Why Did I Get Married? is a 2007 American comedy-drama film adaptation written, produced, directed, and starring Tyler Perry. It was inspired by Perry s play of the same name. The film also stars Janet Jackson, Jill Scott, Malik Yoba, Sharon Leal, Tasha Smith, Michael Jai White, Richard T. Jones, Denise Boutte, and Keesha Sharp. The film was released in the United States by Lionsgate on October 12, 2007.

The film is about the difficulty of maintaining a solid relationship in modern times.

Plot

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Four couples, who are also best friends since college, converge in a house in the mountains for a week-long retreat. This ritual of sorts aims to help them work out their marital problems and ask the question Why did I get married? . Though the couples have committed to being physically present for the week, some of them have not been emotionally present in their respective marriages for quite some time. The week is not planned out in a well-programmed sequence, so the events unfold somewhat spontaneously, beginning with their adventures in getting up to the mountain retreat.

• The first couple, attorney Dianne (Leal) and pediatrician Terry (Perry), drive up together and argue most of the way because Dianne refuses to stop working. She takes calls on her phone instead of talking with Terry.
• The second couple, hair salon owner Angela (Smith) and former pro football player Marcus (White), take the train. Angela constantly argues with Marcus and anyone who dares to interrupt them.
• The third couple is housewife Sheila (Scott) and entrepreneur Mike (Jones). Sheila has to get off the plane because of her weight and the requirement to purchase two seats so she drives the long distance in the snow, while Mike continues flirting on the flight with Sheila s single friend, Trina (Boutte).
• The fourth couple, psychologist Patricia (Jackson) and architect Gavin (Yoba), arrive by limo cab. Their journey is not documented. However, right before they leave to go to the retreat, Gavin shows up to pick up Patricia at a lecture she was giving (she is the author of a book called Why Did I Get Married? ) and artlessly dodges a question about their own marriage.

Dianne falls asleep not long after arriving with her BlackBerry close by hand. When her secretary calls while she is asleep, Terry tells her not to call them while they are on their vacation. When Patricia arrives, she goes up to wake Dianne while the men bond over the wine that Terry has poured for his wife. The sound of arguing signals the arrival of Angela and Marcus. When Mike arrives without Sheila, the other wives berate him and Trina for having left Shelia to drive alone. Mike shows complete disregard for his wife and disparages her weight. Her friends try to reach Sheila by phone but get her voice mail only.

Sheila is persistent to get to the retreat because she wants to make her marriage work. Providence leads her to Sheriff Troy Jackson (Rucker) s office. Due to the weather, the roads have been closed for the night and she has no choice but to spend the night in the office. That same night, Mike is caught by Angela going to Trina s bedroom. Sheila arrives at the retreat house the following morning with Troy in tow. She introduces Troy to the others and tells them she has invited him to breakfast. Troy becomes a threat to Mike, not because of Sheila, but because of Trina. Breakfast is a noisy affair with the arguing couples and Angela insulting Trina, whom she instantly disliked.

Throughout the few days spent on retreat, there are spontaneous revelations. The infidelity of Marcus and Mike leads to a discussion by the men of the 80/20 rule. According to this rule, most men get 80% of what they need from a marriage, yet they tend to go after the 20% that someone outside can provide for them because it appears to be more to them when it really isn t.

During a heated argument at dinner, Angela exposes Mike and Trina s affair. In turn, Mike reveals the other couples hidden secrets: Marcus had contracted VD after he cheated on Angela, Dianne had her tubes tied after her daughter was born without Terry s knowledge and withheld disclosing her disinterest in having another baby, Terry had gotten an DNA test on him and Diane’s daughter because he was unsure he was the father ,and Gavin had criticized Patricia for not protecting their young son in a fatal car accident a year prior. Angela admits giving Marcus the STD from her own cheating. Enraged, he tries choking her while the others pull him away. Mike then tells Sheila he wants a divorce, and she smashes a wine bottle over his head, knocking him out.

All the couples suddenly decide they can t stay in the house any longer. Sheila checks into a local hotel to recover from her divorce and that Mike had drained her bank account. She is in a depression when Troy goes to visit her. He takes her up to a mountain where she cries and mourns the loss of her love and the only life she knew.

The other couples head back home. Patricia and Gavin are barely speaking to each other after the revelation of the latter calling the former stupid for not protecting their son during the time of the accident. Eventually, she breaks down emotionally and confesses that she was only trying to be perfect. They both agree to face the situation and soon reconcile. Angela and Marcus are still fighting, especially when Marcus ex-girlfriend and baby mama, Keisha (Whitehead), shows up at Angela s salon, and disrespects her. This happens again when the couple arrives at her house for the kids. Marcus finally stands up to both women and frightens Angela into realizing she is wrecking their life with her constant arguing by disappearing for a few days. On Terry s birthday at their home, Dianne accuses Terry of wanting her to be a housewife, while he calls her out for neglecting him and their daughter. He moves out as he feels Dianne constantly prioritizes her career over them. Patricia meets up with Dianne and Angela, moping over their husbands, and gives them good counseling about the need to get back on track: making a list of both the good and bad things their husbands have done.

In the mountains, Sheila settles into a new life at her new job at the general store owned by Troy s father. The two bond while she gradually realizes her self-worth. Angela cooks dinner for Marcus after finishing with her list. Although he suspects she is trying to poison him at first, they reunite and set new conditions. Dianne goes to see Terry and begs him to come back home after crying over her list. He plays with her head a little to get back at her, but they eventually reconcile as well.

Some time later, the couples converge at a gala celebration for an award recently received by Patricia. She, Dianne, and Angela are elated when Sheila arrives, re-introduces Troy as her new husband, and has successfully lost weight with his help. Troy meets up with the husbands, who are also gladly surprised by the news of his and Sheila s marriage. Although Mike s still with Trina, he tries to weasel his way back into his ex-wife s good graces, but she turns him down, telling him to go enjoy Trina. Patricia encloses a confession of her love for Gavin and a message of loving, respecting, and trusting God in her acceptance speech.

Cast

• Tyler Perry as Dr. Terry Brock, a pediatrician
• Sharon Leal as Dianne Brock, an attorney
• Malik Yoba as Gavin Agnew, an architect
• Janet Jackson as Dr. Patricia Agnew, a psychologist
• Michael Jai White as Marcus Williams, a former professional football player
• Tasha Smith as Angela Williams, a hair salon owner
• Richard T. Jones as Mike, an entrepreneur
• Jill Scott as Sheila, a housewife
• Lamman Rucker as Troy Jackson, the local sheriff
• Denise Boutte as Trina
• Keesha Sharp as Pam
• Kaira Whitehead as Keisha

Locations

Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia, USA; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Pemberton, British Columbia, Canada; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.

Production and development

Perry decided to take out many of the church and message scenes because he wanted the film to be on a whole nother spiritual level–there s a whole nother connection to it. He said his writing has improved since the play.

Perry invited experienced and neophyte African-American actors to a reading of an early script in order to field reactions, including Danny! and Tracee Ellis Ross.

Reception

Critical response

Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 48% based on 42 reviews, with an average rating of 5.50/10. The website s critics consensus reads: Despite some poignant observations on modern marriages, Why Did I Get Married? is too preachy and melodramatic. On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 54/100 based on reviews from 12 critics. CinemaScore polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was an A+ on an A+ to F scale.

Paul Grenada said that while there are times where the script seems stiff,… teaches without hammering, and you leave the movie feeling good about what you saw. Giving the movie a B−, Entertainment Weekly said that Perry is of the spell-everything-in-capital-letters and act-it-out-loudly schools, but added that one performance glistens–Jill Scott s as the sad, heavyset Sheila, who locates the faith that s the source of love. Time magazine gave the film a B and called it the usual artless mix of broad comedy, teary confessions and spiritual uplift.

Box office

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $21.4 million in 3,105 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #1 at the box office. In its second weekend, the film slipped to #2 in the box office charts, with a gross of $12.1 million, bringing the 10-day total to over $38 million. In total, the film domestically grossed $55,862,886.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was released by Atlantic Records on October 2, 2007. Neither Janet Jackson nor Jill Scott are featured on the soundtrack. The soundtrack debuted at number 51 on Billboard 200, number seven on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number six on Soundtracks with 58,000 copies sold in first week.

Home media

The film was released on DVD on February 12, 2008. The DVD includes subtitles in English and Spanish, as well as bloopers.

A Blu-ray was released on November 23, 2010.

Awards and nominations

• Image Awards Outstanding Motion Picture (Nominated) Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture: Jill Scott (Nominated) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Tyler Perry (Nominated) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Janet Jackson (Winner)
• Outstanding Motion Picture (Nominated)
• Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture: Jill Scott (Nominated)
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Tyler Perry (Nominated)
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Janet Jackson (Winner)

Sequel

A sequel, titled Why Did I Get Married Too? starring Perry and the original cast, was released on April 2, 2010.

Subsequently, Perry created a comedy-drama television series based upon the two films titled Tyler Perry s For Better or Worse. The series, which stars White and Smith as Marcus and Angela, premiered on TBS on November 25, 2011. In June 2021, Perry entertained the idea of revisiting the franchise with a film called Why Did I Get Married Again.

Year	2007
ReleaseDate	2007-10-12
RuntimeMins	113
RuntimeStr	1h 53min
Plot	The big-screen adaptation of Perry’s stage play about the trials of marriage and what happens to one family when a sexy young temptress arrives on the scene.
Awards	Awards, 1 win & 4 nominations
Directors	Tyler Perry
Writers	Tyler Perry
Stars	Tyler Perry, Janet Jackson, Sharon Leal
Produced by	Roger M. Bobb,Reuben Cannon,Ogden Gavanski,Joseph P. Genier,Tyler Perry
Music by	Aaron Zigman
Cinematography by	Toyomichi Kurita
Film Editing by	Maysie Hoy
Production Design by	Ina Mayhew
Art Direction by	Lauren Fitzsimmons
Set Decoration by	Tobey Renee Sanders,Lance Totten
Costume Design by	Keith G. Lewis
Makeup Department	Andrea C. Brotherton,Char Coats-Crump,Patrice Coleman,T.A. Henderson,Kenyan Lewis,Carol Rasheed,Denise Tunnell,Ellie Winslow,Dionne Wynn
Production Management	Jennifer Booth,Karen Gorodetzky,Rosemary Lara,Mark W. McCoy,Carl Pedregal
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director	Roger M. Bobb,Angi Bones,Janice Genn,Rhonda Guthrie
Art Department	Calvin Ashford,James Brothers,Carrie Cantwell,Cristina Lucia Cesari,Lynda Chapple,Russ Dickerson,Semret Fesseha,Brenda Findley,Daniel B. Foster,Fred Holloway,Ellen L. Kerr,Rich Koll,David H. Nash,Ryan Shelor,Mike Sullivan,James Vasilovic,Jay Womer,Darcy Wyness,Kip Jamison
Sound Department	Christopher Assells,Paul Aulicino,Ron Bedrosian,Jim Caruana,Nerses Gezalyan,Magic A. Moreno,Drew Ponder,Patrick Ramsay,Yuri Reese,William Smith,David Stanke,Graham Timmer,Michael D. Wilhoit,Eric Taylor Williamson,Scott Wolf,Lee Wright,David Young,Colin Moran
Special Effects by	David Fletcher,Amanda Paller
Visual Effects by	Jamie Baxter,Sarah Coatts,Ray Horta,John Kearns,Erin L. Nelson,Jeff Smithwick,Brad Sutton,Wilson Tang,Mike Uguccioni
Stunts	Jon Kralt,Guss Williams
Camera and Electrical Department	Chris Antignane,Tim Arasheben,Brent Bazinski,Katherine M. Butler,Brigidlynn Capelletti,Andreas Carmona,Dessie Coale,Quantrell D. Colbert,Stephen Crocker,Alfeo Dixon,Jim Filippone,Darryl Foulds,Donny Fowler,Dan Gorval,Taifa Graves,John Hilton,James M. Jackson,Gilbert Jamault,Chris Jones,Tom Kolafa,Burton Kuchera,Sherri Angela Leger,Levi Loy,Ronald Ronnie Martin,David McLean,Kim Olsen,Rob Parisien,David Parker,Jesse Wayne Parker,Daniel Pederson,Chad Schroeder,Troy James Sobotka,Thomas Sorlie,Randy Tharpe,Jason Tidsbury,Troy Toebben,Trey Twitty,Tez Valenzuela,Andy G. Strauss
Casting Department	Heather Hylton Bivens,Heike Brandstatter,Coreen Mayrs,Adrianne Prince
Costume and Wardrobe Department	Queensylvia Akuchie,Sekinah Brown,Kate Duke,Rhonney Greene,Jeannette Guillermo,Charron Hume,Lonnie McQuarters,Gertrude Moore,Carol Sadler,Iliana Sanchez
Editorial Department	Bryan Cantrall,Alex Durham,Melissa Gearhart,Carl S.G. Moore,Mike Nakamura,Janice Papadaki,Mark Sahagun,Jeff Smithwick,Spencer Whitney
Location Management	John Findley,Karen Marie Mason,Thierry Tanguy
Music Department	Johnny Caruso,Bryan Clements,George Doering,Mark Eshelman,Joel C. High,Steve Juliani,Mateo Laboriel,Greg Loskorn,Adam Michalak,Rebecca Rienks,Peter Rotter,D.L. Smith,Michael Stern,Jesse Voccia
Script and Continuity Department	Gail Hunter
Transportation Department	Dennis G. Carter,Donald Chase,Bob Dennett,Lori Merchant-O Dwyer,Janet Perrotti,Patricia Sammons,Randy Southerland
Additional Crew	Hope Allen,Ozzie Areu,David Arnott,Kimberly Bailey,Cassandra Barbour,Harold Caldwell,Eunice Choi,Ami Cohen,Lisa C. Collins,Dale Cornick,Steve Cubine,John DeMita,Jennifer DiQuollo,Amanda Ellis,Deborah Evans,Shantell Fancher,Greg Finley,Jeffrey Todd Fischer,Amanda Shamis Flannery,Peggy Flood,Latisha Fortune,Anna Fuson,Willow Geer,Reg Gole,Marcus Goodwin,Lindsay Gores,Evans Griffin,Michael J. Harker,Barbara Harris,Robert Hatch,Valencia Y. Hawkins,Liam Hearne,Justin C. Hosp,Bill Jacks,Daisy Jade,Lieve Jansen,Samuel Jerome Johnson,Alan Kindree,Konrad Lewis,Paul Lowe,Eric Majette Jr.,Terence Mathews,Sandy Meade,Robert M. Melnik,Jade Moser,Winifred Murungi,Sommer Oliver,Tim Palen,Allen Phoenix,David Randolph,Noreen Reardon,Emily Rice,Crystle Roberson,Laura Sevier,Hakim Shakoor,Donna Sloan,Michael C. Smith,Thomas H. Stewart,Thomas Richard Sutton Jr.,Adrienne Swan,Stan Swofford,Reagan L. Thomas,Robert Thomas,Kristin Topps,Carol Tresan,Greg Tresan,Shayla West,Roger Williams,Harmony Wortham,Garson Yu,Larry Gilbert
Genres	Comedy, Drama, Romance
Companies	Lions Gate Films, The Tyler Perry Company, Capital Arts Entertainment
Countries	USA
Languages	English
ContentRating	PG-13
ImDbRating	5.8
ImDbRatingVotes	13160
MetacriticRating	54
Keywords	cabin in the woods,marriage,work,secret,psychologist