Mary J. Blige

(On Cable TV, September 2019) Well, it finally happened — five movies into my Tyler Perry project, I’m actually enjoying them. To be fair, I Can Do Bad All by Myself was the first film from writer-director Perry to earn generally positive reviews, and one in which Madea’s presence became more than an irritant. It’s easy to see that, even with a rather predictable story, the film is executed with increasing skill. The added musical dimension can be tangential at times, but it does give ample chance for Mary J. Blige and Gladys Knight to shine in supporting roles. Still, the spotlight here is on a pre-“Empire” Taraji P. Henson as a self-centred, self-destructive nightclub singer who learns better after she takes responsibility for her sister’s three kids and realizes how terrible her boyfriend is. The dramatic arc of the film’s subplot is familiar, and so are the small-c conservative values that Perry espouses. I Can Do Bad All by Myself is rather fun at first (Tyler’s performance as Madea has a pair of very good scenes, even if the tone is a bit off at times) and then increasingly poignant as the comedy of the film gives way to the drama. Perry may be predictable and ham-fisted, but it’s coming from a heartfelt place and that does much to give life to the results even with its imperfections. I’m ready — bring in the next Perry movie and I’ll watch it without hesitation.