Movie Review: “Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions Of A Marriage Counselor”
March 31, 2013
It has come to the point that if I see a preview for a movie that features a predominantly large African American cast, I assume it was made (or produced/presented) by Tyler Perry. I had that thought when I first saw the trailer for “Temptation: Confessions Of A Marriage Counselor,” and again when I saw “Peeples,” which looks like a “Meet The Parents” remake.
And it pisses me off.
Why? I am mad that Tyler Perry is apparently the ONLY person doing this. There is a lot of (justified) dislike for Tyler Perry movies in general, but if anything we can say he is doing a lot for his community in the entertainment industry and he should be rewarded for it. But please, please, someone else join it too. Maybe take the reigns from him. Then I won’t have to see movies like this one.
The movie begins at a government office with a marriage counselor, and a couple coming in to possibly divorce. Why? Well, secretly, the wife has found another and is making her man miserable. Well, girlfriend, you need to hear the story about the marriage counselor’s “sister”, Judith (Jurnee Smollett-Bell). She grew up with Brice (Lance Gross), fell in love with him, and they have been married for years! Him, a pharmacist, her, having a masters in something or another.
With that degree, all she did was land herself in some high class match making firm, helping come up with the matching algorithms, through psychology and shit. Harley (Robbie Jones) is a programmer who made the third biggest social network website (oh man!) and he wants to invest in the company. But maybe, just maybe, he wants to invest himself in Judith. Oh yeahh.
Judith’s mother taught her how to be a good wife. Cook meals for his man, always be there for him, not to be swayed by fast cars and money. Fast cars and money are the devil! Well, the devil is so…I don’t know, tempting!
There is also a side story of a new girl (Brandy Norwood) at Brice’s pharmacy, who is super secretive, and maybe on the run from an abusive ex boy friend. Also “featuring” Kim Kardashian as the “Bitch from Judith’s work”, Vanessa Williams as their boss, and Renee Taylor as the bigoted old white lady.
Well, everything that happens in this movie is predictable, nothing will come as a shock. It does, however, escalate so much out of control that there is a chance multiple people could die! Who knew that being an adulterer could lead to death. What is this, “Mean Girls?”
The ending is a complete mess. Not the actual ending where the climax occurs, but the slower part afterwards, when you remember that this entire thing was a story from a government issued marriage counselor. The girl who was fooling around literally is left crying from the story and agrees to never give into the temptation of another man and love her husband forever. What?!
I guess that was an easy enough solution to everyone’s problems.
But back to the movie. The acting wasn’t that great, but you knew that when you saw that Kardashian was billed third overall. It moves far too slow at the beginning, and it is a predictable drab overall. I was actually excited to watch this film because, as I have said before, Tyler Perry is good at dramas! But that was only using “For Colored Girls” as my only TP Drama reference, and it wasn’t an original work of his. My bad, maybe action is his best role?
1/5.