Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys may be a sudsy melodrama full of black and white characters (I was referring to their dimensionless nature, not their ethnicity … but that too), but it’s a highly watchable melodrama.
Perry has built a career writing to a very specific audience and with The Family That Preys, he has created a movie that is overbooked with perhaps too many sub-plots and whose drama is built up haphazardly like a drunken child playing Jenga with soap opera plot points as blocks, yet the movie remains easily accessible to most fans of emotionally manipulative dramas. And who doesn’t love a drama that will reach up your butt and work you like a Muppet — telling you who to root for, when to cry and when to let your mouth slowly stretch apart and form a smile.
Perry’s film follows two parallel families whose lives have become entangled thanks to the lengthy friendship between their respective matriarchs. Alfre Woodard stars as Alice Reynolds-Evans, the saint-like mother of two grown daughters. She spends her days toiling in her own restaurant — sharing her warmth and kindness with all who enter. Her best friend is Charlotte Cartwright (Kathy Bates). Charlotte is the controlling shareholder for the powerful Atlanta-based construction company that employs both her son and Alice’s daughter.
Andrea, Alice’s oldest daughter played by Sanaa Lathan, is a shrewish unlikable caricature — designed to give audiences somebody to hiss at while she sleeps with her boss, William Cartwright, Charlotte’s married son played by Cole Hauser. Andrea is mean to her husband, spiteful towards her family and a terrible Christian. It’s no surprise, then, that the movie is one long session of foreplay to the good ol’ fashioned smiting Andrea will receive by film’s end.
As William Cartright, Cole Hauser isn’t much better. He cheats on his wife (KaDee Strickland), plots to take over the family company from his mother and butts heads with the newly hired ambitious yet morally straight Chief Operating Officer brought on board. Robin Givens is Abigail Dexter, the new COO whose role in the film is apparently to show Perry’s audience that women can be successful in the workplace without having to sleep their way to the top and make complete chumps out of their husbands.
As Andrea’s husband, Rockmond Dunbar plays Chris — a honest, loving spouse who makes much less money than his wife but dreams of providing for his family. He doubles as the massive emotional whipping boy in the film — his strife translating to the audience’s “oh no she didn’t” enjoyment.
As the emotional constant in Perry’s portrayal of family turned sour, Taraji P. Henson and Perry play Pam and Ben, a couple who work hard at solving their problems while still maintaining a love for each other. The two’s characters are the most emotionally truthful in the film — a clear spring from which to drink from in a forest filled with bottled, artificially rich emotional drama.
The Family That Preys covers a lot of ground. There’s spousal infidelity, a road trip between two old friends, a tearjerker ending that fans of Lifetime’s original movies will spot coming from a mile away and a whole lot of family backstabbing. The movie is a feature-length soap opera that goes right for the emotional jugular but — as you lay bleeding out from the wound — there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself getting swept away in the movie’s story.
The Family That Preys is presented in a 1.78.1 widescreen ratio and in 1080P high definition. The movie looks wonderful with rich, crisp colors and sharp detail. This sharp detail, unfortunately, helps spotlight some weird makeup and prosthetic choices Perry made with his character in an effort to show the passing of time between the film’s prologue and the bulk of the story. Otherwise, the high definition transfer looks great. While the disc may not be your go-to for showcasing your home theater system, upgrading to the blu-ray is far from a waste of money.
The film’s soundtrack is an English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. There’s good use of the various stereo channels and a clear distinction between dialogue and music.
All the special features are in standard definition.
Two Families, Two Legends — A ten minute look at the film’s characters and themes. The feature is light, unnecessary fluff that can easily be skipped over.
Preying in the Big Easy — A 3 minute look at the film’s New Orleans shoot with interviews from the cast and crew.
Casting the Family — Another ten minute feature, this time discussing the film’s cast. There’s a lot of self-congratulation and incestuous praising but nothing of importance is ever said.
Delving into the Diner — A seven minute look at the film’s production design — specifically Alice’s decidedly non-Rock and Roll restaurant.
Deleted Scenes — There are eight minutes of deleted scenes (four in all) that are totally unnecessary to watch.
Part of what makes The Family That Preys work so well is Perry’s wise choice to leave the humor at a dull buzz. Perry’s Madea character thankfully does not show up — letting the story marinate in its own juices instead of souring up with unfunny prattle.
Strong performances all around help sell the story and script’s weaker moments and Perry does a fine job with his direction. There’s a lot to enjoy in The Family That Preys — and even if you resist, the movie will just work your soul like a puppet anyway. Might as well go along for the ride.
Lionsgate presents The Family That Preys. Directed by: Tyler Perry. Starring: Kathy Bates, Alfre Woodard, Sanaa Lathan, Rockmond Dunbar and KaDee Strickland. Written by: Tyler Perry. Running time: 111 minutes. Rating: PG-13. Released on Blu-ray: November 23, 2010.
