Exactly why did I decide to get married?

I Can't Believe I Got Married movie version of Tyler Perry's 2007 play of the same name, which he also wrote, produced, directed, and starred in. Perry's play of the same name served as inspiration for this. In addition to Janet Jackson and Michael Jai White, the film also features performances from Jill Scott, Malik Yoba, Sharon Leal, Tasha Smith, Richard T. Jones, Denise Boutte, and Keesha Sharp. On October 12th, 2007, Lionsgate released the film in the United States.

The film explores the struggle of modern couples to stay together.

Plot [ edit ]

For a weeklong retreat, four couples who have been friends since college gather at a house in the mountains. The purpose of this ritual is to get them to think about why they got married and begin to solve their marital issues. " Even though they've promised to spend the week together, not all of the couples are fully invested in their marriages emotionally. Their "adventures" in getting to the mountain retreat set the tone for a week that lacks a clear schedule, with events developing more or less on the fly.

• Dianne (Leal), a lawyer, and Terry (Perry), a pediatrician, are the first couple we meet. They drive up together and argue the whole way because Dianne won't stop working. Instead of chatting with Terry, she answers calls on her phone.
• Angela (Smith), owner of a hair salon, and Marcus (White), a former professional football player. Angela and Marcus, and anyone else who dares to interrupt them, are perpetually at odds.
• The third pair consists of Sheila (Scott), a stay-at-home mom, and Mike (Jones), a successful businessman. Sheila has to get off the plane and drive the long distance in the snow because of her weight and the requirement to buy two seats, while Mike continues to flirt with Sheila's single friend Trina (Boutte).
• Patricia (Jackson) and Gavin (Yoba), two psychologists and an architect, are the fourth couple to arrive in a limo. Nobody knows where they've been because their trip was never recorded. Before they can leave for the retreat, however, Gavin shows up to pick up Patricia from a lecture she was giving (she is the author of the book "Why Did I Get Married?"). "), and deftly sidesteps the topic of their own marriage

Soon after Dianne's arrival, she naps with her BlackBerry in her lap. Terry tells her secretary not to bother them while they're away on vacation when the phone rings while she's sound asleep. Upon Patricia's arrival, she goes to Dianne's room to wake her up while Terry and the men enjoy a bottle of wine together. Angela and Marcus have arrived when they started arguing. Mike and Trina are criticized by the other wives for letting Sheila drive alone after they arrive without him. Mike completely ignores and mocks his overweight wife. When her friends call Sheila, they always get her voice mail.

Sheila's determination to attend the retreat stems from her desire to save her marriage. By some twist of fate, she finds herself at Sheriff Troy Jackson's (Rucker) station. The roads are closed for the night because of the weather, so she will have to spend the night at work. Later that night, Angela discovers Mike sneaking into Trina's room. The next morning, Sheila and Troy show up at the retreat center. She welcomes Troy and his newfound friends to her breakfast table and announces his introduction to the group. Not because of Sheila, but because of Trina, Troy becomes a danger to Mike. At breakfast, the couples argue and Angela insults Trina, whom she has a strong dislike for.

In the course of the few days spent in retreat, unexpected insights occur. Marcus and Mike's cheating sparks a conversation among the guys about the 80/20 principle. In accordance with this rule, most married men receive 80% of their needs met, but they continue to seek the remaining 20% from outside sources.

Angela reveals Mike and Trina's affair during a heated argument at dinner. Mike then spills the beans on the other couples, revealing that Marcus had contracted VD after cheating on Angela and that Dianne had her tubes tied after the birth of her daughter without informing Terry of her desire to stop having children. In the aftermath of a fatal car accident a year prior, Gavin had criticized Patricia for not protecting their young son, and Terry had gotten a DNA test on his and Diane's daughter because he wasn't sure he was the father. Angela freely admits that she cheated on Marcus and gave him the STD. While the others pull him away, he tries to choke her out of anger. Mike then requests a divorce from Sheila, prompting her to break a wine bottle over his head and knock him unconscious.

There is an abrupt decision made by all the couples to leave the house. When Sheila finds out that Mike has emptied her bank account after their divorce, she checks into a nearby hotel to regroup. Whenever Troy pays her a visit, she always seems down. She weeps and mourns the loss of her love and the only life she's ever known as he takes her to a mountaintop.

All the other couples disperse back to their respective homes. After Gavin's "stupid" comment about Patricia not shielding their son from the accident, the couple has barely spoken. She has an emotional breakdown and admits that she was only trying to be perfect to please others. They decide to confront the issue head-on, and they end up reconciling. Despite Angela's efforts to keep the peace between her and Marcus, tensions remain high after Marcus's ex-girlfriend and baby mama, Keisha (Whitehead), shows up at Angela's salon and treats her poorly. When they visit her with their children, the same thing happens again. By suddenly disappearing for a few days, Marcus stands up to both women and scares Angela into realizing she is wreaking havoc on their lives with her constant arguing. After Terry celebrates his birthday at home with his family, Dianne accuses him of wanting her to be a housewife, while he rebukes her for being absent from his and their daughter's lives. He decides to leave because he feels Dianne puts their professional success ahead of their relationship. Patricia meets up with Dianne and Angela, who are both moping about their husbands, and gives them sound advice on how to get back on track: making a list of the good and bad things their husbands have done.

Sheila begins a new chapter in her life when she starts working at the general store run by Troy's dad in the mountains. They become close, and she begins to see her value to the world. After checking everything off her list, Angela prepares dinner for Marcus. Despite his initial paranoia that she is plotting a poison attack on him, the two are eventually reunited and agree to new terms. After sobbing over her list, Dianne goes to see Terry and begs him to return home. They both end up reconciling after he plays with her head a little to get even with her.

Later, the couples meet up at a gala honoring Patricia's achievement. When Sheila finally shows up, she, Dianne, and Angela are overjoyed because she has reintroduced Troy as her new husband and has lost weight with his assistance. When Troy visits the husbands, they share his and Sheila's joy at the wedding news. Mike tries to win back his ex-wife's favor while still seeing Trina, but she tells him to "go enjoy Trina." In her acceptance speech, Patricia tells Gavin how much she loves him and ends with a message about loving, respecting, and trusting God.

Cast [ edit1 ]

Locations [ edit1 ]

Decatur (Georgia), Atlanta (Georgia), Pemberton (British Columbia), Vancouver (British Columbia), and Whistler (British Columbia) are all home to Agnes Scott College. [1][2]

The Process of Making Things and Making Things [ edit1 ]

Because he wanted the film to be "on a whole 'nother spiritual level—there's a whole 'nother connection to it," Perry cut many of the church and message scenes. " Since the play, he claims, his writing has improved. [3]1

Perry invited both seasoned and up-and-coming African-American actors, such as Danny! and Tracee Ellis Ross, to a reading of an early script in order to gauge their reactions. [4]

Reception [ edit1 ]

Explanatory Notes [ edit ]

Based on 42 reviews, the film has a 48% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, where it has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5. 50/10 Reviews of the site tend to agree on one thing: "Despite some poignant observations on modern marriages, Why Did I Get Married?" is overly dramatic and didactic "[5] Based on reviews from 12 critics, the film received an average score of 54 out of 100 on Metacritic." Moviegoers gave the film an "A" on average, according to a survey conducted by CinemaScore (scale: A+ to F). [7][8]

Paul Grenada acknowledged that there were choppy moments when the script felt too rigid. This film educates without being preachy, leaving viewers with a positive impression of the subject matter. The film was given a B+ by Entertainment Weekly, which also noted that Jill Scott's performance as the depressed, overweight Sheila, who discovers the faith that is the source of love, "glistens." Time magazine's B grade for the film was based on its "usual artless mix of broad comedy, teary confessions, and spiritual uplift. "[11]

Box office [ edit1 ]

The movie made $21 in its first weekend. It grossed $4 million in 3,105 theaters across the US and Canada, making it the highest grossing film of all time. It made only $12 million its second weekend, putting it in second place. 1,000,000, bringing the total in the last 10 days to over $38,000,000 The movie made $55,862,886 in the United States alone, as of the end of its first weekend.

Soundtrack [ edit ]

On October 2, 2007, Atlantic Records released the soundtrack. The soundtrack does not include any songs by Janet Jackson or Jill Scott. There were initially 58,000 copies sold of the soundtrack, which landed it at position number six on the Billboard 200 chart and position number seven on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. [14][15]

Home media [ edit1 ]

On February 12, 2008, the movie was made available on DVD. Subtitles in English and Spanish, as well as outtakes, can be found on the DVD.

The 23rd of November, 2010, saw the release of a Blu-ray disc.

Praise and nominations [ edit ]

• Photographic Achievement Prizes
  • Film of the Year (Nominated)
  • Jill Scott was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Motion Picture.
  • Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: Tyler Perry
  • Janet Jackson won the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.

Sequel [ edit ]

On April 2, 2010, a sequel titled Why Did I Get Married Too? starring Perry and the original cast was released.

In the wake of the success of those two movies, Tyler Perry developed a comedy-drama series for television titled For Better or Worse. Marcus and Angela, played by White and Smith, debuted on TBS on November 25, 2011. Perry considered making another installment in the series, titled Why Did I Get Married Again?, in June 2021. [16]1

References [ edit1 ]

Internet resources [ edit1 ]

• Site for Movies