Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All by Myself

A nightclub singer (Taraji P. Henson) finds herself the bitter, unwilling guardian of her late sister’s children (Hope Olaidé Wilson, Kwesi Boakye, Frederick Siglar), setting off the anger of her married, kid-hating boyfriend (Brian White). Writer-director Tyler Perry returns with another deft mixture of sentiment and family melodrama, this one rather defter than some of his others. He also returns as his motormouthed, tough-talking alter ego Madea, providing his usual reliable comic relief (Madea is becoming an icon, the irreverent, slightly cracked voice of reason). For the rest, there are fine performances from the high-caliber talent Perry attracts (especially, this time, Henson and Wilson). Another plus is a number of songs by Henson, Mary J. Blige, Marvin Winans and the great Gladys Knight.