Now Playing: Henson and Blige shine in Perry’s ‘I Can Do Bad’

I Can Do Bad All By Myself (2009) PG-13. 114 min. Directed by: Tyler Perry Written by: Tyler Perry Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Adam Rodriguez, Mary J. Blige, Gladys Knight 

If you can say nothing else about Tyler Perry, you must concede that he truly understands his audience. With the broken/spurned women, the good guys and bad,and the loud, broad (in every sense of the word) Madea, Perry is aiming his films at a specific niche and community. He mixes a raucous, almost vaudeville-worthy sense of humor with sincere messages of hope and faith. In the past, those elements have strained against each other. Now, in ‘I Can Do Bad All By Myself’ Perry pulls a neat hat-trick; he makes a film tailored perfectly to his fanbase while finally delivering something that can cross over to the mainstream.

The Senator is Showing First Run Movies Again? ‘I Can Do Bad All By Myself’ Opens

September 11th, 2o09–

Now this is interesting. For the first time since March 2009, The Senator Theater is showing a first run film. Starting today, the classic theater on York Road, that went up for auction over the summer only to be bought by the city, will be running I Can Do Bad All By Myself. Bad is the latest in the Madea chronicles from Tyler Perry. This one also features Taraji P. Henson, Gladys Knight and Mary J. Blige. The tickets are back to the standard Senator price of 8 dollars, but I’ve got no clue what made this possible, or if it will follow over to other first-run films or not.