I Can Do Bad All by Myself

Name: I Can Do Bad All by Myself
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: September 11, 2009
Duration: 113 min
Rating: 55
Cast: Adam Rodriguez, Taraji P. Henson, Tyler Perry

2009

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Mixed or average reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 35 Ratings

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5.9

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5.9	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 35 Ratings

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I Can Do Bad All By Myself

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Movie Details & Credits

Lionsgate | Release Date: September 11, 2009 | PG-13

Starring: Adam Rodriguez, Taraji P. Henson, Tyler Perry

Summary: When Madea, America’s favorite pistol-packing grandma, catches sixteen-year-old Jennifer and her two younger brothers looting her home, she decides to take matters into her own hands and delivers the young delinquents to the only relative they have: their aunt April. A heavy-drinking nightclub singer who lives off of her married boyfriendWhen Madea, America’s favorite pistol-packing grandma, catches sixteen-year-old Jennifer and her two younger brothers looting her home, she decides to take matters into her own hands and delivers the young delinquents to the only relative they have: their aunt April. A heavy-drinking nightclub singer who lives off of her married boyfriend Randy, April wants nothing to do with the kids. But her attitude begins to change when Sandino, a handsome Mexican immigrant looking for work, moves into April’s basement room. Making amends for his own troubled past, Sandino challenges April to open her heart. And April soon realizes she must make the biggest choice of her life: between her old ways with Randy and the new possibilities of family, faith…and even true love. (Lionsgate)… Expand

Director: Tyler Perry

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 113 min

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Critic Reviews

Lisa Schwarzbaum

It's probably the impresario's best-made movie yet, his most joyful, and his most moving. Read full review

Carrie Rickey

A double shot of Saturday-night lowdown chased by a cheery chug of Sunday-morning uplift. Read full review

Ty Burr

It’s the best Tyler Perry movie to date - the writer/director/actor/mogul’s most confident and competent mixture of uplifting black middle-class melodrama and low-down comedy. Read full review

Neil Genzlinger

Mr. Perry has his moviemaking machine running smoothly, which is to say somewhat predictably. Read full review

Peter Debruge

Perry's latest emotional roller coaster starts with considerable promise and a high-wattage cast, including Taraji P. Henson and singers Gladys Knight and Mary J. Blige, before giving way to melodramatic predictability. Read full review

Stephen Farber

Part musical, part love story, part family melodrama, part inspirational treacle, Tyler Perry's latest movie, I Can Do Bad All by Myself is something of an unholy mess. Alternately stupefying and entertaining, the film does benefit from a strong cast. Read full review

Nick Schager

The laughs, meanwhile, are delivered by cross-dressing Perry’s sassy grandma Madea, whose wild threats of violence to children and adults alike are the only things that sporadically lighten up this narratively and grammatically dim redemption pap. Read full review

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User Reviews

DARCYH

Sep 20, 2009

iT WAS A GREAT MOVIE, IT SHOWED YOU EVERYDAY ISSUES, ESPECIALLY WHAT CHILDREN REALLY GO THROUGH AND I REALLY THINK THAT WAS GREAT. iT ALSO TEACHES YOU THAT YOU CAN TRUST OTHERS AND YOU MUST TRUST YOURSELF , I WOULD WATCH THIS MOVIE OVER AND OVER AGAIN.............

0 of 0 users found this helpful

Sep 13, 2009

This movie was amazing! The all-star cast had me crying and laughing at the same time. The music selections were critical to the flow of the movie and were very touching. Everyone can relate to the characters and the story in some fashion. I saw the movie opening night and I will see it This movie was amazing! The all-star cast had me crying and laughing at the same time. The music selections were critical to the flow of the movie and were very touching. Everyone can relate to the characters and the story in some fashion. I saw the movie opening night and I will see it again at least twice before it leaves theaters. Go see this movie!!!… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful

TheateraNerd

Jul 9, 2012

The critics have done it AGAIN! They have underated another GREAT Perry film! This movie's too good to get such a low score. People who rated this movie low are just JEALOUS just like spike lee is because Tyler Perry makes GREAT films. REMEMBER.....jealousy is a sin!!!!.....

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

greedybadidea

Jun 13, 2020

The film opens with April (Taraji P. Henson), a self-centered, alcoholic singer, performing at a nightclub where she works. On the other side of town, Madea (Tyler Perry) and Joe Simmons (Perry) catch Jennifer (Hope Olaidè Wilson), Manny (Kwesi Boakye), and Byron (Freddy Siglar) breakingThe film opens with April (Taraji P. Henson), a self-centered, alcoholic singer, performing at a nightclub where she works. On the other side of town, Madea (Tyler Perry) and Joe Simmons (Perry) catch Jennifer (Hope Olaidè Wilson), Manny (Kwesi Boakye), and Byron (Freddy Siglar) breaking into their house. After hearing the children’s troubles, Madea welcomes and feeds them. Manny tells Madea that they’re living with their grandmother Rose, whom they haven't seen in four days and their mother is deceased. They tell her that their only other relative is their Aunt April.

April shares her home with her shady boyfriend, Randy (Brian White), who’s married with children. The next morning, Madea brings the kids to April's house, but April doesn’t want to be bothered. Meanwhile, Pastor Brian (Marvin Winans) sends a Colombian immigrant named Sandino (Adam Rodríguez) to her house for work and a place to stay. April puts Sandino in her basement and wants to lock him down there because she doesn't know him that well. While working around the house, Sandino surprises April by cleaning himself up. When Randy arrives, he sees April with the kids and Sandino and heckles him while making subtle advances at Jennifer.

Shortly afterward, Pastor Brian and Wilma (Gladys Knight), a church member, come to inform April that her mother Rose died from a fatal brain aneurysm while riding on a city bus. April is devastated by the news and seeks comfort from Randy; however, he is sleeping and shrugs her off. Later, Sandino comforts April as she tells him about her mother's death and the last time she spoke with her. Shortly afterwards Jennifer, Manny, and Byron return to April's after searching for their grandmother and April dejectedly tells them the news.

Depressed, Jennifer goes to Madea wanting to know how to pray. However, Madea, inexperienced with prayer, attempts to instruct her in a scene that plays out comically. The same night, Tanya (Mary J. Blige), the nightclub bartender, sings "I Can Do Bad". Before singing the song, Tanya strongly confronts April about her attitude. She says that April must change her selfish ways and think about the safety of Byron, Manny and Jennifer. Tanya declares she loves April but says she can’t help her unless she helps herself.

Over time, Sandino and April become good friends, and Sandino fixes a ruined bedroom in her house. This makes Manny and Byron happy, but upsets Jennifer, who feels April does not want them there. While on a date, Sandino tells April he doesn't understand why she is with Randy and asks if she loves Randy. He tells her what true love is to him. One Sunday morning, Sandino eagerly knocks on April's bedroom door to get April ready for church, but Randy threatens to kill Sandino if he continues to spend time with April.

Late the next night, Manny needs his insulin shot, and Jennifer goes to the kitchen to get it. As she prepares the shot, Randy approaches and attempts to rape her, but Sandino fights him off. April walks in on the fight and Randy claims Jennifer offered him sex for money. April pretends to believe him and sends Randy to take a bath. When he is in the tub, April threatens to electrocute him with a plugged-in radio. Sandino arrives and tries to stop her, but April is enraged, as she explains that she was sexually abused by her step-father, who then lied about it to her mother, thus causing April to lose her faith in the people that cared about her. After saying does he want her to put it down twice, she drops the plugged-in radio into the water, giving Randy a severe electric shock. Randy barely jumps out just in time and Sandino orders him to leave.

April goes to the bar for a drink and blames herself for not seeing the signs, just like her mother didn't see the signs with her. Sandino tries to stop her from drinking, but she pushes him away. She then asks Sandino if he is a child molester, because of all the attention he gives the children. Sandino tells April of his childhood as a child laborer and explains that he loves the children so much because he sees himself in them. Feeling hurt at her unfair accusations, Sandino says farewell to the children and leaves.

Jennifer and April begin to get along and connect after April tells Jennifer about her bad experience as a child. Jennifer tells her that she should recognize Sandino as a good man. Eventually, Sandino returns and April apologizes to him and admits that she loves him like a friend. Sandino tells her that she can't love anyone until she learns to love herself. He tells April that he is in love with her but he wants April to love him back the same way he loves her. He shows her by kissing her.

Eventually, April and Sandino get married. April and Sandino then hold a block party for their reception with Tanya singing "Good Woman Down", dedicated to April, then the new couple is shown embracing and sharing a passionate kiss.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

kgm

Sep 21, 2009

Give credit to Tyler Perry for not glamorizing drug dealing, criminal activities, selfish actions and the like. Tyler Perry advocates practical Christian and family values. Sure, his positive characters are a little too good, too clean, too upstanding but ya got to find your heroes somewhere.

0 of 1 users found this helpful

NeilB

Sep 15, 2009

Its tough for me to overlook some glaring issues with the movie. While I try to support Tyler, its clear that he needs to evolve as a director. The movie quite frankly looks low-budget (with the one predictable set shown of the street over and over again) When the child says "my bed, my Its tough for me to overlook some glaring issues with the movie. While I try to support Tyler, its clear that he needs to evolve as a director. The movie quite frankly looks low-budget (with the one predictable set shown of the street over and over again) When the child says "my bed, my bed" it became laughable, when Tyler intermingles the high melodrama the product becomes a sad, predictable overreach dramatic breakdown of Black Lives and Family's. And Now it seems he's leveraging this formula to go all the bank, at our expense.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

Amely

Sep 12, 2009

Its exactly what you'd expect from Tyler perry, which to me is a very, extremely horrible thing. I saw cause I'm a big fan of Taraji P. Hensen. Her acting in the movie made this predictable, trash bearable. of course its cheesy, look who made it. Its corny on every level. This Its exactly what you'd expect from Tyler perry, which to me is a very, extremely horrible thing. I saw cause I'm a big fan of Taraji P. Hensen. Her acting in the movie made this predictable, trash bearable. of course its cheesy, look who made it. Its corny on every level. This movie is un-original, nothing is surprising, nothing in this movie takes a risk, completely forgettable, I genuinely can not see someone loving this movie. Liking it? Sure. Loving it, come on. Be real.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

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