I Can Do Bad All By Myself

"Hope is closer than you think."

2009 1h 53m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 148

DramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When Madea catches teenage Jennifer and her two younger brothers looting her home, she decides to take matters into her own hands and delivers the young delinquents to the only relative they have: their aunt April. A heavy-drinking nightclub singer who lives off of her married boyfriend, April wants nothing to do with the kids.

“Hope is closer than you think.”

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Cast

Tyler Perry
Madea
Taraji P. Henson
April
Adam Rodriguez
Sandio
Mary J. Blige
Tanya
Gladys Knight
Wilma
Brian J. White
Randy
Hope Olaidé Wilson
Jennifer
Kwesi Boakye
Manny

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tyler Perry
Writers: Tyler Perry
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Madea Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tyler Perry, shot by Alexander Gruszynski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Aaron Zigman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Maysie Hoy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tyler Perry and Taraji P. Henson and Adam Rodriguez carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Hope is closer than you think.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tyler Perry directs. Alexander Gruszynski behind the camera. Aaron Zigman scores. Maysie Hoy cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 17 years ago.
2Part of the "Madea Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Tyler Perry, shot by Alexander Gruszynski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Aaron Zigman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Maysie Hoy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Tyler Perry and Taraji P. Henson and Adam Rodriguez carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Hope is closer than you think.".
9IMDB entry: tt1385912 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 18 themes, including "aunt", "sequel", "singer", "teenage girl".

The technical file

Cinematography: Alexander Gruszynski
Original score: Aaron Zigman
Editing: Maysie Hoy
Production design: Ina Mayhew
Runtime: 113 min · 1h 53m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $19,000,000
Box office: $51,733,921
Return: 272% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: I Can Do Bad All By Myself (2009)

Part of

Madea Collection

Mabel "Madea" Simmons is a character created and portrayed by Tyler Perry. The character is a tough elderly black woman. Madea has appeared in several plays directed by, written by, and starring Tyler Perry, later appearing in films based on those plays.