Why Did I Get Married Too?

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Earlier this year, the “New Yorker” magazine published an article written by Hilton Als in the April 26, 2010, issue, in which he wrote about Tyler Perry. In the article, Als highlights the fact that Perry is the most-financially successful black man in the American film industry. I am not going to argue this, but Al describes Perry’s cinematic style with numerous examples and references. After watching an Oprah Winfrey episode, Perry decided to launch his entertainment career with a meager savings of $12,000. Perry’s first theatrical feature in 1992, “I know I’ve Been Changed,” tanked initially, and success was hard to come by. He realized that he was targeting the wrong audience, and soon implemented a new launch strategy. During its second life in 1998, the show became hugely successful. Perry’s signature style always deals with relationships and human conditions. In this aspect, “Why Did I Get Married Too?” (2010) is no different from his other movies.


“Why Did I Get Married Too?” is a sequel to “Why Did I Get Married?” (2007). The film is the story of four married couples; the first half of the movie is set in Bahamas, whereas the later half is the aftermath of events arising from the marital situations of the couples. During their stay in the Bahamas, the couples discover several things about their marriages. On the surface, everyone seemed happy, but they all had issues to deal with. Diane (Sharon Leal) is suddenly so happy and full of life that causes Terry (Tyler Perry) to suspect she is having an affair. Sheila’s (Jill Scott) life is suddenly complicated by her ex-husband’s return in the Bahamas, and her husband Troy (Lamman Rucker) is having a hard time finding a job. Patricia (Janet Jackson) and Gavin (Malik Yoba) are living in a loveless marriage. And finally, we have Angela (Tasha Smith), who cannot trust her husband, Marcus (Michael Jai White), and thinks that he is having an affair behind her back.


Perry brings together an ensemble cast to present complicated situations in marriages, although with mixed results. Perry’s concept is good for this movie--but the big cast gives this film a TV show appearance rather than an involving piece on marriage. Resonating with Perry’s core themes about relationships, the film, nevertheless, touches on valid marriage issues. Through the characters, Perry provides a glimpse into their world and what they have become over the years. We have a spouse who is a control-freak, another one on the border of unfaithfulness, two living in a loveless marriage, and, finally, a couple dealing with the past. Here, each situation lays the groundwork to represent possible faces of marital discord. Yet Perry only superficially touches on them and the result is never involving.


The movie begins with the four couples arriving in the Bahamas Islands. I know how beautiful the Bahamas are, but I got irritated when I heard the four ladies talk about the Bahamas as if they were doing an advertising clip; the dialogue is redundant. After seeing Angela’s character, I agree with Als’s assessment, though not whole-heartily, on Perry in which he says, “Like much of Goldberg’s recent work, his movies condescend to their audience, conveying lazy cultural stereotypes about blackness.” The initial segment only reinforces gender stereotypes: Angela is loud, obnoxious, and wildly animated, while the couples later become confined to their gender groups; men discuss their fantasies and their past affairs, whereas women talk about their insecurities. Not to mention, Angela overshadows everything, even if someone is trying to make sense, and therein lies the biggest problem of the movie. Agreed, she adds energy and provides some light comedic moments, but with every scene, her personality gets unavoidably brimming with madness.


Having said this, Janet Jackson’s performance is the best of the lot. The movie was shot during the time when Michael Jackson died, and there was an uncertainty surrounding Janet Jackson’s involvement later on in the project. Nonetheless, she stood strong during a tough emotional period, and she stayed the course to complete the movie. Perry’s depiction of Patricia and Gavin’s marriage is emotionally satisfying; Perry explores the height of darkness that a relationship can take, and Janet Jackson perfectly represents this aspect. Initially, Patricia is shown as a quiet person who emotionally swallows everything without giving a whiff to anyone. But things get worse upon her return from the Bahamas, and her marriage comprises a series of “war-of-roses” moments in which she is not willing to back down; Gavin responds accordingly and that results in the convincing portrayal of a marriage breakdown. Jackson’s transformation brings a certain degree of satisfaction to the otherwise hollow characters.


Finally, Hiton Als concludes in the article that “In Perry’s hands, blackness is not a complicated, unresolved fact of American life but an occasion for shallow melodrama.” Indeed, there are moments in the film laced with melodrama: Sheila’s anxieties, Diane’s explanation to Terry, and Patricia’s reaction in the final moments make this movie overly sentimental at times. Nonetheless, say whatever you like, Tyler Perry is hugely successful in spite of this misfire. “Why Did I Get Married Too?” has its moments, but the movie runs a little long, and the end result is never as thought provoking as Perry probably desired it to be.


Video:


Lionsgate presents this movie in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The colors are bright and vibrant throughout. The detail is consistent and improved over the DVD. The close-ups reveal adequate detail, with lifelike colors.


Audio:
For this release, we get a 5.1 DTD-HD Master Audio track. The dialogue is clear for the most part; however, on occasions it lacks depth and does not get much boost from this lossless track. The soundtrack brings life to the surround sound, but the film is mainly driven by the front channels.


Extras:


Starting off the extras, we get a featurette, “Girls Talk: Women of Married.” Here, the female actors discuss their characters. They shed light on the complexity of some characters. Following this, we are presented with another featurette, “The Male Bonding,” in which the male actors provide their thoughts on male characters in the movie. Finally, included on the disc is a Janet Jackson’s music video titled “Nothing.”


Parting Thoughts:


“Why Did I Get Married Too?” suffers from predictability and a lack of interesting characters. Perry tackles a valid issue of marriage, but with a huge cast, the movie comes across like a TV soap opera. Nonetheless, fans of Tyler Perry should check it out.

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