I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF
By: Jack Hunt, 1.24.2010
The Movie Itself:
I’ve read mixed reviews on this film. Some raving about the situational comedy and its overall message, others that seem quick to dismiss it as nothing but drivel. I’m kind of caught in between. ‘I Can Do Bad All By Myself’ isn’t a particularly bad movie; it just isn’t that good either. Let’s just clear something’s up first; I’m not particularly a huge fan of Tyler Perry in general, as I feel some people should pick a side, either in front or behind the camera. I mean, I think we all can admit the guy is no Orson Welles, very few are, but he does do something’s very well. Producing logical, crafted stories that play to the crowd and his pictures always seem to make money, all good things. If not popular in theme, sometimes vague in apparent humor and with stories that seem either rushed or drag on longer than they should, bad things. But hey, ‘Hope is closer than you think.’ In fact, it’s only 113 minutes away.
Madea (Perry) comes home to find troubled teens, Jennifer (Wilson) and her brothers robbing her home, those crazy kids. She is left with little choice other than to dump them on their closet inapt family member, April (Henson). An alcoholic by day, lounge singer by night, she lives off her married boyfriend Randy (White). That is until a Mexican immigrant, stud muffin, moves into her basement. So typical! April and the Sandino (Rodriguez), that’s right I said the Sandino because he’s so dreamy, but anyway they have something in common. They are both looking for a way out of their difficult relationships and to escape the drudgery of past mistakes. Throw some wild antics in-between, with the occasional infused humor added to a minor extent, and April soon realizes that she has lived her life in vain. All it really took was someone to believe in her and Sandino is that man. Soon after she opens up her world to him, she realizes that it’s time to make that change. In the end, April has to choose between her wicked ways and a new found chance at faith, family and true love with a kicker… and she looks pretty good on a box cover. Blah, blah… blah and bingo!
Tyler Perry portrays two character roles in the film, Madea and Joe. Madea is an older, overweight woman that is a creation of Perry’s and often added to some of his films for comic relief. Much like Robin Williams character in ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ or Eddie Murphy’s various alter-ego’s, they pretty much have nothing to say and hardly ever achieve what they are ultimately there to do, which is to make people laugh. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m just not a fan of the stereotypical images they portray. Fat, old, loud people are funny I guess, I get it. I think? I would have actually loved to attend a theatrical screening of this film for review, just to see what kind of effect those scenes have on the audience. My prediction would that they would probably score big laughs. The reasoning behind that prediction is fairly simple, as I believe most people who attend Tyler Perry films are Tyler Perry fans and they always seem to turn out in big numbers. Which leads me to the question of, who are these people? Why do Tyler Perry’s films score big Box Office returns? I think it’s largely due to the fact that most people know what to expect for him, staring as the writer / actor / director, his films tend to become predictable. But why anyone would release a comedy on September 11th is beyond me.
To illustrate this wild assumption that Tyler Perry films are predictable, here are some of the more popular situations and outcomes that plague his work. The typical struggling alcoholic, who is in a dead-end relationship and who always fails at everything she attempts. She even fails at trying to off her married boyfriend, been there and done that, even the old electrocute you in the bathtub ploy is stale. But get this folks, it turns out that she was abused as a child, so that makes attempted murder ok. Continuing on the predictability theme with; the typical preachy Pastor, the Mexican immigrant who is really St. Handyman cometh, Madea… again, Mary J. Blige as the sassy bartender who is full of good advice but can still never seem to advance beyond anything more than just being a bartender, oh wait a minute she sings too. I could go on, but do you really want me too? I’ll take the silence as a no. I think Tyler Perry’s next project should be a how to book. How to write the screen adaption of a Tyler Perry play. Add two tablespoons of situational comedy, 3 cup’s of one dimensional character’s, a sprinkle of tears; then let it all simmer for 45 minutes too long. I’d rather watch an episode of ‘Grill it! With Bobby Flay’, well, not really. I actually had to attend an event hosted by Bobby Flay a couple of years ago. Good food, but he can be a real jerk. Not that I know him personally or anything and I’m sure he is a great at being a person.
Some might argue my score as a little low, maybe even harsh, but I just call them as I see them. In the case of ‘I Can Do Bad All By Myself’, I’m truly left with nowhere else to go. It’s certainly not a 10, not even a 5, but it’s also nowhere near a 1. So, I met it somewhere in the middle, with a slight bump up for some enjoyable performances. Again, it’s not a particularly terrible movie and does offer some light hearted moments and I can even see in this film why Tyler Perry continues to succeed. Even though he might play it safe at times, they man can play-out a story and screenplay to a fair level of enjoyment. On an off note, the IMDB suggests ‘From Here to Eternity’ as a database film recommendation. Saying that the recommendation was a mere system formality would be an understatement. To quote Lloyd Bentsen, who said to Dan Quayle during the 1988 Vice-Presidential debate. “I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.” Well, I couldn’t have said it better myself. ‘I Can Do Bad All By Myself’ is no ‘From Here to Eternity.’
Rating: 3/10
 The Presentation:
‘I Can Do Bad All By Myself’ makes its Blu-ray debut with a decent 1080p ~AVC MPEG-4 transfer. Consistency is a minor problem in scene transitions, which sometimes seem to switch from heavy grain laden effects to a lighter natural appearance. It’s a fairly bright disc, but never overly so. The depth is sometimes hindered by a loss of sharpness or a clear set to most scenes. It appears in waves of bright and intense scenes that continue to become nothing but drab and dull. Interiors are strong, if lacking in contrast and exteriors play well with each other. Colors seem to fluctuate at times, mostly evident in overall tones. They are vivid in display, seemingly always setting the right mood. The nightclub scenes are a fine example to the broad range in palette, but in certain settings the colors almost feel cartoonish. Skin tones are natural, but pasty in some situations. In short, a solid transfer that lacks any real outstanding qualities.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround track provides a decent environment to compliment the transfer. The disc sounds fairly natural and clear, with deep bass and smooth dialogue exchanges. Ambiance is light through surrounds, as they are hardly ever engaged, but it’s not a huge problem in this particular film. Overall, the Blu-ray disc excels in some situations and leaves really little to complain about. On the same note, there isn’t really that much to rave about. It’s a solid and clean transfer that one would except from a new release, but offers no real depth and spotty colors. The transfer gets the job done though and is a clear upgrade over the DVD release.
Rating: 7/10 (video 7/10, audio 6/10)
 The Extras:
The only extras Tyler Perry is concerned with are those that supplement his featured characters. Proof of this can be found on ‘I Can Do Bad All By Myself’, as the Blu-ray disc fails to offer any real goodies. In short; Tyler Perry doesn’t care about extras and frankly, sometimes neither do I.
A Soulful Ensemble: Cast and crew talking about the background of film. (HD 10 min)
The Power of Music: A brief sampling of some of the more famous cast and their music. (HD 6 min)
Tyler's Block Party: An inside look at a scene that didn’t make the cut. Now I’ve been to a couple of block parties in my life and they all were the sorriest excuse for a good time. This one is no different. (HD 4 min)
Trailer: Theatrical Trailer for ‘I Can Do Bad All By Myself’. (HD 2 min)
Rating: 2/10
Overall:
Love him or hate him, Tyler Perry is a minor accomplished writer/ actor/ director, who continues to pump out financially successful films. They may not always be great works of art, but they’re certainly not pieces of trash either. Fans of the film will be pleased with the Blu-ray release as the disc is solid, with definite improvements and a fine transfer. First time viewers might have mixed opinions on the film itself, but it’s really up to the viewer to judge. Give this one a rent on a sleepy weekday, then try and get some sleep.
Rating: 5/10
|
