| Movie
Review: The Family That Preys
By
Kam Williams
First,
on the stage, then on screen, Tyler Perry has successfully
introduced his unique brand of modern morality plays uniquely
flavored with the distinctive refrains of African-American
culture. These uplifting, faith-based melodramas tend to explore
a variety of timely themes of concern to the black community
while mixing in generous helpings of Tyler’s trademark
comedy.
His latest
offering, The Family That Preys, is a slight variation
on the familiar formula in that whites have been added to
the principal cast. But the film otherwise relies on the staples
of a typical Tyler Perry production, namely, well-crafted
female characters summoning up the gumption to deal with dysfunction
in real-life crises pitting good versus evil.
This story
revolves around Alice Pratt (Alfre Woodard) and Charlotte Catrwright
(Kathy Bates), Southern matriarchs presiding over a couple of
families about to be embroiled in the same scandal. Socialite
Charlotte is the CEO of the multi-million dollar construction
company she inherited from her late husband, while relatively-humble
Alice owns a down-home diner located across the tracks called
A Wing and a Prayer. Despite the difference between their financial
fortunes, the widows’ have remained best friends over
the years, a relationship about to be sorely tested.
The point
of departure is the wedding of Alice’s almost college-graduated
daughter Andrea (Sanaa Lathan) to Chris (Rockmund Dunbar),
an unemployed blue-collar worker. During the reception, Charlotte’s
married son, William (Cole Hauser), who can barely hide his
attraction to the bride, promises both her and the groom jobs
with the Cartwright Corporation after the honeymoon.
The film
then fast-forwards four years, and we discover that Andrea
is already unhappy being the principal bread-winner. She neither
respects her husband, nor shows much interest in raising their
young son, whom she leaves for long stretches at the diner
to be cared for by her waitress sister (Taraji P. Henson).
The picture
soon starts dropping hints at every turn that Andrea might
be sleeping with her boss, too, from her working overtime
in the evenings, to her having a secret six-figure bank account,
to her driving a Mercedes company car, to her wearing jewelry
she couldn’t afford. Cuckolded Chris is either too trusting
or too dense to notice anything funny until his brother-in-law,
Ben (Perry), finally blurts out the truth.
Meanwhile,
equally-clueless Charlotte talks Alice into joining her in
a classic convertible for a hedonistic cross-country trip
reminiscent of The Bucket List or Thelma & Louise, take
your pick. The overplotted production has creepy William not
only cheating on his wife (KaDee Strickland), but planning
to fleece his mother out of her controlling interest in the
family business.
Fortunately,
Charlotte and Alice return just in the nick of time to right
the wrongs and to tie up the rest of the loose ends oh so
satisfactorily. That’s the magic of the Tyler Perry
genre. A pat and predictable cautionary tale which nonetheless
manages to push the right emotional buttons every time.
Excellent
(4 stars)
Rated PG-13 for mature themes, sexual references and brief
violence.
Running time: 111 minutes
Studio: Lions Gate Films
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