Why Did I Get Married Too? Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Why Did I Get Married Too? Blu-ray Movie Review

Tyler Perry can do mediocre all by himself.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 6, 2010

Is Tyler Perry the male Oprah? While he hasn’t started a talk show (yet), the entrepreneurial playwright, actor, director, screenwriter and producer seems poised to give Ms. Winfrey a run for her literal money. Perhaps even more so than Winfrey, Perry has been able to tap into the cultural zeitgeist of the modern black American, in the process managing to rake in several hundreds of millions of dollars in box office receipts. If Perry’s most famous creation, the gun toting grandma Madea Simmons, is a patently stereotypical cartoon, Perry’s other, relatively more subdued screen creations have managed to give a Cosby-esque peek inside African Americans who are at the very least middle class (and in some cases seemingly more than that), smart, successful and, to use a much maligned word from the last Presidential election, articulate. Why Did I Get Married Too, Perry’s first foray into a proper sequel (though Madea herself has appeared in a variety of films), mines the same couple-centric psychobabble which made the first film in the series a moderate success, but this time out, the going is significantly more hackneyed, with a sort of ragtag approach that never gels into a cohesive dramatic arc. The film is absolutely gorgeous to watch, the result of large swaths of it having been filmed next to the stunning aquamarine waters of the Bahamas, but its dramatically turgid, a haphazard affair which lurches uneasily from not very funny comedy to some pretty shocking melodrama.

You'd be smiling, too, if you had an all-expenses paid "working" vacation to the Bahamas.

Why Did I Get Married Too picks up with the same four couples who were introduced in Perry’s first Married film, though they’re all in significantly different spaces (and in one case, place) than they were in the first film. Perry himself portray Terry, married to power attorney Dianne (Sharon Leal). Tempestuous Angela (Tasha Smith) is even more upset than usual with husband Marcus (Michael Jai White) since he’s gotten a lucrative hosting job on a cable sports network. Relationship author Patricia (Janet Jackson) and husband Gavin (Malik Yoba) seem to have worked through the death of their son, though Married Too in one of several plot faults never spends much time with this couple, so that a series of plot machinations at around the halfway point seem unmotivated and as the film progresses into some fairly lurid melodrama, worse than that. Overweight Sheila (Jill Scott) has divorced Mike (Richard T. Jones) and married Troy (Lamman Rucker), though the couple has moved from Colorado to Georgia and Troy cannot find work there.

Perry cuts some corners in the introductions of these couples, assuming that audiences have either seen the first film or will be able to quickly glean the relationships. While that’s a simple task with the volatile bickering of Angela and Marcus, it’s a considerably more difficult affair with Pat and Gavin and even to a certain extent Terry and Dianne. Once we’re in the picture perfect setting of the Bahamas timeshare, and ex-husband Mike shows up, at least the conflict between Troy and Sheila is made clear, though over and over in this film Perry resorts to clichés and pop psychology, not very good substitutes for actual character development. While it may be true to life, Perry also typically has the guys hanging out with the guys, and the women with the women, where they each bitch and moan about their spouses. Then the couples have their scenes together, where they bitch and moan to each other about their various problems. There’s very little lightness of spirit here, despite the exotic setting.

Why Did I Get Married Too feels especially forced with the unnecessary cameos of Louis Gossett, Jr. and Cicely Tyson as an elderly couple who take part in the vacationers’ “why did I get married” ritual. The rambling story this aged couple tells has little to do with the emotional matters at hand with the four “regular” couples and just seems shoehorned into the film for the pure star wattage Gossett and Tyson can provide.

From an acting standpoint, Perry has good directorial control, especially with an unexpectedly visceral scene or two from Janet Jackson, who was still in the throes of mourning Michael’s death when this film went before the cameras. She’s really quite vicious in a couple of scenes here, as her character’s buttoned up and emotionally tamped down way of dealing with tragedy suddenly erupts into some volcanic activity. Smith’s Angela is such a one-note character to begin with that the hapless actress really can’t do much with it, and is further hampered by Perry’s resorting to schtick like the beach scene where Gossett and Tyson accidentally spill a deceased friend’s ashes on her. While Perry and Leal make a very appealing couple, there’s little resonance of lasting import here, despite a quick detour through “emotional affair” territory late in the film. Despite Jackson’s melodramatic turn, the real anchor of this film is Jill Scott’s Sheila; the actress invests her role with a degree of care and nuance which is largely lacking in the rest of the film.

Part of the problem with Perry may be he is simply stretched too thin as a result of his overwhelming success. The man is a veritable multimedia factory, churning out product so quickly it can make your head spin. One almost gets the idea this film was framed as a good excuse to get Perry and his cohorts some nice beach time in the Bahamas. While Why Did I Get Married Too is often beautifully shot, it’s not a good sign when a supposedly dramatic film works best as a travelogue.

Why Did I Get Married Too? Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As dramatically dull as a lot of Why Did I Get Married Too is, it's at least somewhat ameliorated by a very sharp, often breathtakingly beautiful, AVC encoded 1080p image (in 1.78:1). The long scenes in the Bahamas are obviously the most opportune ones for the Blu-ray presentation to shine, and shine it does. The deep teal tones of the water are gorgeous, and filled with amazing dappled detail as the sunlight glints off of individual waves. The ecru sand is also extremely well detailed, so much so that you can actually see individual grains in even midrange shots. Depth of field around the resort is also very good, and Perry makes extremely good use of several establishing aerial shots, which help to set the mood and which are visually quite spectacular. Some of the interior scenes, especially once the film moves back stateside, are on the dark side (probably intentionally so), and while black levels are good, contrast isn't always top-notch, leaving things like dark hair dissolving into the murky background. Grain is natural looking and colors are extremely well saturated throughout. Overall, this is one gorgeous looking film, and a very sharp and well detailed looking Blu-ray.

Why Did I Get Married Too? Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Why Did I Get Married Too is offered with a perhaps superfluous DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, especially for a film this dialogue heavy. In fact there are few immersive moments in this film, but when they do kick in, they're quite inviting. The first scene on the beach with the men offers some fairly subtle ambient surround activity, and later in the film, when fireworks interrupt an unexpectedly solemn announcement, it's a jolt of sonic energy that may really surprise the listener. The bulk of the surround activity is actually utilized for the frequent source music, which is also (aside from the fireworks) about the only time significant LFE creeps into the film. What is here is very clear and crisp, with excellent fidelity and good dynamic range.

Why Did I Get Married Too? Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Two pretty forgettable featurettes, Girl Talk: The Women of 'Married' (HD; 10:55) and Male Bonding: The Men of 'Married' (12:14) are the main supplements. Also on tap is Janet Jackson's music video for "Nothing" (HD; 4:11). A pop up Couples Character Guide Trivia Track helps to provide context for viewers who either never saw the first film, or may have forgotten some of the ins and outs of the various relationships.

Why Did I Get Married Too? Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Perry has a lot of fans, as is evidenced by the overwheleming success a lot of his projects regularly enjoy. Even diehard aficionados may find themselves questioning the wisdom of revisiting these four couples, especially considering the melodramatic turns the plot takes. Anyone who absolutely loved the first film may want to check out this sequel as a rental, otherwise it's an incredible marketing video for the wonders of the Bahamas.