New on Blu: Why Did I Get Married Too?

| by Allan Stackhouse |

When you think of black characters, which ones come to mind? A gangster? A drug dealer? Some other stereotype with a comedic twist put on it? You might not even be aware of this stereotype but the significance of Tyler Perry's films begin with his realistic black characters. He's well aware of the existence of the token characters and includes some of them in his films but he also includes regular everyday people who just so happen to have darker skin. I don't think anyone who hasn't taken a black history class or ever paid that much attention to black history sees the significance of Tyler Perry's films, choosing to form their opinion from trailers, guesses or negative review titles, but if he will not do it, who will? Michael Bay? James Cameron? David Lynch? There is no dancing around a coffee table in 2008's Why Did I Get Married? nor in this year's sequel Why Did I Get Married Too? but the film is a solid story about a group of four married couples whose lives may seem perfect but are far from it.

What I like in particular of Why Did I Get Married Too? is first and foremost its characters. The positive representations of black people in this film could so easily be switched out with white people, Native Americans, Jews, you name it. The film doesn't take too much time to explain what the characters do since it is a sequel but the professions of two of them are a doctor and sports commentator. What a big difference to see this group of people in nice homes with happy children instead of in the projects with guns. It is this effort from Tyler Perry to show the world that life for black people isn't just gangs, drugs, and crime that I appreciate and respect. In this film, and all his others, Tyler gets a solid performance out of each of his actors. It saddens that, to this day, tokenism, though not at its previous levels is still around (see Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief or any other movie that Denzel Washington is not in).

There is such rich situational comedy in this film. One of the funniest moments of the film is when Angela, relaxed and refreshed from a dip in the tropical ocean, is suddenly covered with human ashes. She runs back into the ocean and her screams can be heard in the background as Patricia, Sheila, and Dianne get to know the old married couple who were spreading the ashes. The comedy is also tongue in cheek at times. Angela's elderly white neighbor is a bit of a nosy nag who cannot outright say things to her.

The tension that's provided for these characters is a little peculiar at first. Mike, Sheila's ex-husband in the first film, more than coincidentally appears at the same vacation spot and it is not only annoying for the cast but annoying for me as well. It's narratively too convenient to have this person there for no reason other than to start conflict. The foreshadowing of the conflicts for Tyler Perry's (a director who is really capable of acting and directing, ahem, M. Night) Terry and Sharon Leal's Dianne are first hinted at when Dianne accidentally calls Terry 'Phil.' She comes home with a bouquet of flowers which Terry finds the card stick inside. It's these little snowflakes of conflict that snowball into the drama that builds in the film.

The dramatic lengths that Janet Jackson's Patricia goes through in this film are nothing short of impressive. After violently restraining Patricia during an argument, Gavin burns the album that carried their baby's pictures. She falls into a despair of drinking and smoking, avoiding all contact with everyone. Patricia goes absolutely psychotic when her husband tries to take some of his belongings from their home. She shows up behind Terry and Troy like a serial killer and smashes everything in sight. Janet's natural tone of voice is completely overshadowed by the despair and fury from the destruction she releases upon the house. Tyler Perry had a wonderful subject in Janet Jackson, drawing out a completely memorable and terrifying performance.

I was pleased to see some growth in Jill Scott's acting abilities. I found them to be a little green in Why Did I Get Married?. Angela is absolutely incredible. She's such a hothead and is the one character out of the group that has some of that token sass. I understand its use in other films in that it provides humor, as does in this film, but that being the default depiction of black women is not fair or right. Michael Jai White gives another killer performance. One of my favorite lines of his is “This dude just threw a ficus through a window.” His incredulous face at Angela when she is going off on another rant is priceless. There is expression in his face but also a look of absolute horror in his eyes.

Honestly, I am appalled that this film is rated so poorly on IMDb. It was so refreshing for me to see such a positive portrayal of relationships amongst any people instead of the ridiculous melodrama that the films being marketed to today's youth is being presented as. This is my second favorite Tyler Perry film, right behind Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

5/5