Review of The Single Moms Club (2014) by Nathan M — 23 Mar 2014

Or The One Where It's Hard To Be A Mom Y'all...

Tyler Perry can't help himself when it comes to making movies that look like they were made by someone who's never interacted with another human being. None of the dialogue sounds realistic, it all seems to be regurgitated quotes from other movies, and the characters are just racial stereotypes and nothing more. That's right we've got the black mom who's ex-husband is a drug addict, we've got the black mom who's ex-husband and two of her sons are in jail, we've got the white mom who's too into her job and also happens to be an upperclass racist, and we've got the white mom who falls apart within moments of her maid being fired. Why do all these characters act this way? I don't know, because Perry doesn't give us much more than the stereotypes, and he assumes we're okay with that.

On top of all of that, the movie isn't as funny as (I think) he wants it to be, and the drama all seems hackneyed and unrealistic. When the big second act conflict comes to a head, it is so full of plot holes all you can do is poke holes in its logic. Plus, the character resolutions all come down to one thing: Every woman needs a man to fix all of her problems.

This is where I just don't understand what Perry is trying to do. It's clear his audience is similar to the Lifetime Movie Network, so why make your movie's message be, "You just need to get a man to fix your problems." Now, don't get me wrong, Perry never says it, but every woman in the film finds herself a man to complete herself. Also, the actual resolution in the third act has to do with these women hooking up with their new boyfriends. It's the anti-female empowerment film.

I can't imagine anyone really finds this movie enjoyable, especially his target audience. It feels offensive on so many levels, and too so many groups of people. It's racist and sexist in unintentional ways (I hope), but what is worse is I'm sure there are people who blindly fall in love with this film.

P.S. If you weren't into all of this and you just wanted to know if it was funny. No, it was boring, and save for a few solid moments of acting, no one is cast well.