Good Deeds

Good Deeds – 110 Min – PG13

This is my first Tyler Perry film. I enjoyed so many aspects of it, but I had a big problem with one key point. I am having a problem with really giving my true feelings because the problem I have is wrapped in a blanket of spoilers. I can’t explain why I am giving this rating in the upper part of my review I have to go over it in the spoilers section. Click on the highlighted section below to expand the spoilers. I try and keep them away from the viewing public. I wanted to give it a green light but there are some points I can’t overlook, so it falls to a yellow light.

Wesley Deeds (Tyler Perry) is the CEO of a company his dad built. He is living his in a mental fog with absolutely no passion and or spontaneity. His is the very model of doing what is expected of him. His brother Walter (Brian White) is the opposite of that; he is only still employed because Wesley has promised to look out for him. Wesley is engaged to Natalie (Gabrielle Union) and they are completely perfect for one another but have absolutely no passion.

Lindsey (Thandie Newton) and her daughter, Ariel (Jordenn Thompson), have just been evicted from their apartment. Lindsey is struggling to keep things together and protect Arial from the harsh realities of living on the streets.

This story is about how Wesley and Lindsey meet and change each other’s lives. This movie highlights how many people can be depend on your life. It’s easy to get wrapped in what is expected of you that you lose your individuality in those expectations. You have to strike a balance between what is required of you and what makes you, you. This movie shows us what happens when you lose that balance.

Tyler Perry is known for his roles he performs in drag but I think that might overshadow his work as a writer. He has some very strong messages that people can relate to. When watching this movie I am reminded of the same feelings I get when I watch a Frank Capra movie. Really well developed characters in some thought provoking situations.

Spoiler warning!!!!
Behind this click is why I downgraded this film.

The end of this film failed the journey leading up to it. Let me explain. We have a story of one person who has lived his entire life for his father's memory and for his mother's expectations. We see him completely change his life and his mindset. He is a completely different person by the end of the film. We learn that you have to live for yourself and not be burdened down by the expectations of others.

Wesley celebrates this change in his life by asking the woman who was the catalyst for this change to run away to Africa and dig wells for villages. This woman is a single mother of a seven year old girl and when she was given the offer to run away with this man she just met, she said no.

I completely fell in love with this movie when she said no. I though this is the movie that will reflect real life and not fall into the trap of giving the sellout happy finale. She made the right choice for her and her daughter because going with him would mean living for his expectations and not her own. At the airport he does not see her running to the plane in a final scene, because she has already boarded the plane and is waiting for him. I lost all respect for this movie.

It would have been better if they kept their relationship going via letter or web cam or something. He lives his life and she hers, and they grow separately but they also grow a deeper relationship. We could see them reunite, with each of them learning a lot about themselves and becoming more secure people.

One thing I really like about this movie is how it kept honesty to how people should act even if they are falling out of love. They did not go and have an affair with other people but worked out the differences before moving on. There are so many great things about the movie get let down by the sellout ending.

What movie have you seen that you loved until something made you think differntly about the movie?