Good Deeds

What it's about:

A successful, wealthy businessman, Wesley Deeds (Tyler Perry) has always done what's expected of him, whether it's assuming the helm of his father's company, tolerating his brother's misbehavior at the office or planning to marry his beautiful but restless fiancée, Natalie (Gabrielle Union). But Wesley is jolted out of his predictable routine when he meets Lindsey (Thandie Newton), a down-on-her-luck single mother who works on the cleaning crew in his office building. When he offers to help her get back on her feet, the chance encounter with someone so far outside his usual circle ignites something in Wesley.

What we thought:

First things first, Good Deeds is a typical Tyler Perry movie. For the uninitiated, this means Tyler Perry is not only the executive producer of the movie - he is also the director, the star and the main creative force.

Only difference here is that he has reigned himself in to play just the one character – that of successful businessman Wesley Deeds.

There is a definite Tyler Perry formula – and it’s been used well for his last four movies, and because they were a commercial success, will probably be used for the next four movies.

The actor-director who also brought us like The Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Madea Goes to Jail is not known for the presenting us with the most dynamic, challenging scripts. In fact, he does the opposite.  What you see, is what you get in a Tyler Perry movie.

Boring, if you are a Barry Ronge wannabe who enjoys critically examining every shot and line of dialogue. Not so boring, if you are the millions who have watched his previous offerings even though you had a pretty good idea about the ending and didn’t care.

If you want your heart strings to be pulled, yanked and cajoled 'til you run out of tissue, Tyler Perry will deliver.

Good Deeds keeps to the expected by depicting the daily struggles of African Americans in the US. It is the story of a young single mother, Lindsey (played by Thandie Newton), who is struggling to make ends meet after her husband passes away.

She and daughter spend their nights sleeping in her car until the CEO of Deeds Co, Wesley Deeds (played by Tyler Perry), finds them and in an unlikely twist the CEO falls in love with the office cleaning lady. 

This obviously does not sit well with his rich friends and family who believe in societal hierarchy. The ensuing chaos leads to some interesting scenes including Wesley leaving his girlfriend (played by Gabrielle Union) behind to go travelling with Lindsey and her daughter.

Unfortunately, like with all Tyler Perry productions, the ending is as predictable as the many fans that will go in droves to watch it.

Good Deeds is a lightweight film that will not win any awards but will entertain the already existing Tyler Perry cult following.