The Family That Preys (2008) Online

I had the opportunity to see The Family that Preys this weekend, this is my second Tyler Perry movie, to be honest from what I've seen, I think I may check out his other movies, because I do like what I've seen so far. The Family that Preys is seriously one of the better films I've seen so far in September, it's an honest drama that keeps your attention, it was also very touching. In some ways this was the female version of The Bucket List, even as it was hard to watch, it was still an incredibly moving movie. The chemistry between Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard was just dead on and you really believed in their friendship. I also loved the side story between the two sisters and their husbands, one sister who is rich and spoiled with a good husband who is in major denial about what his wife really is, the other sister who wishes for her husband to keep his head up and live his dream. Tyler Perry pulls in a good family story that will have you smiling at the end.

Alice and Charlotte are best friends, Charlotte is a rich business woman who's son wants to take over her company, she's rooting for a different C.O.O. that she hand picks, Abby, who is a strong woman who is working her way to the top. Alice is a struggling woman who Charlotte asks if they can go on a road trip together, she agrees, they go across country enjoying the last bits of life. But what they don't realize is that at home Alice's daughter, Andrea, is sleeping her way to the top behind her loving husband's back, her other daughter is begging for her husband to live his dreams, and Charlotte's son is just a sleaze who will step on anyone to get to the top.

The Family that Preys is seriously a very good movie, it will not disappoint you. I'm really disappointed in a lot of these ratings. I believe there are some users lately who don't even see the movie, they just rate it a low number just because they don't like who's the star or whoever is making the film, please, you have to trust me on this film, it's a little treasure and a very strong film that will remind you to not take life for granted, stay strong, and remain proud of who you are. The script had extremely well written lines and I loved the representation of the hardship of being a woman trying to compete in a man's working world, not to sound horrible, but I imagine that's even harder for an African American woman and this movie just inspires you that it is possible to stay strong and work hard, keep the faith, and good things will come to you. This is a fantastic movie, I highly recommend it.

8/10

Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys is a great drama that delivers both a great storyline and a great moral compass. I watched it on TV half an hour ago, and when I came to check it out here on IMDb, I was absolutely shocked that it only has 3.3 stars!

Tyler Perry does a great job of setting up scenarios filled with broken people in broken relationships, just struggling to get through life. Without giving too much away, he presents people in poverty, wealthiness, friendship, and infidelity, so there's always something you can relate to, either by personal experience, or through someone you know.

If you haven't seen this movie yet---GO SEE IT!!! Don't let the extremely low rating fool you. I'm white, young, liberal, and still enjoyed it, so you don't have an excuse either. :)

there are 2 things i need say here:

1-as a features(direction, acting, etc) this is a well done movie. i would even consider it for an award or two( not Oscar since this particular award is anything else BUT real life movies anymore). all the actors give outstanding performances except maybe Tyler Perry which one can see he is not a professional in this particular field. but even on this aspect he is at least putting the effort in. Taraji P. Henson, Cole Hauser, Alfre Woodard, Sanaa Lathan and Kathy Bates are all well casted. my main star here would be Taraji P. Henson , both as an actress as much as the character itself. this woman can be VERY expressive beside being still beautiful while not as young anymore. Robin Givens is engaging while Rockmond Dunbar is truly at his best! i give it an 8 rating at this chapter.

2- subject matter is NOT preying on a "certain audience" as some reviewers keep implying. it does cross the border of being BLACK or WHITE and that is its STENGHT. to sum this up, race does not matter anywhere as much as CLASS does. the present day stereotypes are all here, especially the corporate ones, and in a realistic form, that MANY of us could identify with on a general level( maybe not the wealthy ones that pay reviewers to "diss" this movie just because it obviously does hurt their PERCEPTIONS of living the life at the "top"). i give it a 10 rating for the plot and subject development even if i do not agree with ALL the points made here( but most of them).

the movie is not politically correct YET it does not play on viewer's emotion and expectations. it seems i am indeed a fan of Tyler Perry's production now that i think of it because i can not recall any of his movies that i do NOT like. also i am not part of the visible minority that most of the actors here are. doubt that this has any relevance as in WHY i like this particular feature(i really do not think it does).

i recommend this to any adult viewers and adolescents( no matter race) that is CONCERN with present day social values as they are being imposed from the TOP,( mass media, etc) and NOT from the old fashioned COMMON SENSE, that made this word spinning around, long before Hollywood came alive.

just give it a shot, the 3 star rating makes NO SENSE, really.

I saw this movie last night, and found it entertaining, with great acting, and intriguing twists. Perry's movies get better and better. Most of his early work, I did not take very seriously, and did not pay to see in theaters. I thought "Why Did I Get Married" was his best. The Family That Preys, in my opinion ties with it. I think southerners, with insider's knowledge of complicated relationships between Blacks and Whites, (especially between wealthy Whites and the people who work for them), viewers familiar with Faulkner's work, family stories passed down from generation to generation will walk away with a special, "ah ha" that reminds me of so and so and "miss" so and so...moment.

So often family secrets cross color lines, friendship and loyalty have a unique southern flavor. Proximity to the powerful often holds special dangers and temptations. I think most memorable are the strong women who in their unique southern style, play for keeps while holding their heads up, cursing while wearing hats and gloves, in ladylike form. If you've ever lived in the South, you know what I'm talking about. Southern Belles, matriarchs, supportive wives--who have a manipulative, strategic side--are so often the real backbone of the family.

Am I the only one who noticed (thankfully) the absence of the "N" word, or similarly distasteful references? The audience knew why Alfre Woodard's character said, "He won't marry you", without any reference to race.

For some reason, I think that people, their sickening racial prejudices or whatever have influenced a lot of the votes on Tyler Perry's work.

I've worked in independent film and am a writer and honestly, just discovered his work and have watched four or five of his films this week and I really think some jealousy for a young talented black man is going on because none of these films have reached the level of the garbage that usually elicits these number through these pages.

Not all his stuff is meant to be taken seriously, but this work for example is and has a great ensemble cast and it worked beautifully.

I don't understand the vote, but this was well done, technically perfect, and tender and ruthless and quite perfect in this film maker's views.

Bravo Tyler...keep 'em coming.

One thing that made me avoid these is they always emblazoned everything Tyler, but he deserves some credit...and the likes of Bates and Woodward, these guys are academy award winning and level actresses. They don't just work with anybody.

He wrote it. He produced it. He directed it. He played a bit part. What do you want to give the man no credit as if he had nothing to do with the film?

His stage plays have done over $75 million in sales across America and didn't need some gimmick like Cats, and this is a self made man basically. He wasn't born with some silver spoon in his mouth and eventually, as he does more drama, he's going to get an Academy Award in his life time at this rate.

OK, I've read all the other reviews, to date, and I have to agree with those who had a positive experience. I'm a 62 year old gay white male, and I gave this movie an 8/10. I am not an unreserved fan of Tyler Perry, and think some of the Madea sub-plots are pretty ugly. That said, I have watched nearly everything he's done, enjoyed most, and feel that this one is the best I've seen. The plot(s) were not difficult to follow, or swallow, and the entire cast was perfect, not a bad actor among them. As expected, Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates were truly excellent in their roles. These gals have been doing this, and doing it well, for a long time, and are perfect together. If they aren't long time friends off-camera, they surely fooled me.

"The Family That Preys" is a story that revolves around friendship and deception, within two families: The Evans' and Cartwright's. The Evans family is headed by hardworking middle classed Alice Pratt Evans (Alfre Woodard) who is the mother of two daughters, Andrea (Sanaa Lathan) and Pam (Taraji P. Henson). Andrea is educated and has just earned a Masters degree in finance, while Pam ops not to go to college and takes up a job working in the family diner with Alice instead. The Cartwright family is very wealthy and is headed by strong willed, business savvy, Charlotte Cartwright (Kathy Bates). Charlotte is the mother of a spoiled greedy son, William (Cole Hauser). Alice and Charlotte, although coming from different social backgrounds, develop a long friendship which lasts for over 30 years.

The film opens to a wedding scene in which Andrea is marrying a middle classed uneducated construction worker named Chris (Rockmond Dunbar). During the wedding reception, William approaches the newlywed couple and offers them both jobs in the thriving Cartwright family business. Both Andrea and Chris accept. The credits roll and the story picks up four years later. Andrea's husband Chris, along with Pam's husband Ben (Tyler Perry), have both been hired as Cartwright construction workers while Andrea has been hired in the corporate aspect of the business as one of the company's financial advisers. Within those four years, Andrea has turned into heartless bitch who feels that her entire family, including her husband, is beneath her because Andrea is making big bucks with the Cartwright Company. Chris has a dream of starting his own construction company and Andrea refuses to support Chris' dreams. Charlotte and Alice go on a cross country road trip in which Charlotte reveals to Alice that she has developed Alzheimer's disease. Because of Charlotte's sudden illness, William begins plotting to steal the family business from underneath his mother's nose. There are so many plot lines going on and too little time so most of the characters are underdeveloped, as Ben and Pam, as a couple rarely get any screen time at all. There is a lot going on in "The Family That Preys", but the plot twist that changes the film's entire direction happens when Chris goes to the bank to apply for a business loan and while he's there Chris is informed that he and his wife, Andrea, have more than one account at the bank and one of the accounts holds almost $300,000. Andrea has been hiding the money, and Chris has no clue where Andrea got it.

As the story unfolds, secrets are exposed, deception becomes the name of the game, and Andrea and William seem to be the ones from which all deception flows. I recall watching the film and shaking my head at how evil the two of them were. I'd rather not spoil the ending so I'll just say that the ending is very satisfying, yet questionable. I left the theatre amazed at how much Tyler Perry as matured as a producer. This film actually holds substance, teaches lessons, and has a very serious tone. And the fact that both families are matriarchal was very impressive. Rarely are women given any control or power in Perry's films, but with this film, he definitely made up for his chauvinistic beginnings. "The Family That Preys" gets two thumbs up from me. I enjoyed it.

This movie has a perfect balance between humor and drama to keep you glued to your screen, delivered by a committed cast under appropriately paced direction. I find it hard to explain or understand why it has such a hash rating. I can only conclude that reviewers say the cover, perhaps the direct/ writer and decided that they have enough information to make a calling. Any unfortunate prejudgment that may end up denying quality drama lovers a pointer to what is nothing short of a great drama they may want to watch over and over again and share with friends and family. But please do not simply read the reviews or even take my word for it, see it for yourself and make up your mind.

Tyler Perry's back to his old tricks with The Family That Preys - A film that is just as manipulative and as ham-fisted of a melodrama as some of his earlier work. The only saving grace are a pair of performances at the center.

Those performances come from Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard. They play the matriarchs of two very different families who have been friends for the past 30 years. Their characters come from very different worlds. Bates plays Charlotte Cartwright, a wealthy tycoon who is in danger of losing control of her company as her greedy son William (Cole Hauser) plots to slowly get rid of her influence and power in the business. Woodard plays Alice Pratt, a God-fearing middle class woman who runs a local diner, and likes to help the homeless on the side. The two actresses have great chemistry together during their subplot, which concerns them leaving their troubles behind for a little while, and going on a cross country road trip. Their performances are almost enough to make us forget just how poorly they've been written in Perry's screenplay. Take for example the fact that Charlotte seems to suffer from a split personality. Usually when she's around Alice, she's a fun and spirited woman. But whenever she's alone, she comes across as a cold and unfeeling millionaire right out of an 80s prime time soap opera like Dallas. Unfortunately, this won't be the last time I use the word soap opera in this review.

That's because The Family That Preys isn't really about the two women I just mentioned, it's about their intertwined family, and the numerous betrayals, affairs, and other ludicrous overstuffed plots that would be right at home in any afternoon soap. Let's just see how many plots there are. The first concerns Alice's daughter, Andrea (Sanaa Lathan) having an affair with Charlotte's previously mentioned son, William. Andrea's husband, Chris (Rockmond Dunbar), works as a construction worker for William's company, and has no idea about their bedroom meetings behind his back, even though it's painfully obvious to everyone else. Poor Chris comes across as the slowest guy in the world, as he frequently stares the obvious in the face, and chooses to look the other way until the screenplay decides to finally give him a clue. Chris and his best friend on the construction crew, Ben (Tyler Perry), want to start their own construction company, but Ben doesn't know if they should take the chance, despite the urgings of his wife, Pam (Taraji P. Henson), who just happens to be Alice's other daughter. Meanwhile, William's wife, Jillian (KaDee Strickland) is a bit more on the ball than Chris is, and suspects her husband's affair. Not only that, there's another woman worked into the story named Abby (Robin Givens) who has just been hired to the company by Charlotte, much to the anger of William, since he wanted the position and is upset that his mom didn't give it to him.

All this, and I still haven't mentioned the mysterious homeless person (Sebastian Siegel) whom Alice helps out, and eventually ends up playing a part in the plot. There's also friction between Charlotte and William's wife, because Charlotte never approved of her, although the movie doesn't go very deep into this. And yes, there's also that previously mentioned road trip between Charlotte and Alice as they go on a trip of self discovery, while stopping at various cowboy bars and male strip joints along the way. (Because this is a Tyler Perry movie, Charlotte also stops to get baptized at one point.) Watching this movie, you can almost picture Tyler Perry writing this screenplay after a marathon viewing of his daytime TV soaps. The writing, direction, and storytelling is all on the same level here. He does his best to juggle the film's various plots, but they never come together. It's jarring the way the movie constantly jumps between its numerous characters and plots. It seems that Perry had a hard time squeezing them all in, as some get more attention than others. The whole affair situation between William and Andrea gets the most attention, but even that never seems to truly build anywhere. The characters just keep on going through the same motions over and over, while Andrea's husband Chris begins to resemble an unintentional running gag with how clueless he is about everything.

The only aspect of the film that does work are the scenes between Bates and Woodard, and that's more due to their screen presence than the material the film gives them. If the movie had trimmed away all lamebrained corporate backstabbing and affairs and just centered on them, I may have been able to forgive the sometimes dopey dialogue between them, and the last minute revelation about Bates' character that cries out of desperation. The Family That Preys obviously wants to tackle some heavy issues, but everything's been written in Perry's trademark over the top style. This makes it hard to identify with just about anyone who walks into the frame of the camera. The only character who does come across as a genuine human is the one Perry has written for himself, and unfortunately, he plays a minor role in everything. Given his somewhat genuine performance here, it's hard to believe that this is the same guy who dresses in drag and a fat suit for his most famous portrayal. Perry fans will be glad to know that his Madea character will be back in his next film, Madea Goes to Jail. Everyone else has been warned.

I still to this very day do not understand why people continue to give Tyler Perry a free ride. His "body of work" sucks!! Let's see...I'll play a big fat, loud, obnoxious, uneducated, overbearing, stereotypical Black woman. And because Tyler does it, it's okay. But God forbid if a white director/screenwriter did it, he'd be IMMEDIATELY skewered. What else...oh yeah...House of Payne?!?!? Really?!?!? Could there be a sh*ttier show??? I am so sick of my brethren (yes...I'm Black) b**ching about why "we" all don't back Tyler.

I don't care if you're Asian, Black, White, Indian (dot and feather), or whatever. If your stuff stinks, it stinks!!! Period.

Another film filled with secrets and surprises. Good set-up of plot and characters, if a bit predictable. Writer, director, producer, actor Tyler Perry (best known for his "Big Momma" franchise) goes for a bittersweet comedy-drama that delivers well. We were quite satisfied with the story and filming. A lot of restraint (no one swears in the film, for example) and non-preachy religious themes. We sat through the credits. Great song sung by Gladys Knight. Woodard's arc is grand. Definitely recommended. Perry is evolving well in his milieu as his empire grows. A fun update of Southern Gothic genre and good performances all round, save for Taraji P. Henson, who is all tics and gestures. Surprised at the IMDb fan-base low rating ( <3/10 ). Perry is a natural to bring our "Hayes Hotel" musical to the big screen or Atlanta and Broadway! - Frederic Kahler

I saw this film last night in the theater with a packed audience. It is the first time that I've ever attended one of Perry's films on an opening night. Quite an experience. Overall I thought the film was okay. There were some major potholes that left me wondering... Bate's and Woodard's performances were by far the best, and I think Tyler Perry could have had a very successful film if he had concentrated on the friendship between those two women alone. There were so many other story lines going on at once - perhaps too many, but a movie about two friends, one with Alzheimer's, the other one intent on helping her ailing friend enjoy her life by taking a road trip, meeting interesting people along the way, would have been a gripping, good story, one perhaps in which Bates and Woodard might have been nominated for an Oscar. As an audience member I greatly appreciated the scenes where these two stellar actresses were on camera together. In my opinion, they were the best part of the entire movie. The dysfunctional relationships between Andrea and Chris and William and Jillian are typical. There was nothing new or creative in their situations. With regard to Chris and Andrea, they never seem to be on the same course - each wants to do their own thing. As far as William and Jillian - we know very little about their relationship. So much attention is paid to the affair between Andrea and William and so little is paid to the two marriages, that you end up saying "who cares about these marriages anyway". As far as affairs go, it seems a bit unrealistic that they would be so sloppy in covering up their indiscretion. And are we to believe that they went so far as to use company money to further their illicit affair. This makes no sense considering how much money William has. Why wouldn't he pay for a motel in cash? Both parties knew about the "no fraternization policy" yet they wouldn't take precautions to ensure that they wouldn't be caught and fired. I understand that this storyline is a writer/director's choice, but it doesn't seem realistic. The fact that Chris would ask money from William to start a construction company that would directly compete with Cartwright Industries makes Chris' character come off as weak and ill prepared. You don't really root for him either - except perhaps to encourage him to leave his wife. And actually I thought she should leave him since she seemed to detest him greatly. This is the man; however, who goes to the bank to ask for a loan wearing overalls. Sorry, I wouldn't invest in his "dream company" either, but this also gives credence to the fact as to why his wife might be embarrassed of him. I kept wishing that just once he would wear a suit to an interview and have a business plan or proposal in writing. Lastly, Alice (Woodard's character) is a millionaire?! What the heck? She does not use her money to build a better restaurant or to help her poor daughter and son-in law. Yet, she watches her daughter practically beg for $300 from Andrea. This left me scratching my head. No doubt Alice knew of Chris and Ben's desire to start a construction company, a venture if profitable, would have helped her daughters and her grandson. Yet it never occurred to hear to say, "I'm a millionaire, I'll loan you $300,000." Her only response to her daughter's question about her being a millionaire at the end is "You didn't ask." Come on. Don't get me started on the homeless millionaire. I wish Perry's storyline had been more developed, but so much attention was paid to Andrea/Chris/William/Jillian, that some of the stronger story lines, like the homeless man Nick, were never fully developed. I liked certain elements - Alice and Charlotte's story lines being the best. The acting was done well, even with the characters who were two dimensional. I really wondered about the overall message of the movie. Perry always has a message within his movies, but this one was so convoluted that the message was almost lost. A rule of thumb is to stick to "one" message. He seemed to try to cram several into this one movie. All in all, I think Tyler Perry's movies are progressively getting better. This is his most diversified cast yet and his stories are slowly breaking out of the stereotypical "black box," in which we blacks are so often put. I'm hoping that he will realize his strengths and see that he doesn't have to cram five story lines into one movie, because this weakens the individual story lines. And it comes across as rushed and underdeveloped. With regard to this movie he had the potential to make four our five separately strong movies thus giving proper development to the characters and their story lines. I believe he has the potential and I look forward to seeing the manifestation of that in his future films.

Tyler Perry's 'The Family That Preys" opened this morning to a full theater of movie goers who were anything but disappointed by what has to be Tyler Perry's best movie to date. In a summer filled with more than its share of action films for the young at heart and numerous long awaited movies that failed to live up to their hype. Mr. Perry managed to bring to the screen a powerful but entertaining adult story that kept the viewing audience glued to their seats. Kathy Bates(Charlotte Cartwright) and Alfre Woodard(Alice Pratt) both gave two of the best performances this year in film. Robin Givens gave what has to be to date her best big screen performance as the honorable and hard working business woman (Abigail "Abby" Dexter). The cast was nothing short of excellent in this touching story of love,deceit,friendship and compassion. It was nice to finally see a film come to the theater this summer that was geared towards movie goers who enjoy a good film about the real ups and downs of life vs the fluff and mindless problems we have come to see to often in films today. I will not go into the story itself as it will give away what is so great about this film, which is its simplistic but all so real reflection of the lives of the families the story takes place around. But this film is a true surprise and will be a welcomed joy to anyone who enjoys a good story told the way Hollywood use to tell them.

3.9???!! SERIOUSLY people this movie is at least an 8 or 9 even if you don't like these kind of movies. It's a solid 10 for me. This movie is plain and simply BOMB with a capital B. As in freaking good. I always end up underestimating how good Perry's movies are. This one had some amazing performances (Alfre Woodard-WOW lady!) and if you have any of the following: in-laws, spouse, family problems, money issues--then this movie will lift you up, inspire you, and leave you feeling like life is gonna be okay. WATCH IT!!!

If you are like me, you may have seen a Perry movie in the past, loved the heck out of it, and then forgot all about how great it was. Maybe you even cringe a bit when you see another Perry movie because you think "oh wow just how many times can you pull off this blatant kind of movie". Tonight, I hit play with hesitation on the tivoed "The Family that Preys" with my wife. It was so good I Facebooked it and then actually SIGNED UP for IMDb for this after I saw how low the rating was. 3.9?!? NO WAY! 10 baby!

I am an avid film buff and every now and then I find great satisfaction from an unassumingly simple story...

When the film ended, I heard myself say: I liked that! - and the main reason for that statement was the sheer ease of flow of the story.

Albeit connoisseurs may find much to critique about the film, what I appreciated most was the absence of pretense and assumption on the part of the writer and director. It is an endearing glimpse into the lives of two friends, played brilliantly by both Kathy Bates and Alfree Woodard. Sanaa carried her role impeccably as the "unlikable character and Rockmond was perfectly vulnerable...

Granted, the twists that tie it all together in the end may seem somewhat gratuitous and simplistic but the truth is that every now and then, a straight forward and simple story does the trick...

Again, the friendship between the two women is what remains highlighted in my mind and I am happy to give this director the kudos that are well due. Well done.

Just watched 'the family that preys'; another Tyler Perry movie. I logged on to IMDb and was shocked to see that it received such a low rating! Should have been between a 7 and 8...easily.

This movie, like most of Perry's, reminded us of many of the movies of old. They told a story of course, but more importantly, they taught life lessons that explained the correct way to live ones' life.(or the positive force, God, Love, call it whatever you choose, etc. etc.)

Did it have huge explosions?...No

Were there stunt drivers putting muscle machines through their paces?...No

Hot and nasty sex scenes?...No

Filthy language?...No

Provocative writing that taught the viewer how 'cool or normal' it is to be immoral, dependent, lazy, selfish, greedy, dangerous, liberal, or weak?...Oops! Missed it again.

On the surface of this movie you have some great acting with Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates. Dunbar, Lathan, and Givens also add to the dramatic flow of the story. But under the surface is the real movie. In almost Every Scene Mr. Perry does what he does best....Teach! I'd be willing to bet that anyone watching this movie knows at least one of the characters in the story. Even in his comedy's, Perry shows us a Bunch of different types of people and how they conduct their lives. Then he slowly shows the outcome of conducting their lives in 'that' way.

You'll catch yourself laughing a little, teary eyed a little, angry a little, happy a little, mad a little, frustrated a little, etc. Add all of those littles' up and you have a very well written and edited movie which won't leave you bored or thinking of other non-connected things. Your mind WILL remain involved in the storyline.

Is it a 'Chick Flick'?...No. You could take this script and make it into a western, science fiction, futuristic, etc. The basic concept is that GOOD ultimately wins over EVIL. (Ever hear of StarWars?)

Want to watch a 'Chick Flick'? Then go rent 'My Best Friend's Girl'. It will give you an idea of the difference between a well written movie like Perry's and a totally useless immoral mind-dead script.

I saw this last night and it was THE BOMB! TP has outdone himself and in my opinion, this is the best one yet. I want to see it again. And I'll PAY to see it again. It will have you rolling, it will make you mad, it will make you CHEER and yell at the screen. And that Sanaa Lathan played the heck out of this part. She rocked it. Heck, they all did. Loved it! Go head on, Tyler! All TP movies are interactive experiences and this was no exception. My brother lives in St. Louis. He went to see it last night, too & we agree. The ending should have been extended some, but all of it was dynamic and useful. ...loved this movie. ...just loved it.

****** Heavily Spoilered ********

****** Heavily Spoilered ********

****** Heavily Spoilered ********

I thought the film title would have been better suited for a horror movie: "The Family That Preys Together" ? Actually, I downloaded this on a whim, I read the title, I saw the films poster vaguely and thought, wow this must be a vampire movie with an African American female lead, now THáT'S interesting ... But when it turned to be a completely different movie, a film even, it was okay too.

While I admire Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates, I don't think this film is destined for greatness. I don't exactly know what it is about it that was just a tiny bit off, but I'm guessing it's the more or less boilerplate story lines. You can see from the very beginning that Hauser and Lathan are gonna have an affair. To be fair, the 'Thelma & Louise' plot surprised me somewhat and the death of Bates was only to be expected ... on hindsight.

Also, the cast is somewhat type-casted. Dunbar is portraying the gullible sympathetic husband, and Cole Hauser the Bad Son, whose ambition drives him to take too much risks, which makes him an easy target for businessmen with bad intentions. Tyler Perry himself is the positive likable character, albeit with a somewhat risk avoiding behaviour. But, as a filmmaker he adheres to the rule that there should always be some likable minor characters. That he chooses himself to be that is not something bad or good in itself.

To be classed as 'Great Drama', the characters are a bit too flat. The 'evil' ones, William Carthwright (Hauser) and Abigail Evans (Lathan) could have been a teeny bit more sympathetic. And Chris (Rockmond Dunbar) could have been a little less sympathetic. Bates and Woodard (is she the Grand Old Lady of Afro-American Actors now? ;)) do their thing, which they do so well. Tyler Perry does us a great service by writing strong roles for older women.

The acting is great though, with the minor exception of Sanaa Lathan not being entirely convincing in the break-up scene with Cole Hauser. Other than that she was really convincing as the Evil Golddigging Jilted Lover Biyatch. I've only seen her in AVP, but here, she acts her socks off.

In the end, it is a great and gripping saga of the rise and fall of the overly ambitious cheaters and the victory of the meek and humble. This, however, is also why it's very Hollywood.

Tyler needs to learn less is more. 'Prey' weighs in at nearly two hours and could have used a major tweaking in the editing room. I felt as if I was being held hostage to Mr. Perry's typical rah-rah script where all the evil doers get theirs and the good people triumph. There is never any suspense and you can normally see the so-called 'oh my' moments a mile away.

As a director and screen writer Tyler Perry needs to cut out the unnecessary crap he loads his movies with, tighten up the performances and PLEASE stay away from certain acts of violence that I found to be pandering to a certain segment of the audience.

In closing, save your money and turn on Lifetime- they do these movies a lot better and you get commercial breaks so you escape to the bathroom and fridge.

This movie was seriously crazy. You can't say too many negative things about a movie with fly Taraji Henson, fly Sanaa Lathan, and fly Robin Givens. There were so many subplots in this movie that the average person could get lost. A cheating wife. A cheating husband. a gullible husband. And a senile business woman. I thought Alfre Woodard's character was really nice and down to earth. But near the end of the movie, I realized that she was selfish. Why would someone hold on to $1 million when your daughter and son and law are struggling to make ends meet? Why didn't William try to get his job back after his mother died? Why did it take so long for Rockmond's character to find out that his wife had another account with a lot of money?

Beautiful and Moving... You go Tyler Perry!, My favorite part of this movie was the relationship between Alice & Charlotte (Alfre Woodard & Kathy Bates). Moved me to tears at times thru the movie. I adore Alice and her scene at the country Bar made me laugh soo hard and then again at the Strip club. I loved it, I cant say it enough. I love Alfre Woodard, and am so glad to see her, and Dang, she looks great. And Cathy Bates is definitely a Favorite of mine too. This movie is such a treat, there were lots of things going on throughout the movie but By far my favorite was the Friendship of the two mothers.

In my opinion, this is one of the best Tyler Perry work to-date. It is a departure from his "Madea" character-driven plays/movies, and has some rather heavy-hitters in the starring roles. This one makes you think and feel about serious issues, and not just find escape from them through laughter. Excellent Work.

danceability-1, Amsterdam Holland

The hard worker and religious Alice Pratt (Alfre Woodard) raised her two daughters managing a simple bar of her own. Her snobbish and arrogant daughter Andrea (Sanaa Lathan) is graduated in Economic Science and works in a construction corporation while her sister Pam (Taraji Henson) stayed with Alice working in the bar. Andrea is married with the construction worker Chris (Rockmond Dunbar), who works in the same corporation of his wife and dreams on initiating his own business. However she is betraying him with their boss William Cartwright (Cole Hauser). William is the son of Alice's best friend, the wealthy Charlotte Cartwright (Kathy Bates). While Alice travels with Charlotte in a road trip without destiny, the ambition and infidelity of William trigger a series of events that will affect relationships in both families.

"The Family That Preys" is a reasonable soap-opera and my first impression is that it is underrated in IMDb. However, the plot point in the meeting of the board of Charlotte's company is so absurd and incoherent that spoils the story and might be the reason for such bad rating. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

I really, really enjoyed this movie. Although, I do not believe that Tyler should play anyone else except for Media, this movie was great!! You can see it with your mom, bestfriend, lover or husband. It has all the characteristics of real life. I have recommended it to all of my friends and hope that people do not hold out for the bootleg. The movie theater was packed with black people and I noted only a few whites, why? Black people support all movies and it it like white people are supporters of their "own kind" movies. I think that, if given a chance, they would love it too. Sanaa was great because I really hated her in this movie, but I love her overall as an actress. The movie theater applauded throughout the viewing and at the end of the viewing and for once I was conversing with people on either side of me throughout the movie. In other words, it brings people together. Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard were great as well. I hope that Tyler gets an emmy for this movie. This was the best one yet Tyler, keep up the good work!!!

The movie was enjoyable. Tyler has a knack for making dramedies in a soap opera-like fashion but I don't mind, as long as its a good story and good actors the soapish feel shouldn't matter. It is so good to see our black actors working and Tyler Perry is a great catalyst for this!

The Good: The actors. Sanaa, Cole, Alfre, Robin, Taraji and Kathy are pitch perfect. Tyler is getting better as an actor.

The OK: The Plot was pretty good. I would have liked it tightened up and a little bit more edge but it was good. The Alfre Kathy trip for me was inconsequential.

The Bad: Nothing really bad but some of the stuff was a little hard to swallow like the "party" scene and two characters disappearing for a rendezvous. Why then Why there? Also the money in the bank account. Trust me there are more ways to hide that!

I could tell right off this was a Tyler Perry movie, as it strongly resembles some of his past efforts. Perry plays a minor role in the movie as well. A black woman of modest means (Woodard) and a white woman with a lot of money (Bates) go on a road trip while various relatives of both play out their lives. Bates' son (Hauser) is having an affair with one of Woodard's daughters (Lathan). The daughter has ambitions of stealing him away from his wife and family. The haughty, delusional daughter is a stock character from other Perry movies, and unfortunately not particularly believable. Part soap opera, part road trip, PREYS is tailor-made for a certain audience, namely females. All others, beware. By the way, Bates and Woodward look terrific for AARP-aged dames.