TYLER PERRY’S WHY DID I GET MARRIED?
Marriage counseling, Christian convictions, and mature content make this adults-only.
Should You Watch It?
Tyler Perry’s best movie to date is an unabashed soap opera, but it has very funny moments alongside its well-directed, well-acted drama. More importantly, it takes marriage seriously. Love, commitment, prayer, and dependence on God are treated as answers to marital pain.
The cost is substantial. The film contains lots of PG-13 foul language, frank sexual references and humor, and mature themes involving adultery, illness, betrayal, and emotional cruelty. Its Christian worldview is strong, but its content is not suitable for children or young teens.
If you are an adult—or an older teenager mature enough for these subjects—this is worth seeing with discernment. For family movie night, choose something else.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESFour married couples reunite in the snowcapped mountains of Colorado for their annual marriage retreat. Patricia, a psychologist and best-selling author, leads them through the gathering.
But each marriage carries its own burden. Hidden grief, constant arguments, career absorption, infidelity, medical secrets, and deep emotional wounds force the couples to face what they have tried to avoid. Their retreat will test whether their marriages can be healed or whether old wrongs will finally divide them.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is a strongly entertaining, accomplished film. Perry directs and stars in a sometimes funny melodrama, and he shows considerable acting ability. The movie’s stage-play origins remain visible in its heightened, soap-opera style, but the drama is well handled.
The rest of the cast does a fine job, especially singer Jill Scott as Sheila, the character suffering the most visible emotional pain. The result is Perry’s best movie to date: funny in places, emotionally serious, and effective in its presentation of marital conflict.
The Worldview
The film has a strong Christian worldview and a strong moral outlook. It positively mentions Jesus, God, and prayer, and religion and moral thinking resolve most of the conflicts. Cheating, lying, deceit, and philandering are not simply presented as harmless choices; most of the film’s immorality is rebuked in some way.
Still, Christianity and the Bible could have been more central. Patricia advocates marriage retreats where couples ask themselves, “Why Did I Get Married?” But her concept is general rather than centered on Jesus, God, and the Bible as a church marriage retreat probably would be. The movie also includes some light references to psychology and allows some permissiveness regarding language and frank sexual references.
The film’s central longing is for marriages to be restored through love, commitment, prayer, and dependence on God. Scripture gives husbands this standard: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church” (Ephesians 5:25).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Strong Christian worldview with strong moral premise and elements including positive mentions of Jesus, God and prayer, mitigated by some antinomian permissiveness regarding language, including a few frank sexual references and jokes (not salaciously crude), plus some light references to psychology but religion and moral thinking resolve most of the conflicts, though Christianity and the Bible could and should have been even more central to the story (for example, a psychologist advocates marriage retreats for couples where couples ask themselves Why Did I Get Married? but her concept of retreats is a general one that’s not centered on Jesus, God and the Bible as a church retreat on marriage probably would be); about 54 obscenities (mostly “h” and the “a” words, some “d” words, and one “f” word seems cut off or edited out but may be a blip during the projection of the screening MOVIEGUIDE® saw), one strong profanity and six light exclamatory profanities; man knocked out with bottle; implied adultery and talk about it, woman is clearly attracted to man who is wearing a T-shirt while working on something, and discussion about getting a sexually transmitted disease and needing medicine (most of it discussed euphemistically); brief upper male nudity and some female cleavage; alcohol use and slight drunkenness; no smoking; and, some miscellaneous immorality such as cheating, lying, deceit, and philandering husband is extremely rude to his wife including her weight, but most if not all of the miscellaneous immorality is rebuked in some way or fashion.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The couples must face secrets and grief they have avoided. What helps a person move from hiding pain toward honest healing?
Psalm 32:5 · James 5:16The movie presents marriage as requiring love and commitment. What does Scripture ask spouses to give one another, especially when feelings are weak?
Ephesians 5:25 · Colossians 3:19The film connects prayer and dependence on God with marital restoration. How can a couple seek God together in a practical way?
Philippians 4:6–7 · Matthew 7:7–11Patricia’s retreat idea is not centered as explicitly on Jesus and the Bible as a church retreat would be. What should make Christian marriage counseling distinct?
2 Timothy 3:16–17 · John 15:5The Final Word
This is Tyler Perry’s best movie to date: funny, well-acted, and serious about marriage, prayer, commitment, and God. Its language, sexual references, nudity, alcohol use, and mature themes make it unsuitable for children and young teens. For discerning adults, it is WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For family viewing, see.
