Perry's latest offers a sluggish, relentlessly downbeat portrait of a young couple in crisis
The devil is in the details — or perhaps under the bed sheets — in “Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor,” a ludicrous marital drama-cum-morality play from contemporary black cinema’s most prolific multihyphenate. Significantly lacking in star wattage (including Perry’s own), this sluggish, relentlessly downbeat portrait of a young couple in crisis should play well to Perry’s fanbase, but won’t draw anywhere near Madea-sized crowds at a very competitive Easter box office.
Like many of Perry’s films, this one originated as a stage play, though judging from the evidence onscreen, it’s hard to imagine it playing very far outside the dinner-theater circuit. Framed as the titular “confession,” related by a marriage counselor to her latest client, “Temptation” introduces childhood sweethearts Judith (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and Brice (Lance Gross), married for several years and living in Washington, D.C., where Brice works as a pharmacist in a small family drugstore (run by Yiddishe Momme Renee Taylor, whom some may initially mistake for Perry himself in whiteface and drag).
Related Stories
VIP+Why Samsung’s FAST Platform Could Be Poised for Its Breakout Moment
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Receives $2 Million Gift for New Orchestral Works by Media Composers
Judith, meanwhile, holds one of the more fanciful jobs in recent movie memory: “inhouse therapist” for Janice (Vanessa Williams), a high-end matchmaker with a Pepe Le Pew accent and a devoted minion (Kim Kardashian) whose primary responsibility seems to be castigating Judith for her sensible shoes and discount-store couture. (“Is your fashion icon Delta stewardess?”)
Popular on Variety
As if credibility were not already stretched to the breaking point, it soon emerges that, for all her supposed insight into relationship compatibility, Judith is a nice Christian girl who’s never been with any man except Brice. Which makes her the perfect catnip for Harley (Robbie Jones), a social-media billionaire who comes calling ostensibly to invest in Janice’s company, but quickly makes a bigger bid to get Judith into the sack.
From there, “Temptation” takes a sharp right turn toward the smugly moralistic. Harley isn’t just a snake in Judith’s middle-class Eden. With his Internet billions, he promises to set her up in the private marriage counseling practice she’s always dreamed of, proves chivalrous (nearly pummeling a cyclist who accidentally runs into Judith in a park) where Brice is cowardly, takes her for rides in his Ferrari and Rolls, and eventually entreats her on to his private plane — a one-way ticket to the Mile High Club. But fret not: Like a subsequent bathroom tryst cloaked in enough steam for a three-alarm blaze, this encounter has been skillfully designed not to offend Perry’s churchgoing base or endanger his PG-13 rating.
Love of money is the root of all evil, don’t we know, because the Bible says so and because the notion of Judith being tempted by a rich guy who isn’t also a total asshole would be far too complex for Perry’s reductive universe. So, having attained his prize, Harley stands revealed as a sadistic bully luring Judith into a decadent underworld of very bad behavior (evidenced by a throbbing techno rave party that’s like Perry’s answer to the masked ball from “Eyes Wide Shut”).
In the interest of padding the running time to nearly a full two hours, Perry also adds a second woman-in-distress subplot involving a mysterious new pharmacy assistant (Brandy Norwood) on the run from something — or someone — in her troubled past. Less mysterious is the true identity of the film’s unnamed narrator, who leaves the listener of her story suitably traumatized, but with no clear moral to take away, save perhaps: Listen to your mother and you won’t end up getting divorced, or getting an STD, or both.
Perry previously took on the subjects of marriage, infidelity and the hard work of sustaining relationships with far more nuance in his 2007 dramedy “Why Did I Get Married?,” in which the characters were reasonably three-dimensional and had some semblance of inner lives. Here, they’re mere puppets on Perry’s strings, and impossible roles for the actors. Gross, in particular, spends most of the movie projecting all the assertiveness of a teacup chihuahua, only to finally rise to the occasion when the script needs him to, his dearly beloved poised on the threshold of damnation. What more, really, can one say about a movie in which Kim Kardashian is the single most believable thing on screen?
Consistent with most of Perry’s films, craft contributions are adequate but undistinguished, with occasional overhead shots of metro D.C. adding a dollop of location flavor to otherwise obvious Georgia soundstage shooting.
Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor
Reviewed at AMC Empire 25, New York, March 28, 2013. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 111 MIN.
A Lionsgate release presented with TPS of a TPS/Lionsgate production. Produced by Tyler Perry, Ozzie Areu, Paul Hall. Executive producers, Michael Paseornek, Mike Upton.
Directed, written by Tyler Perry, based on his stage play “The Marriage Counselor.” Camera (Deluxe color, HD, widescreen), Alexander Gruszynski; editor, Maysie Hoy; music, Aaron Zigman; music supervisor, Joel C. High; production designer, Eloise C. Stammerjohn; art director, Gentry L. Akens, II; set decorator, Dane Moore; costume designer, Johnetta Boone; sound (Dolby Digital/Datasat), Chris Durfy; re-recording mixers, Joe Barnett, Marshall Garlington; assistant director, Chip Signore; second unit director, Paul Hall; casting, Kim Taylor-Coleman.
Cast: Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Lance Gross, Kim Kardashian, Vanessa Williams, Robbie Jones, Renee Taylor, Ella Joyce, Brandy Norwood.
Read More About:
- 3rd Circuit,
- A Legal Mind,
- A Life In The Theater,
- A Story of Children and Film,
- A Sunday Kind of Love,
- A Walk In My Shoes,
- Act Like A Lady,
- African Kardashians,
- Alexander And The Terrible,
- All That Glitters,
- Angry Little God,
- Angry Little Gods,
- Around the World in 80 Girls,
- At the Movies,
- Bath Boys,
- Best Worst Movie,
- Boys & Girls Club Of America,
- Boys & Girls Clubs Of America,
- Brandy,
- Call Me Crazy: A Five Film,
- Cheaters,
- Chic Films,
- Christian Grass,
- Christian Taylor,
- Cine Quanon,
- Cinema Buying Group,
- Cinemark Earnings,
- Communications Workers of America,
- Confessions,
- Daddys Girl,
- Daddys Girls,
- Dark Was The Night,
- Day of the Woman,
- Dont Tell,
- Drawn by the Light,
- Dude,
- Dumb Girls,
- Filme B,
- Fix My Life,
- For The Love Of Money,
- Get A Job,
- Gone Girl,
- Good Deeds,
- Good People,
- Hes Fuckin Perfect,
- High Street Book Stores,
- Hiv,
- House At The End Of The Street,
- House Of Lies Casting,
- How It's Made,
- How To Cheat On Your Wife,
- Husbands,
- I Dont Know How She Does It,
- I Get That A Lot,
- I Hate That I Love You,
- If You Are The One,
- If You Are The One 2,
- James Tayler,
- Janice Min,
- Jennifer Haley,
- Judy Gold,
- Jurnee Smollett-Bell,
- K-lol,
- Kim Kardashian,
- Kim Williams,
- Le Fiance,
- Legands & Groundbreakers,
- Let's Be Cops,
- Lets Stay Together,
- Lie Of The Mind,
- Lights Out Ratings,
- Love Etc.,
- Madea,
- Madeas Big Happy Family Tyler Perry,
- Make Me A Star,
- Marcus Theaters,
- Marriage,
- Melinda Moore,
- Miles Young,
- Moguls And Movie Stars,
- Most Dangerous Man In America,
- Movie Ratings,
- Movie Theater Shooting,
- My Soul To Take,
- Not That Kind Of Girl,
- Of Love And Other Demons,
- One Million Moms,
- Pat White,
- Paul Lee Background,
- Pyscho,
- Rene Jones,
- Rich Moore,
- Robbie Williams,
- Rsa,
- Rsa Films,
- Scary Movie V,
- Single Black Female,
- Society Of London Theatres,
- Steve Tyler,
- Super Soul Sunday,
- Take The Money & Run,
- Tell Me Another,
- Temptations,
- The B-52s,
- The Council Of Dads,
- The Council Of Dads Casting,
- The Counselor,
- The Dark Fields,
- The Devil in Miss Jones,
- The Haves and Have Nots,
- The House At The End Of The Street,
- The Making of Rogue,
- The Names Of Love,
- The Other Guys Box Office,
- The Other Woman,
- The Temptations,
- The Woman In Black,
- Then She Fell,
- They Came Together,
- Trust R Rating,
- Trust Us With Your Life,
- Turn On Your Love Light,
- Tyler,
- Tyler Perry,
- Tyler Perry's Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor,
- Tyre,
- Vanessa Williams,
- Very Bad Day,
- Whats Your Number,
- White Van Man,
- Whos Still Standing,
- Why Did I Get Married Too,
- Wish Me Away,
- Woman In Black
More from Variety
Dave Chappelle and Killer Mike Announce Co-Headlining ‘Still Talkin That Sh*t’ Tour
Why Private Division’s Mystery Buyer Probably Isn’t a Gaming Giant
Why YouTube Spending Signals a Changing Content Market
Most Popular
‘SNL’ Roasts Elon Musk for Saying Trump Task Force Workers Will Get No Pay: ‘You Can’t Be Surprised the White African Guy’s First Idea Is Slavery…
‘The Substance’ Director Coralie Fargeat Pulls Film From Camerimage Following Festival Head’s Comments About Women
Donald Trump and Joe Biden Bond Over Hating Being President on ‘SNL’ as Alec Baldwin Debuts as RFK Jr.: ‘I Got a Dead Dolphin in My Car…
‘Cobra Kai’ Bosses on Killing Off [SPOILER] in Season 6 Part 2, What’s Next for Kreese and the Show’s Endgame
Warner Bros. Discovery, NBA Settle Legal Fight Over TV Rights
The Lonely Island Teams With Charli XCX for New Song ‘Here I Go,’ About Suburban Couples Who Love to Call the Cops
Oscars Predictions 2025: A Post-Election Race in Pursuit of Happiness
Barney Actor Says ‘I Laughed’ When the Ku Klux Klan ‘Banned Their Kids From Ever Watching Barney Again’ Because of His Casting
‘Grey's Anatomy' Star Jake Borelli on Levi Schmitt’s Exit and Almost Refusing His Coming Out Storyline: ‘I Wasn't Ready to Talk About’ It on a…
Mike Tyson Says He ‘Almost Died’ Ahead of Jake Paul Fight: ‘Lost Half My Blood and 25 Lbs in Hospital’
Must Read
- Music
Grammy Nominations 2025: Beyonce Leads With 11 Nods
- Film
Mattel’s ‘Wicked’ Movie Dolls Mistakenly List Porn Site on Packaging
- Film
With ‘Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point,’ Director Tyler Taormina Makes an Instant Holiday Classic
- TV
How ‘Office Ladies’ Transformed From a BFF Hang for Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey to One of the Biggest Podcasts in the World
Sign Up for Variety Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Variety Confidential
ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXJ%2Fjp%2BgpaVfp7K3tcSwqmiemaG6br7Er6Cer12pxq2x0WannqqirsBuwMSmp62ZpJ68r3nCqKWfnaOotrC60mamn2WRYrqivtGimKCdXZi8trrSnqOoql1mf3F8kmxncWtmZA%3D%3D