Alfre Woodard, Cole Hauser, Damien Leake

Two families from different walks of life learn to work together.

Flixster Users

85% liked it

33,945 ratings

Critics

53% liked it

36 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 51 min.

Directed by: Tyler Perry

Release Date: September 12, 2008

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DVD Release Date: January 13, 2008

Stats: 1,556 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,556)


  • January 15, 2009
    Charlotte Cartwright: "My family has been known to prey on the weak."



    Lifelong friends, Alice Pratt (Alfre Woodard) and Charlotte Cartwright (Kathy Bates) have enjoyed watching their children grow and their businesses flourish. When Charlotte's shifty son William (Cole Hau...( read more)ser) begins an extramarital affair with Alice's daughter Andrea (Sanaa Lathan), the secret is impossible to cover, tearing up both families as the lies and manipulation start to pile up. With Charlotte and Alice trying to keep some sense of order, Andrea's clueless husband, Chris (Rockmond Dunbar), still hopes to solicit seed money for his construction business dreams from William, leaving Andrea's sister Pam (Taraji P. Henson) and her husband Ben (Tyler Perry) at a loss for words, observing the madness from the comfort of their stable marriage. Previous Perry pictures traditionally looked upon white people as comedic foils who were quick with a racist remark or nugget of high-society disgust. "Preys" gives us Charlotte, who doesn't approach her friendship with Alice through skin color, but through honest admiration and companionship. It's a superb change of pace for Perry, who resists nearly any opportunity to inject racial animosity into the picture. Family That Preys is an exquisite and effortlessly crowd-pleasing reflection of a morally plagued, money-worshipping society, one in which job titles, incomes and business attire speak more loudly than integrity, commitment and love.
  • January 13, 2009
    I just love Tyler Perry Movies. Man the critics wanna trash talk so much, but I love them because thats what families really go through. Maybe not all at once but it does happen. I love his movies, they make me cry, laugh, be happy and pissed off all in 90 minutes. He knows how t...( read more)o tell a story and I love them all...And the cast was outstanding. Amazing!
  • October 26, 2008
    Exactly the kind of preachy, pandering, tone-shifting, gospel-laced soap opera that Tyler Perry's served up time and time again.
  • January 18, 2009
    Here's a movie that centralizes on two close friends, Alice and Charlotte, who have always been there for each other. Together, they are dealing with the onset of life, health, and the crazy antics of their grown children. Great cast- Alfre Woodard, Kathy Bates, Sanaa Lathan (who...( read more) plays quite a character in her role as "Andrea"), Cole Hauser, KaDee Strickland, Taraji P. Henson, Robin Givens, and Rockmond Dunbar. Worth seeing!
  • September 14, 2008
    This was a decent effort from Tyler Perry. It's sincere even if sometimes unbelievable and unoriginal. And it's way too predicable. But the performances are solid (Woodard is good, but Kathy Bates stands out by a mile here). It's not overly preachy like some of Perry's efforts, b...( read more)ut this guy definitely knows his audience. He understands human emotion much better than most of Hollywood. If Perry ever decides to add a bit more complexity (and originality) to his movies we might have a great filmmaker someday...but judging by all his work up until now I won't hold my breath. But meh...his formula seems to be working.
  • November 19, 2009
    Very good movie, and so true to life.
  • November 1, 2009
    Alfre and Kathy are hella fun together, kind of like those 2 older ladies you always see on the block or at the park having fun and laughing it up together enjoying their friendship and time with each other.
    Some people criticize the writing in that the husband, Chris, should h...( read more)ave pieced together what was going on. People in relationships sometimes don't want to see what's in front of them until it's too late. Everyone else sees it - but not you.
    That said, trying to hide money in a joint account that has your husband's name attached to it is quite brainless.
  • September 19, 2009
    Wow what else can I say what some people wil do for money and the love of others.
  • September 18, 2009
    Beautifully written, well acted poignant.. just beautifully done.. heartfelt.
  • September 18, 2009
    all families have secrets

Critic Reviews


September 15, 2008
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

The movie plays almost exactly like four daily soap episodes stitched together. full review

View more The Family That Preys reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • DaCuteAngel
    February 26, 2009
    loved it
  • kaybo594
    January 18, 2009
    i thought that this was a really good movie.
  • suprabuddha
    September 12, 2008
    A solid effort by Tyler Perry In fact I almost forgave him for that horrorific attack on black men "Diary of a mad black woman"

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The Family That Preys Trivia


  • Who was giving orders for flowers and tables settings in The Family That Preys ?  Answer »
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