Tyler Perry has ascended to the status of media mogul on the strength of his combination of Christian morality, slapstick comedy, and soap-operatic melodrama. In 2005, his play DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN was adapted for the screen and became the surprise hit of the season. With positive portrayals of black characters and family-friendly--but decidedly not boring--themes, the film appealed to a broad audience, and gave rise to numerous spin-offs. Madea is absent from Perry's most recent film, WHY DID I GET MARRIED' but the subject matter is just as universal, and features an engaging cast that counts Perry among its members.

Four couples who have been friends since college take a therapeutic getaway to a Colorado bungalow, where they plan to take stock of their relationships. They are led by successful psychiatrist Patricia (Janet Jackson), who has a picturesque marriage to Gavin (Malik Yoba). Nothing is perfect, however, and secrets and old scars soon emerge, pitting friend against friend and spouse against spouse. R&B singer Jill Scott shines as Sheila, the oft-derided, overweight wife of Mike (Richard T. Jones, GIRLFRIENDS), who arrives on the scene with a sexy young "friend" (Tasha Jones, YOU, ME, AND DUPREE) to shake things up a bit. Retribution and forgiveness follow, with the requisite admonitions and apologies made realistic by the skill of the cast.