First, the only reason I took one star away was because I felt that 2 hours wasn't enough time to tell a deeper story. This could have been Tyler Perry's fault for not writing a deeper story ... or Gary Ousdahl's fault (as story editor) for cutting the story too deeply.
Thoreau once said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." This is so true. And sometimes in our lives, we need a coincidence to occur ... something that jars us from our predictability ... to act as a catalyst for an epiphany that will induce fundamental change.
WARNING! POSSIBLE SPOILER FOLLOWS!
In this film, Lindsey's chance meeting with her boss led this boss to have his own epiphany. In time, he realized (as his fiancée suggested) that his life was predictable ... that he'd sacrificed his personal aspirations to become what others wanted him to become. And when Wesley Deeds' epiphany caused him to change, it became an epiphany for his fiancée to realize that their marriage was destined for failure.
Later, it became an epiphany for Wesley's mom ... to finally realize that Wesley had found his own path in life and was determined to follow that path. And by Wesley leaving the family business, Wesley's brother realized he had no one to sabotage anymore ... that he had to stand on his own two feet and become the man that sibling rivalry had held him back from becoming.
This film was not a "man saves damsel in distress" movie. It was far deeper than that - a testament to coincidence and the importance it can play in our relationships (including relationships with ourselves).
Two final points. Earlier, one reviewer suggested that had Tyler Perry done more research, he would have discovered that servicemen (like Lindsey's deceased husband) had access to a cheap $400,000 life insurance policy - making it unlikely that she should be so much in debt. However, when a person is the recipient of a life insurance payout, and if the insurance was acquired through an employer (military included), only the first $50,000 is not taxable. The remaining $350,000 is taxable as ordinary income ... and would put Lindsey in the highest tax bracket. Living in San Francisco, where the movie is set, things can get pretty expensive very quickly. And as money managers, people are sometimes compromised by grief - making them poor money managers. The IRS was after Lindsey, after all. This could have been fleshed out better - but it's nothing for which I'd take a star away.
Also, near the end of the movie, Wesley's mom sees him off at the airport. Before 9/11, this was possible. After 9/11, no one gets to an airline's boarding gate without passing through security screening. And no one gets through screening without a valid boarding pass - which Wesley's mom didn't have. This "goof" has been submitted to IMDb. But, it's a forgivable goof.
Until this year, Tyler Perry had a morbid fear of flying. He's never been on a post-9/11 airline flight. However, this year, he conquered his fear of flying by taking flying lessons - and is now a licensed private pilot. So, I didn't take away a star for that either.
All in all, it was a most enjoyable film. However, some scenes might be too intense for children.
