The Six Triple Eight

[Perry] can manage these soapy romantic beats, but charging the overall story with even the slightest hint of dramatic tension is beyond him.

I also just find it… interesting that a movie that is supposed to center the Black and brown women of this battalion was usurped by the love story of a dead white guy.

Unfortunately, Perry drenches the tale with his trademark syrupy ineptitude, creating a gloopy, turgid plodder. It doesn’t help that the performances are wildly uneven.

And yet, despite it all, when the Six Triple Eight get into their mail-sorting groove, it’s impossible not to root for them.

It’s an important story to tell, and Tyler Perry tells it respectfully.

It’s nevertheless a good story of duty, sacrifice, toughness and delayed redemption, with the voice of Michelle Obama over the end credits honoring members of the 6888th in 2015.

It was an informative watch, but Kerry Washington... can act.

It’s full of heart and has a story worth exposing to more people. And yet, Perry’s shortcomings as a filmmaker hold this film back from being stronger.

When it comes to material requiring a deft dramatic hand, writer/director Tyler Perry rarely answers the call of duty. You could throw it on in the background this Christmas without too much fuss, though the women on screen might deserve better. 



Ample room is made for mustering speeches and teary-eyed salutes, and while the story is indeed a worthy one, the cake is over-iced at times.