Rated PG-13 for thematic material including sexuality, language, drug references and some domestic violence, 121 minutes
Sloppy, stale "Why Did I Get Married Too"
You'll wanna stay single after seeing "Why Did I Get Married Too," Tyler Perry's latest insipid, talky offering, a sequel to his 2007 hit "Why Did I Get Married." Four couples get together once again, this time in a tropical setting, to vacation and try to work on their relationships. A few entertaining moments highlight an otherwise messy, flat and sloppy film.
Gathered together in the Bahamas for their annual one-week reunion, four close couples eagerly reconnect, sharing news about their lives and relationships. But their intimate week in paradise is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of Sheila's (Jill Scott) ex-husband, Mike (Richard T. Jones), who hopes to break up her new marriage with Troy (Lamman Rucker) and win her back. The others soon realize they too are not immune to the challenges of commitment and fidelity.
Angela (Tasha Smith) doesn't believe her husband, Marcus (Michael Jai White), can be faithful now that he's a celebrity television newscaster. Dianne (Sharon Leal) and Terry's (Tyler Perry) relationship is feeling the strain of raising children. And Patricia (Janet Jackson), a successful self-help psychologist, must finally reveal the deep flaws in her seemingly perfect marriage to Gavin (Malik Yoba). With their relationships hanging in the balance when they return home, each couple must choose between blame and forgiveness, doubt and faith, with life-altering consequences.
"Why Did I Get Married Too" is lazy filmmaking at best, hardly revelatory and annoyingly contrived. This will still be successful, another hit for wildly successful entertainer Perry, who certainly knows his audience and can make movies on a budget. That doesn't mean his movies are great, but he delivers product he knows his audience will get. "Why Did I Get Married Too" is full of useless blathering, stilted dialogue and uninteresting drama (Example: "You are part of my past and there's no future in it."). It works best in its initial chapters when in the Bahamas then goes predictably worse as the couples return home.
Perry's direction and script are phoned in, and his pretty actors do the same. Singers Jackson and Scott are pretty (but Scott still cannot act) and White and Rucker are handsome as well, but it's loud-mouth, blowsy Tasha Smith who walks off with the movie (especially fun: when she gets someone's ashes blown in her face) and most of the alcohol. Watch for veterans Cicely Tyson (in a terrible wig) and Louis Gossett Jr. who show up briefly attempting to add a little credibility to the film.
Without Smith, the film wouldn't be any fun, but overall "Why Did I Get Married Too?" is still a lousy, overly sentimental and sloppy movie. As you leave the theater, you may be asking "Why did I see this movie?
