The movie ‘Why Did I get married’? (2007) is based on a play written by Tyler Perry, who also directed it for the big screen.

Bio Data: Tyler Perry was born on September 13, 1969 in New Orleans, Louisiana, under the name Emmitt Perry Jr. after his father. Perry’s father was a very abusive man and in an attempt to escape the abuse, Perry tried to commit suicide; thankfully, this attempt failed. He changed his name at the age of 16 to escape having to be branded with his father’s name.
Perry earned his GED after dropping out of high school. He has had around 30 jobs before his dreams of being a playwright, a producer, a screenwriter, and an actor finally came true. Perry has directed several other movies, including Why Did I Get Married Too? Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Meet The Browns, Madea Goes To Jail, and The Family That Preys.

The Movie: "Why Did I Get Married?" is a simple film with a standard screenplay. The movie talks about four couples dealing with various marital conflicts. Each relationship is suffering from some type of strain, and many couples/viewers can instantly relate to their problems. Here, Tyler Perry {the writer} subtly introduces us to the facts about their characters; Tyler Perry just has them announce things flat-out with phony expository dialogue like this:
"I am a pediatrician!"

"You and your control issues!"

"You weren't saying that (complaining about my not having a job) when I was playing pro ball, before I got hurt!"

"You're the same pain in the xxxx you were when we were roommates!"

"You could lose about 50 pounds, then, I might be somewhat attracted to you." (Some men actually do this and it’s so humiliating to their partners).

Based on another one of Perry's seemingly endless pile of stage plays, "Why Did I Get Married?" is about four affluent married couples (all best friends), who once a year take a week-long retreat to focus on their unions and try to strengthen their relationships. They go on a trip together every year to discuss how their marriages are doing and to answer the question – Why did I get married. The couples' vacation retreat is in the snowy mountains of Colorado. Each couple is surprised upon the arrival of Sheila’s single, slim and beautiful friend Trina (Denise Boutte). They are even more surprised to find out that Mike and Trina flew together while Sheila drove alone.

One of the women, a psychologist named Patricia (Janet Jackson), has written a bestselling self-help book about Marriage. At a college lecture, a student who had read the book asks for follow-up info on one of the couples, and Patricia says, "I don't really like to talk about my friends." This is silly, since she wrote a book about them.

Patricia the smug psychologist has an ascot-wearing husband named Gavin (Malik Yoba), and their pain is that their child died not too long ago. Terry (Tyler Perry) and Diane (Sharon Leal), the pediatrician and his lawyer wife, are at odds because she is too busy to spend time with him, and also because he wants another kid and she does not. Marcus (Michael Jai White) and Angela (Tasha Smith), a cheat and an alcoholic, respectively, pretty much just scream at each other all the time.
In a chain of events so improbable as to derail the film before it's even gotten start, Sheila is kicked off the plane for being too fat, and her husband Mike stays onboard, telling her to drive to Colorado instead leaving him on the plane with Trina Sheila whom Mike is -- OBVIOUSLY!! -- sleeping with. Absurdly, Trina, a single woman whom no one else has met, is joining Sheila and Mike (what boldness) and the three other couples on this couples-only retreat designed to strengthen the couples' relationships. I know that men cheat, and I know that women are often oblivious to it, and I know that men do dumb things sometimes, but COME ON, not a bit of this makes any sense.

The first half of the film has the four couples, the mistress and the rugged local sheriff (Lamman Rucker), spending time at the cabin and eventually shouting out one another's secrets. The second half is back in whatever city they all live in, where we bounce from one couple to another as they work through the aftermath and resolve their differences one way or the other.

The Cast
Terry (Tyler Perry) is married to workaholic Diane (Sharon Leal) and is continuously yearning for more attention from her. She is a lawyer who frequently checks and talks on her Blackberry while her husband wishes that attention could be focused on him. This is a type of relationship that can be seen in today's society. There are many career women these days who strive for success, and may place their husbands' needs on the back burner. This was my favorite couple, because it is something that many career women have to deal with. It is interesting to see how they dealt with it in the movie.
Patricia (Janet Jackson) and husband Gavin (Malik Yoba) seem very well put together. You wouldn't suspect that there is anything wrong with this couple only to find out, they are dealing with the loss of their child. Patricia feels she is to blame for their son’s accidental death and cannot get over the guilt.
Angela (Tasha Smith) is a mouthy hairdresser who owns her own salon. She belittles her husband Marcus, (Michael Jai White) who is a former NFL star, for not having a job. This couple brought the most laughs for me. It is funny to see the embarrassment Marcus has to go through as his no shame wife flies off the handle.

Sheila (Jill Scott) is constantly ridiculed for being overweight by her rude and inconsiderate husband Mike (Richard T. Jones). This is another real life couple that can be seen these days. Sometimes women can be wonderful on the inside, but seen as hideous on the outside. It is great to see the life change that Sheila endures during this movie.
Like all of Perry's films ("Diary of a Mad Black Woman," Reunion, “hilarious by the way) and presumably "Daddy's Little Girls," though I haven't seen it but will during the week so I can do a review on it); "Why Did I Get Married?" is blunt in the way it presents its messages. The morals and platitudes, enacted by one-note characters without substance, are spelled out like the slogans on a church's marquee.
 

Personal comments: Black Christian women are Perry's most faithful audience, and while there is consistently a Christian undertone in his work, the religious elements in this film are uncomfortably wedged in with just a few lines of dialogue. It is almost as if Perry wrote the story, realized he had forgotten to pay lip service to Jesus, then went back to add a few sentences as an afterthought. It feels artificial, and not the same kind of morality-play-artificial as the rest of the movie.
The movie also has a comical side to it, which I absolutely loved. There are so many funny parts that keep me laughing every time. I did find it to be unrealistic for the beautiful friend Trina to arrive on a vacation that was meant for married couples. I could pretty much tell what was going to happen in regards to this little trio of Mike, Shelia, and Trina. And I am sure the airline could have made some type of accommodation for Sheila. But, it is definitely a movie that I could watch over and over again. And I have done that because I greatly enjoyed this movie.
Due to the rise in divorce rates that has now been welcomed in our society, this movie can help couples take a deeper look at their relationships and have some laughs at the same time. Similar movies include Our Family Wedding and the Best Man.
I would suggest this movie to anyone who may want to improve their relationship. Along with being humorous, this movie has a serious side that may even bring a heartfelt tear to your eye.
If married couples are experiencing trouble this movie can help them think back to the reasons they got married in the first place.

Married: Why did you get married? Singles: Why do you want to get married? Be sincere to yourself as you comment.

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