Review of I Can Do Bad All By Myself (2009) by Sheri H — 14 Jul 2010

Based on his past syrupy dramas with the plot structures of Little Golden Books, the prolific Tyler Perry can clearly do bad all by himself. Audience approved but critically disapproved, Perry's bottomless bottle of feel-good pills starring himself as a 7-foot granny have tested the patience of this reviewer in the past. His latest, however, actually stands testament to this filmmaker's cinematic strengths as well as weaknesses. More than any of his works, Bad made each of these points glaringly apparent. The movie is still sub-standard, cloying fluff at best, but there shines a hope that success is making Perry a better writer and filmmaker...if only he could lose the 7-foot granny in drag.

In this PG-13-rated drama, some delinquent siblings (Hope Olaide Wilson, et al) are put in the care of their aunt, a boozy nightclub singer (Henson) who wants nothing to do with them.

Admittedly, your terminally cynical reviewer found himself drawn into the ranking and rising optimism of the powerful second act...only to be let down by Perry's endless sermonizing. Backed by rousing gospel music (and Gladys Knight), Perry built his very flawed main character up in a revealing worship scene only to chillingly have her confront a villainous boyfriend in the next. For 20 amazing minutes, it proved to be the only time that your reviewer completely bought the dialogue and intentions of these players. Rather than a satisfying wrap up, however, more histrionics ensued. The frustratingly unfunny scenes involving Madea also rankle what could have been a solid effort on Perry's part.

Bottom line: Perry bad things.