Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys (2008)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Absolutely Brilliant!

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

What I find interesting about the most negative reviews of participants who contributed is how trite many of them are. For example -- it's soap opera-ish. I guess almost any film can be that. The characters seem stereotyped. Well, I don't see many films where characters are that unique. And then there are the reviews where they just want to beat up on Tyler Perry. Now I don't think that every Tyler Perry film has been that great, but I also don't think any of them have been that bad. He has matured in his film-making.I think this was a very good film. It certainly held my interest. It begins with white socialite Kathy Bates hosting the wedding of Sanaa Lathan, the daughter of Alfre Woodard. The problem is that the husband to be (Rockmond Dunbar) is a much better man than his future wife is an honest and considerate woman. He's "just" a construction worker, while she's in corporate. And she never lets him forget that. And, he works for her boss...with whom she is having an affair. Meanwhile, Woodard's other daughter (Taraji P. Henson) is married to Tyler Perry, another construction worker, and looks after Lathan's young son while also working in her mother's diner. She is bothered by how little Lathan helps their mother, not knowing that mom is secretly quite well off. The hubby later discovers his wife's huge bank account after he is turned down for a loan application to start his own construction business...money she earns in bonuses...but what she does for that money is actually weekly booty calls with the boss. Meanwhile, Cathy Bates' son is trying to take her business away from her, not even knowing that she is showing signs of early Alzhiemers. Bates and Woodard are sort of the odd couple best friends of the story. They end up going on a road trip where the illness becomes known, and they return home in time to save the company (albeit perhaps a bit too conveniently...though cleverly). But while on their road trip they have some fun times in honky tonks and male strip clubs. Of course, the affair becomes public, but only after a new executive joins the firm -- Robin Givens. And then there's the funeral, the breakup of the failed marriage, and the sale of the diner.I enjoyed the cast here. Alfre Woodard is always enjoyable. As is Kathy Bates. It's difficult to like Sanaa Lathan here, but she is a good actress. I was not particularly impressed with Cole Hauser as the philanderer, although KaDee Strickland as his wife was fairly good. Rockmond Dunbar was excellent. Tyler Perry was "okay" in terms of his acting, although he gave himself little to do. It's a calmer Taraji P. Henson as the sister, but I liked her better here than in "Empire", which seems a little over the top.What can I say? I enjoyed the film. Robin Givens as Abigail "Abby" Dexter

The Family That Preys is Tyler Perry's shameless attempt to make a cinematic soap-opera, and if you go by what soap operas are known for - heaping helpings of drama, thin characters, bland settings, and stiff dialog - the film is better than the average unsubstantial hour you could spend watching All My Children on CBS. And yet, there are several more substantial ways you could spend two hours rather than watching a Tyler Perry film. As always, the choice is yours.The film feels like a full season's worth of soap opera material compressed into a one-hundred and thirteen minute film, featuring a various array of characters and their various arrays of problems. The characters come from one of two families, either the wealthy, whitebread socialites lead by the mom, Charlotte Cartwright (Kathy Bates) or the working-class black family ran by Alice Evans (Alfre Woodard). Cartwright and Evans have remained the best of friends, despite enormous financial differences, and develop a "Thelma and Louise"-like friendship when they hit the road in a bold turquoise convertible to explore the humble countryside.Their children, all grown up and of all different ages, are the other characters we focus on. Alice's daughter is the bitchy, unfaithful Andrea (Sanaa Lathan), who is married to the ambitious, hardworking Chris Bennett (Rockmond Dunbar), who works a lowly construction worker job with his pal (Tyler Perry) working for William Cartwright (Cole Hauser). Chris has ambitions of starting his own construction company with his friend, until he realizes that first he must get his marital issues straightened out when he finds his wife has over $200,000 in a private banking account.As you can infer, this leads to unconditional drama between the families, who must work it out on their own while their mothers are living it up in the south. This family drama will likely be exciting to audience who demand a film that briefly touches on a wide-range of emotions, rarely emphasizing on one certain moral or encompassing virtue. For those who want more characterization, investment, and positivity, this is a pretty meager offering. However, Perry doesn't pull punches when it comes to juggling multiple different characters. He shows his capability here when he creates several different people, all inhabiting the same world, and all dealing with unique problems. Even if the film is overwrought, it nonetheless is a competent production that steers clear of idiocy and wooden features like many other Perry movies do.I'm also proud to see that the film sticks to its dramatic genre, regardless on how much dramatic material it infuses into its story. Coming off of the first Perry movie I watched (Diary of a Mad Black Woman roughly a year ago), I was offput by the way the film juggled an abundance of genres, ranging from melodrama to bizarre slapstick comedy to Christian-gospel to bleeding gum moral propaganda. With The Family That Preys, I respect the fact that Perry remains more attentive to the drama at hand. The last thing I wanted to see was the loudmouth, insufferable Madea show up and inflict her radical, obnoxious energy to a premise that is more about slow-moving tension. As I've seen, this is something she clearly doesn't do well with.The Family That Preys is a serviceable picture, with unanimously fine acting (especially from its leads, Bates and Woodard), a more focused agenda, and a pleasant little picture. I grossly misrepresented this film which, judging by the cover, looked like a tired "walk in the shoes of another family' film dealing with race-relations and upper vs middle class, sociological drudgery. Perry has effectively made me second-guess just how aware and intelligent he is in terms of dealing with a specific subject. Just when you think he's doing one thing, he switches over to a slightly better thing.Starring: Kathy Bates, Alfre Woodard, Sanaa Lathan, Rockmond Dunbar, Taraji P. Henson, Cole Hauser, Tyler Perry, Robin Givens, and KaDee Strickland. Directed by: Tyler Perry.

This movie is not a one star. This movie is not a one star. This movie is not a one star. This movie is not a one star. Who could possibly give it a "one" star rating? Well, over 1,000 did. I don't seriously think it was a 10, but since so many others, who probably have prejudices, gave it a 1,2, or 3, I countered with a "10", thinking, personally, it was closer to an 8. I think it was one of Tyler Perry's more interesting movies, though I love his comedy series, "Meet the Browns". I think he is incredible, and doesn't need Oprah to elevate him to stardom. She enjoys taking too much credit. I'm a 60+, senior, female, white, straight, and who doesn't care about other folk's sexual preferences. I really liked this film. As most of TP's movies, there were many good lines and messages to remind us of good principles. Good job Tyler!!

After reading a few of the first reviews here awhile back I didn't think The Family That Preys would be anything outstanding. A few days ago I overheard people talking about how good it was so I came back to read more reviews. Several were so hyped that it convinced me I may be wrong, and boy was I ever! This film did not get the press it deserved! Films like these help to dispel all the ghetto stereotypes that Hollywood tends to perpetuate. Yes it was refreshing to see middle class black families intermingling w/ whites and the closeness between Alice and Charlotte. I'm so glad I didn't pass this movie up, I LOVED IT!!!! The casting was perfect. All the acting was believable and the chemistry was intense. Alfre Woodard also played Sanaa Lathan's mother in Something New but this film was waaay more realistic and much better! I could relate to the relationships in this movie. This is a mature more sophisticated story on the ups and downs in marriage, family relationships and friendships. Oh don't get me wrong, it doesn't stop there. There's a few "very interesting" sub-plots but I won't give it away. If I wasn't crying (or laughing), I was smiling through out the entire film. Kathy Bates as usual give a solid performance. She comes across as a very sweet, genuine woman and friend with a son whose a piece of work. I'm a huge fan of hers and Taraji Henson! Taraji should be going home with an Oscar soon if she keeps going the way she's going. That's my girl and she's on a roll, lol! Dahm I love watching her act! Robyn Givens surprises us with a good, solid performance also, a true professional, and her timing was on point! Everyone was so engrossed in movie and acting we couldn't take our eyes of the screen, lol. It's one of those movies you wish there wasn't an ending to, seriously. Hurry up and go see it! It's a fun flick!