We walked into "The Family That Preys" with very low expectations due to Tyler Perry's signature poorly developed scripts, over or underacting big-name actors, and oftentimes "coonish" characters (i.e. Madea).
But were we surprised! This film knocked us out!
It was the perfect combination of a well developed, multi-layered story and outstanding acting!
First and foremost... We have long listed Vanessa Williams as the best actress in film and placed Alfre Woodard and Lorretta Divine at a close #2. This stellar performance elevated Woodard to the #1 spot. Her performance was just stellar (refer to the phone call scene).
Sanaa Lathan did an outstanding job playing Woodard's daughter (as she has done before in Love & Basketball).
Even Taraji Henson stepped her game up and pushed emotions in her role as Lathan's sister. Interestingly enough, Henson stole this role from Academy Award Winner Jennifer Hudson by giving a tremendous audition.
Although our main criticism in the film was that Perry overcompensated a bit by making all of the men unbelievably weak. Yet in still, Rockmon Dunbar (Soul Food) was great. And... we think Tyler Perry should hire experienced actors rather than place himself in roles by which we still hear him using "Madea's" dialect.
Overall, I enjoyed this film much better than the ridiculousness of "Meet the Browns".
Welcome Back, Tyler Perry!
2 comments:
Vanessa Williams as the number one best actress? Um...I don't know about that one. She maybe be in the top 25. She doesn't have enough movies under her belt to be close to Miss Woodard or Miss Divine who both come from the theater.
I must agree, Tyler Perry truly "stepped his game up" with this film with a clearer and more "flowie" story and a great plot. I don't think his character was weak. He was just being practical about job security.
As far as Vanessa is concerned, I feel like she has an incredible range which I have seen in the various roles she has done. I love everything she has been in .
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