Tyler Perry's the Family That Preys: Review By Rama's SCREEN

THE FAMILY THAT PREYS is yet another accomplishment in the preachy world of Tyler Perry. The writer/director who always puts gospel themes and Christianity in his movies takes us back again to the meaning of family and marriage. This is… one of my favorites movie of the year but I’d be careful to put it as one of the best because it could’ve been tweaked and tightened a bit more here and there. Nevertheless, the story will strike a chord with Tyler Perry’s fans.

No one can deny the success of playwright turned filmmaker Tyler Perry, from having mere nothing to now a respected millionaire, all from making movies based on his plays and his original material. You just got to admire the talent and how far he’s come in life.

What I’m very impressed about is that THE FAMILY THAT PREYS carries a certain secular brand of humor and set of jokes but they’re not only funny but they also never go beyond the limit of what is necessary. The drama presented in the story might be a bit soap opera-ish, if you will, but scribe Tyler Perry carefully puts in words of wisdom and place them accordingly, where they need to be,.. to compliment the plot, the characters and the situation at hand.

Does it seem preachy? Yes, but that’s to be expected when you’re watching a Tyler Perry movie. He has a target audience and if you’re not one of them and you don’t like the sermon, then sorry, go watch something else.

It’s not like MPAA is going to give his movies rated P for Preachy.

His fans know what to expect when watching his movies.

Does it come off as a bit trying to convert you? At times, maybe… but in the end his story tries to get a message across that there is so much more in this life than just money and the wellness of oneself. Other movies have indeed carry similar themes but Tyler Perry has his own way of presenting it.

I’m glad he cast two great actresses, Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard as two old lady friends going on a cross country road trip. The energy and the intensity they bring to the characters they play are unlike any other performers could every try to do. They’re definitely the role models for the rest of the cast of this movie who each of them actually does a pretty fine job as well.

Sometimes I kinda wish Tyler Perry’s movies don’t look so much like his a stage play. If only the movie versions would have more theatrical elements and better cinematography. Sometimes I wish his movies would show some background in a form of flashbacks rather than to just surprise the audience with something from the character’s past, revealed nearing the last parts of the movie, something that’s been motivating the character and we had no idea about it all along.

Overall, it is a very good, clean drama with good moral value lessons that would make you wanna become a better person to yourself and others.