I would like Emmitt Perry Jr. to come to the front of the congregation for me please. For those who do not know and have not been a fan of Tyler Perry since middle school like I have, that is his real name. Please never call him that. This is for jokes so I can soften the blow of intensity of this movie! This review will have spoilers.
I’m going to start this review by saying two controversial things in one sentence. This is a exceptionally written script and movie….that was not written by Tyler Perry. I know what the credits say. I read them as well, but remember what I said just a paragraph ago. I am a fan. Like a fan fan. (When Black people say things twice, it means something.) I can tell you I can confidently say that I have seen almost every Tyler Perry play, movie, and one of his many shows was my fave back in the day. The way this movie ebbed and flowed combined with the way it ended did not seem like a traditional Perry work. And trust me, we always get a tried and true Perry work.
Couple of remarks about my three leads. Sherri Shepard did a great job! I’ve mainly seen Sherri as the funny lady all my life. I think the first time I saw her was on the “Jamie Foxx Show,” and she’s been that Sherri as long as I can remember. I’m glad she took this role to show us that other side of the comedian we all love when we see it. They say comedians are the best dramatic actors because of all the trauma and problems they make funny on a daily basis. That’s where the idea of the comedy and trauma masks come from.
Teyana Taylor is just too fine of a person to be playing a run of the mill police officer. And you can’t make her ugly because it didn’t look like she had a bunch of makeup on! That is just how Teyana’s face looks! Anyway, I enjoyed seeing her in this soft yet tough role. I think we see Taylor often as the boss lady and mom, and we really only got to see her soft with her kids (even though they’re kind of spunky, too.) She did a wonderful job with switching those gears and it feeling natural. I didn’t ever feel like she was acting, but that this was her actual job. The gear switching wasn’t flawless, but it did what it needed to for the film.
Listen, come close, Mr. Perry. I think this might be Taraji’s best performance. Don’t argue with me. I said what I said. I’ve seen almost all of Taraji’s films as well, and I think someone somewhere should really look at giving whatever award they can to her for this film. I’m never sure if the performance and movie have to be phenomenal or just the performance, but at any rate, please give Ms. Hensen her things. The way I was ready to kick Tyler Perry in his shins for Janiyah and she’s not. real person was unreal. He really put this woman through not only her own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day…it was thee worst day. I saw a spoiler on Facebook about the child dying, but I assumed something happened health wise with the child and that’s why she was robbing the bank.
There is nothing worse than the feeling after learning your loved one is dead, and I mean nothing. That death starts to set in the next day. Your mind starts to spin, your body becomes heavy, and you swear that person was just sitting next to you. You’re waiting for that call or that door to open and it never will. There are no words to describe that torment, but there was a way to show it and Perry did just that with this script (or whoever write it) while Hensen took us there through her performance.
Let’s skip to the end. The end is the main reason I don’t think Perry, alone, wrote this script. All of Tyler Perry dramas always have a dramatic last ten minutes, and this followed suit, but it was a phenomenal ten minutes. That’s not in the Tyler Perry wheelhouse. (I apologize to whoever knows Tyler Perry and will read this. Please tell him I’m a fan and I love his work, but as the owner of this blog, I must not tell lies.) The way I hear my best friend on the couch on the other side of the room sniffling, hard I might add, when that little girl was taken away from here mom at school AND THEN you tell us she was dead the entire time and none of what she was crying for was real?! I was distraught! She walked around with that heaviness and grief all day and turned her day into hell!
Honestly, I blame her boss, and bring Glynn Turman to the front with you, Mr. Perry. How dare you do a makeshift “A Different World” reunion in this movie and make our beloved Glynn Turman thee biggest asshole! Also, to the actor who played the cop who ran into her on her way back to work. I would like to speak to you directly. I would advise you to be incognito for a while because of people recognize you or. the man who played the FBI agent, depending on their own relationship with reality, you could be in danger. And not in danger like someone wants to hurt you but Tyler Perry has a special talent and it’s not making movies or TV shows. It’s creating villains that when you see them on the street you want to yell at them or walk over and tell them how much you don’t like them in that one show. Angela Robinson is a perfect example. IYKYK.
Tyler Perry, sir, I believe that you and whoever aided you in writing this movie did a wonderful job. Will I ever watch this movie again? No, no I won’t, but it has the potential to be revisited. It’s not quite “For Colored Girls.” I would also like to point out that in real life, she will be in prison for kidnapping and murder. I don’t watch as much “Law and Order: SVU” as my best friend, but I will ask her about the charges and prison sentence and get back to you all. Put her “SVU” degree to use.
I need to know from you all. Do you agree with me in my thinking. that Perry had a co-writer on this film?
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