Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself - The Play (2002)

i must have seen a different film!!

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

It was my distinct displeasure to be subjected to this video and to the more recent but equally bad (and largely undistinguishable) "Madea Goes to Jail" as part of a captive audience on a long-distance bus trip. Under any other circumstances, I would not have spent ten minutes of my life in the same venue as this character. As it was, I was trying to plug my ears. Black man in drag plays loud, intimidating, violent virago—it wasn't funny in 1906, and it isn't funny in 2006. I am baffled and angry that Tyler Perry has resurrected this ugly staple of an unmourned past. There was no plot. The writing was worthy of a seventh-grader. The platitudes were non-stop. And the cues for the sad attempts at original "songs" were so obvious that I almost wept, because I knew that another assault on my ears was coming. The poisoning to death of a neighbor's dog is amusing, so much so that it gets ten minutes (it seemed at least that long) of exposition as a "joke"? Young black girls are prostituted by their own mothers or fathers or both so often that this plot device showed up in two out of two of these videos? When are black people going to stop celebrating violence, stop whooping in delight at the violent punishment of children? When are black people going to stop gyrating in orgiastic delirium at the mere mention of "de Lawd"? And where did black writers/"composers" like Perry get the idea that if you scream it loud enough, you need neither poetry, beauty, harmony, nor symmetry? We don't need violent Aunt Jemimas in 2006, and, if you value your history, your intellect, and your hearing, you don't need "Madea."

Tyler Perry makes us laugh, oh does he ever make us laugh. But for TP laughter is a tool to help convey a message. There is no real secret here as to what the message is. It runs through all the plays, it runs through Diary of A Mad Black Woman, and although I haven't gotten to see the movie of Madea's Family Reunion yet, I'm willing to bet it runs through that as well.Tyler Perry is a dedicated Christian, and that is the message of his work. The teachings of Jesus are filtered through Madea and her wild family, and although Madea says repeatedly that she'll be seen in church "when they get a smoking section," she is the mortar which binds the family together.Tyler Perry is probably the most talented man in the film industry today.

I Can Do Bad All By Myself quickly became one of my favorite Tyler Perry plays. The story line is clear, and yet full of surprises. The vocal performances were outstanding, and the strong message of faith in Christ Jesus and the power of prayer was uplifting. Truly powerful and poignant moments were scattered amongst the hilarious slapstick of Tyler Perry's Madea. As for Brown, he is a case in and of himself--he is unbelievably funny and talented. But it was the dynamic between Tamela Mann's character, Cora, and her nieces and great-niece that really tugged at my heart strings. I would, and have, watched I Can Do Bad All By Myself over and over again; and it still makes me laugh. The only drawbacks in this early version of the play were the film quality and the costumes, which were a bit outrageous, but the sheer funniness of it more than made up for these things. In my book, this play is a comedic classic, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good laugh.

Tyler Perry is one of the most imaginative and gifted playwrights today. This play is filled with humor and meaning. I especially like the Christian applications in each one of his plays. The music is co-written by Tyler Perry, and I find it to be very uplifting and inspiring as a Christian. I always sing right along with all of the songs in the play. The cast is comprised of very gifted individuals who can sing as well as act. Mr. Perry also has a knack for taking everyday complicated situations and adapting them for his plays. These are a favorite in my household. These plays are definitely a refreshing vacation from some of the vulgarity and depravity in some of the films you see today.