Why Did I Get Married? (2007)

The big screen adaptation of Perry's stage play about the trials of marriage, and what happens to one family when a sexy young temptress arrives on the scene.

Director:

Tyler Perry

Writer:

Tyler Perry (play)

Stars:

Tyler Perry, Sharon Leal, Janet Jackson

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tyler Perry	...	Terry
Sharon Leal	...	Diane
Janet Jackson	...	Patricia
Malik Yoba	...	Gavin
Jill Scott	...	Sheila
Richard T. Jones	...	Mike
Tasha Smith	...	Angela
Michael Jai White	...	Marcus
Denise Boutte	...	Trina
Lamman Rucker	...	Sheriff Troy
Keesha Sharp	...	Pam
Kaira Akita	...	Keisha (as Kaira Whitehead)
Sheri Mann Stewart	...	Professor Stewart
Brian Bremer	...	Jay
Bart Hansard	...	Bartender

Storyline

Dr. Patricia Agnew, a psychologist, has written a best seller about marriage: hers and those of three other couples who together take a week's vacation each year to ask themselves, "Why did I get married?" It's time for one of those weeks, and all four relationships are strained: Patricia and her husband Gavin have the shadow of grief between them; Terry believes that Diane has abandoned him for her work; Angela, who's built a successful business, belittles her husband Marcus, who works for her; Mike is cruel to Sheila, his religious, overweight wife. During the week, each person's secret comes out. Will these marriages survive?

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Plot Keywords:

marriage | work | overweight | secret | psychologist | 

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Taglines:

... Well that's a big mystery

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual references and language

Details

Official Sites:

Lions Gate Entertainment [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 October 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?

Filming Locations:

Agnes Scott College - 141 E. College Avenue, Decatur, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$21,353,759 (USA) (12 October 2007)

Gross:

$55,184,721 (USA) (7 December 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lions Gate Films, Tyler Perry Company, The, Capital Arts Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tyler Perry's first self-directed dramatic role.

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Goofs

After arriving at the mountain cabin, Terry comes in to the bedroom and notices Diane has fallen asleep while working. At first, her laptop computer is screen-up on her lap with the stylus in her hand. But just before Terry leaves, the laptop is screen-down and the stylus is gone.

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Quotes

Angela: You got VD?
Marcus: [whispers] Can we talk about this in private?
Angela: No, I think y'all been talking in private quite enough. How long have you had it?
Marcus: About a week.
Angela: Was it Keisha?
Marcus: [shakes his head yes] .
Angela: No, you didn't get it from her. You got it from Walter.
Marcus: What? What are you talking about? I ain't gay!
Angela: No, I slept with him. I got my shot. I was just waiting for you to say something.

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Crazy Credits

Special Thanks to: Bishop T.D. Jakes (for the "80/20 Rule")

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Connections

Featured in The Nostalgia Chick: Men in Black (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Dan and Melinda"
Written by Jay Weigel
Courtesy of Floating City Press

User Reviews

Realism and Subtly Take a Vacation, but Likable Enough

You have to credit Mr. Perry for presenting to us what we so rarely get to see in American film; upper-class, professional African-American couples working through real-life relationship problems. Unfortunately, it's execution leaves a lot to be desired. Though Jill Scott turns in a spectacular performance, and Malik Joba and Tasha Smith are solid, the performances are uneven at best. It's a classic morality tale with more melodrama to fill an afternoon's worth of soap operas. Some of the characters are far too one-dimensional to be credible, including the absurdly sadistic Mike, and the nearly as absurd (and conveniently single) knight in shining armor, Sheriff Troy. There's something oddly antiseptic about the film. Even the arguments seem neat and clean, with well-defined in and out points. Sometimes it is shot like a film, sometimes (with awkward stage-like blocking), it is shot like a play being filmed in a theater proscenium. The screenplay (and direction) has some gaps of logic, but even more egregious is its exposition, which could be held up as a lesson to any aspiring screenwriter on how NOT to write it (eg, "Did you ever think we'd all turn out like this? Diane's a lawyer, I'm a doctor, you're a real estate mogul"). Unfortunately, this type of sloppy exposition abounds throughout. Realism and subtly take a vacation on this one, however, it's still a pleasant, if overly-simplistic, morality tale that's likable enough.