10 Awful 2013 Films You'll Never Watch Again
9. Temptation: Confessions Of A Marriage Counselor
Look, I think that by now, you know if you either enjoy Tyler Perrys films or not. His films are divisive for all the wrong reasons. What is most interesting about Temptation is how, after writing 14 movies over the past 8 years, Tyler hasnt made any improvements in his storytelling.
The story revolves around Judith (Jurnee Smollett-Belle) who is married to Brice (Lance Gross), her childhood sweetheart. When Judith wants to start her own business, she meets Harley (Robbie Jones) who begins flirting with her, trying to seduce her. Brice seems to be just another bumbling inattentive husband figure while Harley seems to do everything "right". This of course, slowly leads Judith more and more into a relationship with Harley (as you can guess from the title of this movie).
What is alarming is how simplified the character's motivations are. People cheat for a myriad of reasons, many of which are complex and evolve over a long, long time. Judith's reasons for cheating boil down to her husband not noticing her new hair. On top of that, when Judith's family find out about the affair, they are all presented as perfect Christian do-gooders who tell her she is going straight to hell. At one point, the family even forms a prayer circle for her, praying for her to stop sinning like this.
Like Tyler Perrys other movies, Temptation is full of cliches, preaching, and absurd writing choices made in the 3rd act that has received a lot of fair criticism. The problem is, Tyler never ventures an inch outside of his targeted audience. Until then, nothing will likely change about his movies and we will continue to see incredibly simplistic characters stuck in simplistic stories.