Temptation by Tyler Perry

Hi fans, so this will not be a critique but more of a commentary.

What can I say? I saw the original play Confessions of a Marriage Counselor but this one was
so different.  There were a couple of twist where, honestly, I didn't realize it was the same plot until the end when the climax comes: It is the same guy (that the wife is cheating with, and Brandy was abused by).

There were little subtle things in the movie that made it go together and I think I should mention it here:

For one, did you see the confidence in that guy? Everything he asked was just on point. He was the perfect item of seduction: he dressed well, was extremely rich, believed in her dreams (where her husband wanted her to wait 10 years for her dream, the guy wanted to help her make it happen today). The husband did not protect her when she got cursed out in the street but explained later that they could have had guns and they did the right thing, and you know what? He does have a good point.

But, being a woman, I know that sometimes our emotions override our logic and honestly, at the end of the day, the wife did not feel protected and probably doubted whether she would ever be protected by her man. On the other hand, she mistakenly goes the wrong way and bumps into a guy that was merrily going by his way on his bike and the seduction guy is all over it, ready to jump him. (She wasn't even threatened). This was a subtle, quick, thing that happened in the movie but it is significant.

There were other parallels as well between the seduction guy and the husband. The seduction guy was the only one that mentioned it (when she was on the couch talking about her husband's basketball wounds seduction guy says how she compares them.) The movie itself shows this comparison, but it is so subtle it can be almost missed. Another big difference is the attention. Husband forgets birthday, she gets flowers from Harley (name of seduction guy). She steps away to talk on the phone and the husband is watching a game, doesn't even notice or say anything when she steps out (what world is he on? your woman is hiding a call that's like major cheater clues).

Then there is the whole routine of marriage (she says 'oh, it's 8 o'clock  and I'm making dinner' to Harley). This is a big context clue to her life. She never goes out after she gets home. She goes to a job where she doesn't feel significant in or is her dream, then she comes home and home is not a place of rest. It becomes a place to give some more: make meals, have sex (they hint at this briefly when she is talking about her mother coming and asking her if she's been doing her wifely duties.) It is also very sad when she admits on her plane that she is hopeless about her dream. She is stuck in this routine and she doesn't know how she's going to get out of it. Her husband's words have pierced her soul and she is not doing anything towards her dream of starting her own practice. She is frustrated, bored, and the whole cowboy routine the husband did to try to make up for forgetting her birthday was one (by the wife's rolling of the eyes and sigh) was lacking. It looked like he does that every time when he messes up. Even his make-ups are routine.  How boring.

So here comes this Harvey guy, did you notice how patient he is? and how willing? and he keeps giving and giving, and how relentless he is? Reminds me of the devil, just won't stop until you fall, break, or just end up in sin somehow. He listens to her, and encourages her, and compliments her, and shows how he appreciates her. He studies her (did you hear that line about how her left temple shakes when she is mad?)  Seduction guy (better name than Harley) is doing EVERYTHING she wishes her husband was doing: supporting her and giving it to her (you know what I mean, if you don't, I mean in the 'bedroom.')

It's also a break from the routine in her life. I love the part when seduction guy says 'Sex is animalistic, it happens when it happens, wherever it happens, the floor, the bed, the kitchen, the office. So she goes home and she tries it and the husband gets freaked out and says that they should eat then go to the bedroom to do that. It's so traditional and she wants more.  Harvey makes her curious, and something about him makes her want to come back for more (this one I don't understand actually, I mean if she loved her husband so much it shouldn't have been so easy to be swept away by this new guy).

The best, most honest and telling part of the movie is when the husband finally steps up as a man and fights for her. He breaks the door, rescues her, goes back, beats up the guy. He stands up for Brandy as well: letting Harvey know that he cannot go after her. This movie is so deep.  The husband was so comfortable and stagnant and his wife walked away and he let her. I hate the part when he leaves her in the Harley house, back to the party. Anyhow, in that part she said 'I feel dead when I'm with you. You are a nice guy, I hope you find a nice girl. I don't want a nice guy, I want a phenomenal guy.' This again, in my opinion, is the most telling part of the movie. 16 years together, known each other since they were 6. Husband stopped trying at all (did you catch the part of how they always go to the $1.99 buffet and he said I'll treat you somewhere nice, the $5.99 buffet?) It's like dude, how low are your standards? Treat your wife out, save up and do it, she is the love of your life isn't she?

I also love Brandy's character because she is just really  in touch and healed it seems. She tells the husband that he can't blame himself for what the wife has done, however he can take responsibility for his part. She spoke of how people can start one way, end up another and how things can get really comfortable in a marriage. She also said something so interesting, the husband said 'I didn't even know she was unhappy.' Brandy said 'maybe she was happy until someone came along and showed her something different.'  WOW. Just like seduction guy said 'How can you compare if you have nothing to compare to?' Her good girl, follow-the-rules-my-whole-life, no sex before marriage, all that lack-of-experience thing really came into play. She was like a kid in a candy store who never knew what candy was. Then discovered it, and wanted to have more and more. Seduction guy had money, she could wear nice clothes, and go to New Orleans, Paris, New York (he does have a private plane). He comes along with comfort and a luxurious lifestyle.

What I do love is the sense of masculinity throughout the movie. Again, I think the movie was short and underdeveloped (maybe because I thought the seduction part would take much longer: the girl hops on a plane to New Orleans and boom!! She does something she has never done in her 26-year-old life: have sex outside of the vicinity of marriage). It just made no sense, but maybe falling into sin never does make logical sense, it's a play on emotions. And boy! did he play her on every emotion. As a woman, I cringed when he said I dream of you, because every woman wants (no neeeedddss) to be desired and feel wanted.  Husband was neglecting her so bad and here she is in New Orleans having a super-date (How I Met Your Mother reference) and then gives it up after. She didn't want to cheat, but she is so intelligent!!! And one thing about intelligence, you are used to waiting long and hard to get an answer (think of how many papers and essays you had to write to get your degree). And she had her masters, so she is used to digging for an answer. Just like Inception (another movie reference, you gotta be a movie buff to read my blog, what can I say), Harvey put the thought of cheating in her brain. He made her wonder what if? What would life be like without her husband? What would life be like with money? and trips? and new experiences? (wait, was that coke that she was sniffing? yeah she really trusted him if she took that up her nose). I mean, she just went one whole big deep hole and found herself on the ground lost, looking to go back home ( like Alice in Wonderland.)

Good lord, Tyler Perry! You've done it again!! You are just a good writer, you twisted the plot made it current (in the play the seduction guy is basketball player, here he is a rich media mogul which is very hot for the age group that he was targeting with the movie.) There was also no previous history (in original play, the seduction guy dated the girl when they were back in college and before she got with her husband.) Tyler really twisted this around and not for nothing, was it me or did Kim Kardashian look great in this movie? I've never seen her look this good (do I gotta airbrush my face and buy Indian hair to look like that?). I loved Kim's character as well because she was so direct and cold (when her girl says her husband forgot her birthday second time in a row, Kim simply replies 'You are unforgettable, I've been trying to tell you so if you won't take my advice leave my office right now.') No sympathy! So heartless, you gotta love that. It's definitely a TV Personality, I don't think anyone would be that cold in real life.

Anyhow, all this leads me to the end. What can I say? It is artistically speaking, perfect!! It stays with  you doesn't it? It got me writing this commentary at 11:39 pm at night, after I saw this movie. It's like dang, I gotta think about this one! This is one is making me think twice about dipping my feet in any cold waters of sin. Something that might seem harmless can really go a long way. There's no much better commentary than what I posted as my Facebook status after watching the movie. So here it goes:  "Just saw Temptation by Tyler Perry and wow I definitely was struck by it! I guess there are some mistakes we just can't come back from. God is all forgiving, but people are not. Definitely makes you think twice before dipping into what might seem like a harmless sin."

Please, if you took time out of your LIFE to read this, comment. What did you think of the Temptation movie? What did you take away from it? Would love to have you share.

Looking at it a little deep, you may not agree. This is, THE CRITIC.