Why Did I Get Married Too (2010)
I didn't see the first one, so can only approach this for what it was--an ensemble film that works with the problems of contemporary marriage. Yes, in particular this focuses on black America, but Perry seems to pull out the ways this part of the culture resembles American culture at large. And so there lies the flaw, in a way, of making much of this movie: it inevitably revisits familiar material. Does it do it well, or with freshness, or any edge of originality? Maybe only in the sense that it represents very very well to do African Americans, a segment not typical Hollywood fodder.
This isn't a rotten film, as some viewers like to say, but it isn't as well acted, sharply written, exquisitely filmed, or narratively interesting as it could have been by far. And it compares badly with Perry's wonderful "For Colored Girls." You might say this is ambitious--there are nine full blown main characters, each more or less equally dealing with their spouses--but in a way it is overwhelming, and for me at least I had trouble keeping all the story lines straight at first. But these narratives don't ever quite get fleshed out as fully as they need to be, both for their own sake, as small stories, but for the movie as a whole, since none of the content really goes deep. I don't mean it isn't emotional, but it's moving in a surface way.
If you do give this a shot, be aware that the second half of the movie is much better. It's less chitchatty, more serious, has better acting (including some really moving, intense stuff) and has the various plots intertwine and get a little edgy. But also be aware that none of this is especially well done. It rides in a style that might really be called prime time television, interesting but not amazing or transforming.
