Review of I Can Do Bad All By Myself (2009) by Deb S — 24 Jan 2010

Madea and her brother Joe catch three kids breaking into their home. You soon learn that they are doing this because they are hungry and their grandmother (who they live with) has disappeared. Madea ends up taking them to their Aunt April's house. The problem, however, is that their Aunt is a total mess--and one of the most selfish characters you've ever seen.

This is a typical Tyler Perry and he definitely got several messages across tackling every modern social issue I could think of .... child molestation and how we can sometimes turn a blind eye toward it, pedophile step fathers, indifferent society, cheating, lying, dishonesty, disrespect to others, alcoholism and a screwed up child welfare system.

The acting was superb and the story very realistic. Hope Wilson gives a star making performance as Jenifer while Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) gives a stellar lead performance as self-centered club singer April . She imbues April with a good center underneath all her problems. This is crucial because, without it, we wouldn't care about her character. Mary J. Blige, Gladys Knight and Marvin Winans blow the roof off with their singing performances. Adam Rodriguez from CSI Miami is great as April's knight-in-shining armor.

I Can Do Bad All by Myself is a competent mixture of uplifting black middle-class melodrama and comedy and serves its purpose to the audience it's speaking to. Recommended.