I appreciate what Perry is trying to do with his films, and it's nice to see an urban film that isn't a "Gangsta Picture", but he needs to tone down the soap opera qualities and let his stories unfold naturally.
Comment
10/08/08
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Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys (2008)
53
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Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:36
Fresh:19
Rotten:17
Average Rating:5.8/10
Consensus: Tyler Perry's The Family that Preys treads the filmmaker's established terrain of family loyalty and moral uprightness, though the occasionally predictable plot slides forward, aided by an excess of soapy melodrama.
Theatrical Release:Sep 12, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $37,019,849
Synopsis: Academy Award®-winner Kathy Bates and Academy Award®-nominee Alfre Woodard star as the matriarchs of two very different families being torn apart by greed and scandal in the contemporary drama... [More]
Starring: Kathy Bates, Alfre Woodard, Tyler Perry, Cole Hauser
Director: Tyler Perry
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Reviews for Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys
(Tyler) Perry, a cinematic one-man band who wrote the script, produces, directs and plays the role of a decent husband and construction worker, is still growing as a filmmaker.
09/29/08
To call The Family That Preys a transitional effort would be accurate and fair
09/25/08
It has Tyler Perry's trademark trio: sincerity, spirituality, and story. And if he passes on that other "s" -- subtlety -- that's all right.
09/19/08
This snail-paced film might as well take place in the 1950s, since it seems to have been inspired by one those Hollywood melodramas in which one company employs the entire town, and the only places free of corruption are the church and the local diner.
09/18/08
A simple tale of good versus evil that also delivers solid acting and an enjoyable script
09/18/08
The closest Perry has come to making something that looks like it belongs on a movie screen and not on a TV set or on the wall of a church basement.
09/17/08
Well, GOod for Ty,ler Perry. He has invented his own genre of movie.
09/16/08
Perry may not be dealing with race issues, but he still writes everything in black-and-white.
09/15/08
When he's not distracted trying to accessorize dresses, Tyler Perry can write a decent enough soap opera.
09/15/08
If all Tyler Perry did with The Family That Preys was give Alfre Woodard a good part, that would be enough to make the movie worth seeing. But he does more.
09/15/08
While it's wonderful to see actresses as shamefully underemployed as Woodard and Bates on the big screen, even they can't make sense of [these] incoherent characters.
09/15/08
The Family that Preys shows grand advances in the filmmaking education of playwright-turned-filmmaker Tyler Perry. It's also his soapiest film yet, an overwrought melodrama of sibling rivalry, infidelity, family business power plays and terminal illness.
09/15/08
To say that the plot is laboriously constructed is an understatement. The first hour is interminable, filled with dead air that suggests Perry the director was asleep at the switch.
09/15/08
By far the best thing about the enterprise is Woodard. If she's not in this thing, I think it goes kaput.
09/15/08
Top CriticThe film takes off when Woodard's and Bates' characters go on a Thelma & Louise-style road trip.
09/15/08
Top CriticThe movie plays almost exactly like four daily soap episodes stitched together.
09/15/08
Top CriticAs usual, the villains are very bad, and the good guys are very noble -- until they get mad and clock their wives.
09/15/08
Top CriticIt's hard to resist the movie's mixture of soap opera, humor and heart-filled homilies.
09/15/08
Top CriticThe suds that cascade through Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys more than equal the cubic footage from nighttime soaps like Dallas, Dynasty and their offspring.
09/15/08
Top CriticLatest News for Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys
January 19, 2009:
ActorsAndCrew.com: Perry's trademark sitcomish sermonizing has lightened up a bit here to explore hot topic race and class issues, but his 'family values is the best revenge' anthem, is awash as usual in sudsy mayhem. 
More...
January 13, 2009:
Tyler Perry's trademark sitcomish sermonizing has lightened up a bit here to explore hot topic race and class issues, but his 'family values is the best revenge' anthem, is awash as usual in sudsy mayhem.
More...
September 23, 2008:
Tyler Perry Expands Tyler Perry's Vast Media Empire
After making a bajillion dollars (and seemingly as many movies) on his own, Tyler Perry is ready to spread the wealth, and has announced plans to open a production company... More...
September 22, 2008:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Jackson Debuts Ahead of the Race
Movies were serious business this weekend with drama, Lakeview Terrace, heading the box office hands down while comedies My Best Friend's Girl, Igor, and Ghost Town trail... More...
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