THE FAMILY THAT PREYS

Director: Tyler Perry

Stars: Alfre Woodard, Kathy Bates, Sanaa Lathan, Cole Hauser, Rockmond Dunbar, Robin Givens, KaDee Strickland, Taraji P. Henson, Tyler Perry

Year: 2008

Rating: PG-13

I have my problems with Tyler Perry. To me he's not quite polished as a writer or director; his films always come off as feeling like they could have used another trip through the editing room; his scripts another rewrite. The Family That Preys has the same sort of feel to it - heck, in one scene even Sanaa Lathan's flubbing of her own lines is quite obvious in the film, though Perry keeps the footage in - but there are two wonderful differences in this film that make it stand out from the rest of Mr. Petty's work: Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates.

It's been awhile since I saw a film with Woodard in it, and this one made me realize all over again what a brilliant talent she is. Here she plays Alice Pratt, the owner of her own diner in Atlanta, and we meet Alice on the day of her oldest daughter's wedding ... which is being held at the estate of Alice's best friend, Charlotte Cartwright (Kathy Bates). Alice and Charlotte have been best friends for over thirty years, and Charlotte is the head of a huge corporation and has loads and load of money, so as her gift has paid for the entire wedding - something the bride, Andrea (Sanaa Lathan) sorely resents, even calling her own mother a "mammy" for having a rich friend Charlotte as her friend.

But the wedding goes well, as Andrea marries Chris (the talented Rockmond Dunbar, in one of the best performances of the film) - and at the reception, Andrea and Chris are congratulated on their marriage by Charlotte's son William (Cole Hauser), who summarily offers Chris a potential construction job with his company, as well as promises Andrea a position when she is out of school and has her Masters in finance.

Flash forward to four years later. Chris and Andrea have a son, both work for William Cartwright, and a beautiful home in Atlanta - a home that Chris wonders how they can afford. Chris is okay with working for the Cartwrights, but plans one day to branch out with his own construction firm with his buddy (and Andrea's brother-in-law), Ben (Tyler Perry; yeah, he's an actor, too). But Andrea - who seems to have developed a real stick in her butt - practically laughs at the idea, and as the film goes on two things become quite apparent right away: she gets off on belittling her husband, and is more than just an employee to William Cartwright.

Meanwhile, William (not such a nice guy, himself) is shocked to learn he's been passed over for the position of COO at his mother's company, in favor of a high-powered female executive named Abby (Robin Givens), whom Charlotte has stolen away from another successful company. William makes no pretense of liking Abby from the beginning, and is further ticked off when Charlotte tells him he in no way is ready to take over her company any time soon (it seems Williams has his own issues - and past) ... and the stage is set for the hocked-off William to get revenge on his mother. But confident with Abby in charge, Charlotte has different plans; she talks Alice into turning over the diner to her younger daughter Pam (Taraji P. Henson, another reason to watch this film) for awhile, and the two take off in a vintage convertible for a drive across country - something Charlotte's been wanting to do for years.

And indeed, as their families (and, potentially, businesses) fall apart while they're away, Charlotte and Alice head west for some sweet, often funny adventures that are by far some of the best moments of the film. The reason behind Charlotte's wanting to take the trip should become obvious to anyone almost right away (subtle, it ain't), but that doesn't hurt the ride there, as Woodard and Bates' scenes really pack a punch on-screen, every time they're together.

It all comes down to a few final confrontations, and I won't say how the film ends ... but let's just say if you've seen Tyler Perry's work before, it'll be a no-brainer what happens to the good guys and what happens to the bad guys. And maybe that's my main problem with the film; the good guys are totally good, and the bad guys totally bad. Character development is fairly two-dimensional here in that sense, though God knows the film is cast with enough talent to still make it work.

But this is Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates' film, all the way. While they're on, you can't help but smile, and be reminded of how important - and joyous - friendship can really be. The Family That Preys isn't a great film ... but if renting or watching it on cable, it's more than worth your time to see. *** - Real Cool