Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys

    Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys
    2008

    Synopsis

    Wealthy socialite Charlotte Cartwright and her dear friend Alice Pratt, a working class woman of high ideals, have enjoyed a lasting friendship throughout several decades. Recently, their lives have become mired in turmoil as their adult children’s extramarital affairs, unethical business practices, and a dark secret threaten to derail family fortunes and unravel the lives of all involved. Charlotte and Alice decide to take a breather from it all by making a cross-country road trip in which they rediscover themselves and possibly find a way to save their families from ruin.

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    Cast

    • Kathy BatesCharlotte Cartwright
    • Alfre WoodardAlice Evans
    • Sanaa LathanAndrea Evans-Bennett
    • Rockmond DunbarChris Bennett
    • Cole HauserWilliam Cartwright
    • KaDee StricklandJillian Cartwright
    • Tyler PerryBen
    • Taraji P. HensonPam
    • Robin GivensAbigail 'Abby' Dexter
    • Sebastian SiegelNicholas 'Nick' Blanchett

    Recommendations

    • 75

      TV Guide Magazine

      Thanks to some first-rate acting from its stars, it ranks among Perry's best.
    • 75

      Philadelphia Inquirer

      Was it just three years ago that Perry made his feature debut with "Diary of a Mad Black Woman?" Then his filmmaking was strictly amateur; now his sweeping pans and portentous closeups approach those of Pedro Almódovar.
    • 70

      Variety

      Bates and Woodard strike up a real dynamic, and picture gives the duo room to improvise, leading to one raucous scene after another as they Thelma-and-Louise it in a top-down convertible.
    • 70

      The Hollywood Reporter

      Woodard conveys the rock-solid values of a true Christian without ever falling into sappiness. Bates is enjoyably larger-than-life, as the role requires.
    • 70

      Los Angeles Times

      Dude, what made you refuse to screen your film for critics before it opened Friday? I'm betting you would have received an earful of praise for your writing and directing.
    • 60

      New York Daily News

      Perry's notoriously overstuffed plots have sometimes been top-heavy, but this movie, like Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters," hangs on an elegant structure that doesn't feel forced.
    • 58

      Entertainment Weekly

      All over the place:It's a boardroom/family/couples/road-trip story.
    • 50

      L.A. Weekly

      What's memorable here is the sparkling chemistry between Bates and Woodard, whose scenes together are a pleasure to watch, even as one thinks that their next outing should be to co-teach a master class entitled, "How To Rise Above Cliché."