Tyler Perry’s filmography is known for its varying degrees of quality, but his 2007 movie, Why Did I Get Married?, stood out, in a somewhat backhanded way, as “the first genuinely boring Tyler Perry movie, on account of being the most tasteful and restrained Tyler Perry movie.” This assessment still holds true when considering his subsequent works. The original film, while simple and somewhat slow-paced, maintained a certain level of restraint. However, its sequel, released two and a half years later, Why Did I Get Married Too?, not only suffers from a poorly constructed title but also abandons any semblance of taste or restraint. Instead, it veers into borderline-psychotic territory, driven by its characters’ irrational behavior. While not boring, its lack of entertainment value stems from the alarming nature of watching unstable individuals unravel, making the viewing experience more unsettling than enjoyable.
Picking up three years after the initial film, Why Did I Get Married Too? sees the four couples abandoning the ill-fated Vermont vacation idea and opting for a marriage retreat in the Caribbean. Despite the passage of time, the script relies heavily on forced and awkward “remember when X” dialogue, referencing events from the first movie. This clumsy technique serves as a weak attempt to establish continuity and suggests a lack of fresh ideas for the sequel. It’s a sequel strategy that feels more reminiscent of lazy writing than organic storytelling, even if arguably better executed than some prequel approaches.
To refresh your memory, the original Why Did I Get Married? introduced us to four couples navigating marital challenges. Terry (Tyler Perry) and Diane (Sharon Leal), who previously struggled with Diane’s work-life balance, now appear to be the most stable, engaging in lighthearted marital banter, which feels somewhat unusual coming from Perry, known for voicing Madea. Marcus (Michael Jai White) and Angela (Tasha Smith) return as the designated comic relief, though their humor takes a darker turn in this sequel. Sheila (Jill Scott), the central figure of the first film, who divorced the abusive Mike (Richard T. Jones) and married Troy (Lamman Rucker), now faces new marital strains as Troy’s unemployment fuels resentment. Lastly, Patricia (Janet Jackson) and Gavin (Malik Yoba), initially portrayed as the model couple, shock everyone with their divorce announcement, setting the stage for the film’s dramatic shift.
Structurally, Why Did I Get Married Too? mirrors its predecessor. The first half unfolds at the Caribbean retreat, featuring didactic dialogues about marriage, relationships, and responsibilities. The latter half explores the fallout from the mid-film twist, with each couple grappling with significant upheavals. While the first film’s approach felt bland and overly talkative, the sequel descends into deranged and illogical scenarios. Notably, this was only Perry’s third film not adapted from his stage plays, potentially indicating untested material. While Why Did I Get Married? had the shallow insight of a greeting card, it possessed tonal and thematic consistency. In contrast, the sequel feels like a chaotic jumble of poorly developed ideas. Furthermore, it stands as Perry’s only non-Madea sequel, failing to justify its existence. It neglects the fundamental question of why these characters warrant a return, offering neither meaningful exploration nor fresh perspectives. Instead, Why Did I Get Married Too? manages to stumble in both directions: the first half rehashes familiar themes in a new setting, while the second half escalates the drama to absurd levels, dismantling the characters and reveling in the chaos.
In essence, Why Did I Get Married Too? sacrifices the original film’s minimal grounding in relatable psychology and emotion in favor of sensationalism. To propel the plot, the film inexplicably reintroduces Mike, inserting him into the narrative without proper motivation, driven solely by a desire to create conflict. When this plot thread fails to generate substantial drama, the film resorts to character assassination, particularly targeting Patricia and Angela. This is especially disappointing considering Angela and Tasha Smith’s performance were highlights of the first movie. In Why Did I Get Married Too?, Angela is no longer a humorous woman with trust issues but a volatile and aggressive figure, unleashing genuinely cruel verbal abuse on Marcus and enacting disproportionate revenge for minor offenses, hardly comedic in nature.
However, Angela’s character degradation pales in comparison to Patricia’s transformation into a grotesque caricature of an ambitious, materialistic woman – a portrayal steeped in misogyny rarely seen in 21st-century American cinema. This starkly contrasts with Perry’s typical, albeit sometimes heavy-handed, depictions of women as strong and resilient. Instead, a palpable anger and darkness underlie Patricia’s portrayal, the source of which remains unclear. Perry’s male antagonists are often reduced to comedic buffoons, but his portrayal of women in Why Did I Get Married Too? reveals a disturbing undercurrent of sexism and patriarchal resentment.
Ultimately, Why Did I Get Married Too? not only fails to achieve the modest psychological realism of its predecessor but also falters as a piece of filmmaking on multiple levels. From broad strokes, like Perry’s superficial depiction of the Caribbean as a backdrop for tacky fashion and Cicely Tyson’s inconsistent accent, to specific details of shot composition and editing, the film exhibits a pervasive lack of craft. The editing choices are amateurish, and the cramped medium shots create an uncomfortable, claustrophobic atmosphere. Coming after the relative success of I Can Do Bad All By Myself, this film’s pervasive carelessness is particularly jarring. Why Did I Get Married Too? is not just a bad movie; it is Tyler Perry’s worst, standing out for its incompetence and detachment from authentic human experience, regardless of its place within his broader filmography.
