To keep empire building, Perry needs to step up his game. And his new film -- the almost-musical I Can Do Bad All By Myself -- ain’t quite there.
47 Comments
09/09/09
Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself (2009)
62
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:37
Fresh:23
Rotten:14
Average Rating:5.9/10
Consensus: Though somewhat formulaic and predictable, Perry succeeds in mixing broad humor with sincere sentimentality to palatable effect.
Theatrical Release:Sep 11, 2009 Wide
Box Office: $51,697,449
Synopsis: When Madea, America’s favorite pistol-packing grandma, catches sixteen-year-old Jennifer and her two younger brothers looting her home, she decides to take matters into her own hands and delivers... [More]
Starring: Tyler Perry, Taraji P. Henson, Adam Rodriguez, Brian White
Director: Tyler Perry
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Reviews for Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself
Lurches around for nearly two hours before concluding that all its heroine needed all along was a good (and hunky) man and Jesus.
09/16/09
Not a very good movie, but it has some sincerely positive ideas, and those ideas almost make up for the fact that it's not a very good movie.
09/12/09
If Perry continues to surround himself with great talent like this, maybe it'll force him to step up his own game and make a movie that departs from his increasingly tired formula.
09/13/09
A pleasant, if predictable morality play offering a litany of teachable moments certain to resonate with the Born Again demographic.
09/13/09
While Perry is still preaching to the already converted, I Can Do Bad All By Myself confirms that he's finally figured out how to turn said sermonizing into a far more mainstream experience.
09/11/09
Taraji P. Henson is the Mary J. Blige of film.
09/16/09
Like a chef who keeps making the same recipe over and over, Tyler Perry has found his strength and he's sticking to it.
09/11/09
Despite a plot that’s arguably Perry’s most predictable, I Can Do Bad All By Myself is genuinely affecting when the gospel spirit takes hold and is a marked improvement over his last two pieces of moral burlesque.
09/11/09
There are absolutely no surprises in store, plot-wise, though Perry's approach has always been to rework familiar narrative conventions in such a way as to reaffirm key values.
09/11/09
I Can Do Bad acknowledges Madea's flaws with loving scrutiny, and doesn't require approval of her more selfish attributes.
09/12/09
By shoving half a dozen songs -- gospel, funk and soul -- into the film, Perry shows he still hasn't mastered pace and learned to sacrifice scenes to make his movies faster and smoother.
09/11/09
Tyler Perry's latest hodgepodge has its moments.
09/12/09
Top CriticClick to read the article
10/30/09
Ultimately, we wind up with another Tyler Perry movie in which a wayward woman must learn to submit to two patriarchies: the nice blue-collar guy who's going to solve her problems, and Jesus.
09/11/09
It's discouraging to watch Bad build an unusual rhythm in the opening scenes only to stop itself and sprint back into Madea/preach mode, where the uncomfortable marriage of Jesus and domestic violence reigns.
09/11/09
Though no one would cite him for the cinematic qualities of his visually pedestrian films, Perry is a master conductor of emotions.
09/14/09
Top CriticContrived, sentimental, tonally bipolar, and as predictable as clockwork, this latest from chitlin' circuit impressario Tyler Perry is just a fat slab of ecstatic entertainment.
10/02/09
Tyler Perry does good all by himself, but having Henson on board helps.
09/15/09
Parental Content Review
09/11/09
Latest News for Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself
September 13, 2009:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Tyler Perry Does Good All By Himself
This weekend Tyler Perry ruled the charts once again as fans flocked to North American multiplexes for his latest film I Can Do Bad All By Myself which gave the filmmaker his... More...
September 10, 2009:
Critics Consensus: 9 Looks Great, But The Plot's Weak
This week at the movies, we've got post-apocalyptic conflict (9, with voice work by Elijah Wood and Jennifer Connelly); Antarctic intrigue (Whiteout, starring Kate Beckinsale... More...
July 21, 2009:
Official Trailer with with Tyler Perry, Taraji P. Henson, Mary J. Blige, Hope Olaide Wilson, Brian White, Kwesi Nii-Lante Boakye, Frederick Siglar, Gladys Knight, Marvin Winans, and Adam Rodriguez 
More...
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