Taraji P. Henson forced a hard-drinking nightclub singer
The Lionsgate comedy stars Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson as a hard-drinking nightclub singer forced to care for her delinquent niece and nephews. Perry co-stars as his own cross-dressing alter ego, Madea. Coming in second was the dark, animated “9,” from Focus Features, which made $10.9 million over weekend. The voice cast includes Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Christopher Plummer and Jennifer Connelly as dolls that represent the last vestige of humanity after a war between man and machine.
“All by Myself” still has scenes, characters and dialogue that cry out for more polish. By shoving half a dozen songs — gospel, funk and soul — into the film, Perry shows he still hasn’t mastered pace and learned to sacrifice scenes to make his movies faster and smoother. But this is progress. By the time the Oscar contender “Precious,” which he is shepherding into theaters this fall, and his newly announced plans to adapt and film the classic “For Colored Girls Who have Considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf” move forward, we may see the last of these quick-and-dirty adaptations of his popular but sloppy, sermonizing stage plays.
Henson plays April, an Atlanta club singer with a smoking problem, a drinking problem and a living-with-a-married-man problem (Brian J. White). Darned if her dead sister’s three kids don’t land in her lap. We’ve actually met the little darlings earlier. They were breaking into Madea’s house. Perry stages an uproarious stomp-fest as Madea beats and kicks her burglars senseless before switching on the lights and realizing they’re children. Madea is the one who hauls the kids over to April’s dump of a house. She gripes about “parents these days” and tries to teach the “chirren” manners.
