Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Again?, the third instalment in the franchise following Why Did I Get Married? and Why Did I Get Married Too?, immediately demonstrates some brilliant and clever scriptwriting. The opening scene reintroduces the familiar characters — played by Perry, Jill Scott, Tasha Smith, Michael Jai White, Sharon Leal, Lamman Rucker and Richard T. Jones — while showing just how far they’ve come. References to events from the previous films are also seamlessly woven into the script, reconnecting us with their individual journeys without unnecessarily retelling their stories.
But while this third instalment feels new, it doesn’t quite stand alone. To fully appreciate and enjoy where the story has taken these characters, it certainly helps to have seen the previous films. This is very much a continuation rather than a restart, and Perry cleverly uses the next generation to move the story forward. The children of the characters we first met years ago are now becoming part of the narrative themselves, most notably Marcus and Angela’s daughter Jasmine (Armani Greer) and Mike’s nephew Wesley (Everett Osborne), whose wedding brings the old friends back together.
And that is perhaps where the film succeeds most: it makes the familiar feel fresh. New characters and some sensational new developments expand the story, but the franchise remains rooted in what it has always explored — love, marriage, friendship and the many challenges that come with relationships. Only now, some of those same questions are being confronted by another generation.
It’s a little sad not to see Janet Jackson return, but the introduction of Taraji P. Henson certainly helps make up for her absence. Henson is hardly new to Perry’s world: Why Did I Get Married Again? marks her fifth film collaboration with Perry, having previously appeared in The Family That Preys, I Can Do Bad All by Myself, Acrimony and, most recently, Straw.
Beautifully crafted, well-written and genuinely engaging, Perry reminds us just how good he can be with a romantic family drama. Let’s just say this is Tyler Perry in a rather different shade of Beauty in Black.
- Jimi D Baldheaded Guy