movie because the transitions and such are so smooth. It really looks like two different characters carrying on a conversation. There are also two scenes at the end where the lighting just makes those particular scenes. I can't give too much information or it will spoil it for you. But there is a scene at the end that is a very emotional scene so the lighting is very dim to intensify the effect of the emotions flying high. That scene transitions into another scene that is a happy, joyous occasion in which the lighting is bright with vibrant colors. This helps change the mood from the intense emotional scene to the happy joyous scene. Does April have a change of heart toward the children, or does she continue down her current path of destruction? I guess you will have to watch the movie to find out!

I think that this movie gives some really good insights into the dynamics of some dysfunctional families, especially when they don't have much money and there's sexual and child abuse involved. That often makes it hard for people to watch: whether they've never been a victim and don't believe that it really happens like that or whether they have been a victim and remember how it feels. I thought this was a really great story. The music was great and fit into the story line really well. And the vocalists, the musicians, etc. were excellent. (I'd love to have some info on the choir at the church.) The Medea scenes add a little comic relief although they don't really add all that much to the story.All of those involved deserved the awards that they got and more. We just got a new TV with direct TV and netflix and my brother in law and I are looking up every single Tyler Perry movie I can find. T. P. tells it like it all too often is. And, btw, I love Medea. She's a hoot. Hope Tyler Perry keeps making movies - comedies and movies like this that aren't really comic but have a bit of comic relief.