Good Deeds

I am not a Tyler Perry defender, but I have to call foul on the 3.1 rating. Those who reviewed the movie average about a 6 or 7, so I'm led to believe many who have voted on this movie did not in fact see the movie. Considering the assault Perry receives from critics--myself included at times--it would not be hard to believe some would undermine the rating system here and seek to sabotage anything with the name "Perry" in front of it. Moving on...

I will go out on a limb and say this is Perry's highest quality effort to date. It's the first movie I remember seeing of his that did not run with the trite good-guy/bad-guy story line. This movie had more depth than any of his previous. There were no bad guys. Every character was troubled and coping and...human. Many I think missed the real theme of this movie. It has absolutely nothing to do with a man coming to save a woman. It is about having the courage to follow your own path. It is a universal theme, one that hits home for virtually everyone. Sure there may be better movies out there who execute this theme, but this movie does it competently in my opinion, and by Tyler Perry's standards, it is more than competent. It is dare I say, actually "good?"

I liked the acting. Once I got past Thandie's always-strange accent and the little girl's initially poor acting performance, and Brian White's sometimes over-acting, the movie caught its groove and all of the actors delivered. Newton played a particularly touching role. I have to admit her ability to cry on a dime regarding the loss of her child, made me tear up a bit. To say that I was shocked to find myself actually tearing up from a Tyler Perry movie is the understatement of the day. Perry and Gabrielle Union also delivered. Both portrayed their complex characters well and competently showcased the true ambivalence that often accompanies a relationship, especially one that occurs when the couple is past their twenties and have to grapple with all the life expectations that entails. This brings me to the next highlight--the script.

It seems like Perry actually took his time--or at least more time than he usually does, say on the horrible movies like "Madea Goes to Jail" or the like--on this script. There was more character development, more growth, more nuance, and unpredictability. There were plot holes, sure, but in general, you didn't feel short-changed as a viewer, like the writer was just trying to rush something through to meet a deadline so that he could ultimately get your money--ahem--"Why did I get Married 2" looking at you!

Finally, I liked the pace of the movie. Some may think it was slow, I think it was mature...a mature movie about mature matters. I liked this for a change, especially in comparison to the low-IQ slapstick I had previously associated with Tyler Perry. And let me leave this little tidbit: If you, like me, happen to currently be in a similar place in life as these characters--about to make big life decisions but fear you are not making the right ones--you will doubly appreciate the meditative pace. You will appreciate the more introspective tone than is found in Perry's other movies.

The movie is not perfect, but I will give it a relatively high rating simply to combat the unfairly low rating it has as of this writing. We should applaud growth when we see it. "See it" being the operative phrase. See the movie before low-rating it. Have some integrity folks.

The ratings are unduly harsh for what is a good movie overall. Some especially good moments all of which included the excellent Thandiwe Newton, always very good in anything she is in. For this film she basically holds it all together and is the stand out performer.

The story is predictable but then it's hard to be totally original when it's all been done many times before.

The story is a simple rediscovery one where the main character has to re-allign values and needs some home truths to help get there. Often people can have so much and yet have no value or worth in life. Stepping back and prioritising a little self over others may be the only way to break free from a rut and achieve true happiness.

My first Tyler Perry movie, and far better than some of the reviewers have made out and well worth at least a 6/10.

I have always liked Thandie Newton and Brian White and they do well in their roles and make them believable, Tyler Perry is solid in the leading role, likewise Gabrielle Union was good in her role as Tyler Perry's characters girlfriend.

The story was predictable from very early on, but still interesting and worth watching. A small amount of violence, but not over done.

Nothing amazing or new for me, but definitely worth watching at least once if you like romantic movies.

The premise of Good Deeds, had solid depth with some light-hearted overtones. The storyline was well paced, and easy to watch.

Thandie Newton's role had a bit of meat too it, which made the movie. Her 'simple' character pulls you in.

Great to see a relatively strong black cast (typically a tall order to deliver), and of course Mrs Huxtable!

I noted some low scores on IMDb, I would not be so fast to sweep it under the carpet. A mature look at love hides somewhere in Good Deeds.

Watching a movie about choosing the right path. Finding the type of love you want, can be good for the soul.

Good Deeds (2012) is a movie that I recently watched on HBOMAX. The storyline follows a rich business owner who has an unappreciative fiancée and reckless, angry brother. His life seems perfect but when he meets a down on her luck single mother janitor in his building, he decides to help her out and falls in love in the process. His perfect life is about to take a drastic turn...

This movie stars, is written and directed by Tyler Perry (Diary of a Mad Black Woman) and also stars Gabrielle Union (Bad Boys 2), Thandiwe Newton (Crash), Eddie Cibrian (The Cave), Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show), Rebecca Romijn (X-Men), Jamie Kennedy (Scream 2) and Brian White (Stomp the Yard).

This picture does a great job of depicting a single mother's struggles and Newton delivers a tremendous performance. The characters are unique and the situations are perfectly depicted. The soundtrack is absolutely tremendous. I will say many elements felt unrealistic but still made you smile as they unfolded. The mother and daughter dynamic is well portrayed and the child acting by Jordenn Thompson was impressive. The conclusion was cliche but made me smile.

Overall, the ratings for this are a bit harsh. I would score this a 7/10 and recommend seeing it once.