The trailer and previews for this movie really got me excited to see it, and, thankfully, it did not disappoint! "The Family that Preys" is a really good movie! I really like it! I don't know if I'd say it's as good as "Why Did I Get Married" or "Madea's Family Reunion," but it's still pretty good! This movie is a great drama, and you can see the tension between these two families. It's kind of a tragedy when you think about it; the matriarchs of the two families, Charlotte and Alice, are best friends, and yet their families are preying against themselves. Charlotte, head of the Cartwright Company, has a son, William, who is a big head at the company, and is sleeping with one of the employees, Andrea, who is one of Alice's daughters. He promises that he'll marry her, but he really won't because he's not going to leave his wife. Not only do the families prey against each other, but they prey against themselves, too. Andrea is married too, and continues to verbally abuse her husband, Chris. She also tries her best to stay away from the rest of her family: her mother and her sister, Pam. William also seems to have a strong hatred for his mother...Well, maybe he doesn't hate her, but the love is on sabbatical. He wants to vote her out of the company and force her into retirement so that he can take over. Yeah, that's...an interesting family.
There are a few comedic moments, but they don't last as long as they do in other Tyler Perry productions; you're really just watching a drama, a really good drama! The tension just keeps building and building between these characters. You either become really annoyed with or feel really sorry for Chris. He's too blind to see that his wife is cheating on him, even though everyone else can see it. You really hate Andrea and can feel just how despicable she is. The moment when she got slapped in the movie had the entire theater howling and cheering. (That's my siblings' favorite part of the movie - they're so violent.) I should also mention the friendship between Charlotte and Alice is really good. It feels so genuine! Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard are fantastic in these roles; it's really good seeing these great actresses share the screen and share their friendship with us.
To be honest, I don't really have any problems with this movie. The pacing is good, the characters are good, the tone is different for Tyler Perry, and it works here. It has funny moments, a lot of heavy moments, and you'll just love this movie. A lot of people seem to talk about race in this movie, simply because the film features a White family and a Black family. Yeah, folks need to calm down. This movie is not trying to evoke any ideas or themes of racism; it's just trying to tell a story about the simultaneous friendship and tension between the two families. How about we let it be that rather than proclaim Tyler Perry is evoking racism? Watch the film for what it is, and you should enjoy it. BOOYIKA!
There are a few comedic moments, but they don't last as long as they do in other Tyler Perry productions; you're really just watching a drama, a really good drama! The tension just keeps building and building between these characters. You either become really annoyed with or feel really sorry for Chris. He's too blind to see that his wife is cheating on him, even though everyone else can see it. You really hate Andrea and can feel just how despicable she is. The moment when she got slapped in the movie had the entire theater howling and cheering. (That's my siblings' favorite part of the movie - they're so violent.) I should also mention the friendship between Charlotte and Alice is really good. It feels so genuine! Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard are fantastic in these roles; it's really good seeing these great actresses share the screen and share their friendship with us.
To be honest, I don't really have any problems with this movie. The pacing is good, the characters are good, the tone is different for Tyler Perry, and it works here. It has funny moments, a lot of heavy moments, and you'll just love this movie. A lot of people seem to talk about race in this movie, simply because the film features a White family and a Black family. Yeah, folks need to calm down. This movie is not trying to evoke any ideas or themes of racism; it's just trying to tell a story about the simultaneous friendship and tension between the two families. How about we let it be that rather than proclaim Tyler Perry is evoking racism? Watch the film for what it is, and you should enjoy it. BOOYIKA!