"TYLER PERRY'S I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF" (2009) (Tyler Perry, Taraji P. Henson) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Mild Extreme Moderate None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Heavy None Mild None Mild Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate Extreme Extreme Extreme Moderate QUICK TAKE: Dramedy: A selfish, young woman is suddenly faced with responsibility when she must care for her teenage niece and two young nephews. PLOT: One night, the elderly, hulking Madea (TYLER PERRY) and her husband, Joe (also PERRY) catch three children - teenage Jennifer (HOPE OLAIDE WILSON) and preteens Manny (KWESI BOAKYE) and Bryon (FREDERICK SIGLAR) - burglarizing their house. Realizing they are the products of a broken home, Madea feeds them, lectures them on right and wrong, and then attempts to collect damages from the kids' Aunt April (TARAJI P. HENSON). April is a bitter, young woman who works in a nightclub, drinks and smokes profusely, and carries on a sexual relationship with a married man. She has no interest in raising her niece and nephews and wonders where her mother is (the kids' legal guardian). Eventually, it is learned that the grandmother has died, forcing April to consider whether she wants to embrace her family and all of the joys and heartaches that come with them or continue leading a misguided, self-centered life. April is also torn between two men - the married jerk Randy (BRIAN J. WHITE) she has been sleeping with or the good-hearted, Latino handyman Sandino (ADAM RODRIGUEZ) who the local church has sent to help her. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Yes. Tyler Perry has a large following, especially among African-American teens. Despite their use of profanity and mature thematic elements, Perry's films are often embraced for their family values and their Christian values. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For mature thematic material involving a sexual assault on a minor, violence, drug references and smoking. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: TYLER PERRY plays a large, elderly woman who is known in the neighborhood for her aggressive, often angry demeanor. She has a good heart, though. TYLER PERRY plays Madea's surly husband, who often makes fun of his wife's appearance and weight. TARAJI P. HENSON plays a young selfish woman, the victim of child abuse, who smokes, drinks and is in a sexual relationship with a married man. She is suddenly confronted with responsibility when she is forced to take in her teenage niece and two young nephews. BRIAN J. WHITE plays a man who cheats on his wife with April. He pays many of her bills, which makes her feel obligated to him. He also smokes and drinks heavily, makes unwanted sexual advances towards April's teenage niece, and eventually tries to rape her. HOPE OLAIDE WILSON plays April's angry, often disrespectful teenage niece who has been forced to take care of her two younger brothers for most of her life. She often resorts to burglary and shoplifting to get what they want and need. KWESI BOAKYE and FREDERICK SIGLAR play April's two young nephews. One has serious health problems (asthma, diabetes, etc.), while the other is mute. ADAM RODRIGUEZ plays a good-hearted, Latino handyman who is given free room and board by April in exchange for him fixing up her house. MARVIN WINANS plays an upstanding, well-respected neighborhood minister. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this dramedy that has been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "s" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some sexually related dialogue is present, as is the attempted rape of a 16-year-old girl by a twenty-something male. Male nudity (bare butt) is briefly present. Violence consists of three kids being beaten and pounded on for comical effect (by Tyler Perry's elderly Madea and Joe). An attempted rapist, meanwhile, is thwarted by a man wielding a baseball bat who hits him once with the bat from behind and then punches him several times leaving his face bloody. The rapist is then threatened with electrocution in a bathtub. Bad attitudes are present throughout, as is some potentially imitative behavior and various thematic elements. Drinking is present (including intoxication), as is a great deal of smoking. The children's deceased mother is referred to often as a crack addict, and other tense family material is present. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Multiple scenes take place in a jazz and blues club where alcohol is shown being served and consumed. The emcee at the jazz/blues club where April works tells one audience: "The more you drink, the better I look." April is shown drinking, usually some form of liquor in a glass, at least 11 times in the film. Her ritual is to end each night at the club she works with consuming several glasses of alcohol until she is drunk. Brian also drinks alcohol, mostly beer, in several scenes throughout the film. April stumbles into slow-moving, oncoming traffic while drunk, but is not injured. April's house includes a small bar with bottles of whiskey and other spirits. April is often shown waking up in a stupor as at least one alcoholic beverage is clearly visible on her nightstand. One of April's co-workers laments that she sees April getting drunk at the club's bar every night. Sandino recalls being abandoned by his family and getting in with a drug cartel as a child. The children's mother is frequently described as a "crack addict" or "crack head." She is said to have traded her 9-year-old daughter at one point for drugs, put one of her babies in an oven for safe keeping, and burned another with a crack pipe. BLOOD/GORE Randy's face is bloodied following a fight with Sandino. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Jennifer, Manny, and Byron break into Madea's house to rob her. Manny repeatedly responds to Madea's orders and criticisms saying "Yes, man," instead of "Yes, ma'am," prompting Madea's husband to laugh aloud. Madea frequently threatens the three children with physical violence when they back-talk her. She intimates that she will choke them, stab them, beat them and disembowel them. Madea often refers to Jennifer, Manny and Byron as "Sista Souljah," "O.J." and "Michael Vick." Joe chastises his wife for being too ugly to wake up to and urges her to never wake him up out of dead sleep and have her face be the first thing he sees. Randy cheats on his wife with April. Randy makes unwanted sexual advances towards April's teenage niece, and eventually tries to rape her. Joe makes fun of Madea's weight, saying she weighs 450 pounds and attracts flies as she walks. April thoughtlessly smokes in front of Manny, even though Jennifer implores her not to on account of his asthma. Jennifer has no problem resorting to burglary and shoplifting to get what she and her brothers want and need. Jennifer has little to no respect for her elders, often back-talking Madea and April or not answering them at all. April yells at Sandino for fixing up a bedroom for her niece and nephews to sleep in that would get them off April's living room sofa and floor. Randy makes fun of Sandino's Latino heritage, calling him "Mexico" and threatening his green-card status. Later in the film, Randy threatens to send Sandino back to Mexico "in a pine box." April falsely accuses Sandino of being a child molester. FRIGHTENING SCENES Randy comes on to 16-year-old Jennifer early in the film in a menacing way. He does this in a completely verbal, non-physical way. But the actor's demeanor is very threatening. Randy attempts to rape Jennifer late in the film as she is trying to retrieve insulin from a refrigerator to help her sick brother. He grabs her by both arms, lifts her up, and sets her down hard on the kitchen counter. He gropes and fondles her with great force until Sandino comes to her rescue. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Bullsh*t," "Sit your little fat ass down," "You're a grown-ass man," "Bustin' a cap in yo ass," "These damn, raggedy-ass kids," "I oughta shank you," "I will shank you, fool," "I'm gonna pimp-slap you," "You gonna come up missing," "Shut up," "What in the hell is wrong with you," "Slam it again, heifer," "Y'all are getting' on my damn nerves," "Hey, Big Bird. Calm the hell down," "Shut up," "Shut the hell up," "Eat your food and shut up," "Mexico," "Look, it's Dumb, Dumber, Dumberer and the Big Dummy." April stumbles into oncoming traffic while drunk. Manny and Byron play basketball inside April's house. Jennifer shoplifts syringes to help Manny. Madea comically mangles several Biblical stories - including Jesus walking on water, Noah's Ark, and Jonah and the whale -- while trying to teach morals to Jennifer. She also refers to Christ's 12 disciples as the "12 disciplines." Randy has tattoos on several parts of his body. Jennifer, Manny and Byron leave Aunt April's house and are away for nearly an entire day at one point without telling anyone their whereabouts. April tries to electrocute Randy by dropping a plugged-in boombox into a tub full of water where he is soaking. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) Menacing background music plays whenever Randy is alone with Jennifer. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 "s" word, 16 hells, 4 asses, 12 damns, and 1 use each of "Oh my God" and "Oh Lord." SEX/NUDITY April is carrying on a sexual relationship with Randy, a married man, in her house. She is shown lying next to him clothed at several points in the film. Randy comes on to 16-year-old Jennifer early in the film in a menacing way. He does this in a completely verbal, non-physical way. But the actor's demeanor is very threatening. Randy attempts to rape Jennifer late in the film as she is trying to retrieve insulin from a refrigerator to help her sick brother. He grabs her by both arms, lifts her up, and sets her down hard on the kitchen counter. He gropes and fondles her with great force until Sandino comes to her rescue. April admits to being sexually abused by her father and told to keep any and all family problems "in the house." April falsely accuses Sandino of being a child molester. Randy's bare backside is briefly seen as he jumps out of a tub of water just as April drops a plugged-in boom box into it. SMOKING Both April and Randy are shown smoking in more than a dozen scenes throughout the film. April thoughtlessly smokes in front of Manny, even though Jennifer implores her not to on account of his asthma. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Jennifer, Manny and Byron's dead mother was a crack addict who it is learned once traded Jennifer at the age of 9 for drugs. She also put one baby in an oven and burned another of her kids with a crack pipe. The three children live with their grandmother, who is missing throughout much of the film, leaving the kids to fend for themselves. It is eventually determined that the woman died of a brain aneurysm on a city bus. She had no ID, so she laid unclaimed in a morgue before being cremated. Randy reacts with disappointment when his wife tells him over the phone that she's pregnant. He thinks of only the expense and burden to himself of having to raise another child. April has no desire to care for her niece and two nephews and treats them as burdens rather than family until a change of heart late. April yells at Sandino for fixing up a bedroom for her niece and nephews to sleep in that would get them off of April's living room sofa and floor, featuring the kids' temporary situation of living with her will become permanent. Later in the film, with the threat of foster care hanging over their heads, Jennifer forbids Manny and Byron from sleeping in the nicely made-up room. April misses her father who died years earlier of liver cancer. April admits to not having spoken to her mother for more than a year after getting into a disagreement over her sister, a crack addict, who often stole from their mother. April admits to being sexually abused by her father and told to keep any and all family problems "in the house." For most of the film, April does not believe she can be a caregiver to her niece and two nephews, a frame of mind that nearly lands them in foster care. Sandino recalls being abandoned by his family and getting in with a drug cartel as a child. Jennifer is frightened of being shipped off to foster care and being separated from her brothers. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Child abuse and child abandonment. The disintegration of African-American families in inner-city settings. The effects of smoking and alcohol abuse. The role churches play as centers of a community. The importance of taking care of one's immediate family and being there for extended family. VIOLENCE Madea and Joe surprise Jennifer, Manny and Byron while they are attempting to burglarize the elderly couple's house. Madea and Joe then comically manhandle, stomp and pound on the three kids. Madea frequently threatens the three children with physical violence when they back-talk her. She intimates that she will choke them, stab them, beat them and disembowel them. Randy manhandles Jennifer, forcefully picking her up by her arms and slamming down on a kitchen counter as he prepares to rape her. As Randy is attempting to rape Jennifer, Sandino attacks him from behind with a baseball bat. He hits Randy once over the head with the bat, wrestles him to the ground and punches him at least three times. April tries to electrocute Randy by dropping a plugged-in boombox into a tub full of water where he is soaking. Randy jumps out, but not before getting a mild shock. Reviewed September 11, 2009 / Posted September 11, 2009

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