Half of “Tyler Perry’s Doing Life” could be almost enjoyably laughable if the other half didn’t feel equally offensive. The latest from the media mogul opens on a prison riot wherein Anika (Naomi Baker), a pregnant correctional staff member, is seconds from being raped by inmates before a mysterious hero rescues her.
Months later, after Anika has had her baby, her savior, an inmate named Carousel (Jay Reeves), begins a pen pal correspondence with her. They eventually meet after Carousel, who became a self-educated legal expert, gets himself out of prison. He’s also a gifted painter, and his artistry figures into its own twisty subplot.
But those credentials, and his unwavering dedication to Anika, are not enough for her family of embittered single mothers. This includes Anika’s own mother (Tamberla Perry), who is dying from an illness as a result of working at a chemical plant; don’t worry, Carousel’s legal skills will come into play.
These narrative absurdities, and the bafflingly written and delivered dialogue, are part of the low-grade appeal to the soap opera empire that Perry has created.
Still, you can’t help but feel like, in a film purportedly dealing in raw and real-life struggles, Perry’s reflex toward tired tropes is rendered in poor taste. At some point, he stopped making real films, good or bad, and focused on building a factory of content instead. It has worked well for him, but the manufacturing appears to be getting cheaper.
Tyler Perry’s Doing Life Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 48 minutes. Watch on Netflix.
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