HOLLYWOOD—I have not loved a lot of Tyler Perry’s films. They seem overproduced, too melodramatic or just so predictable it’s not fun to watch. However, his latest outing “Doing Time,” I found to be one of his most impressive films to date. Why? I think the story just resonates with the audience in a way that other films by Perry hasn’t. He has the ability to hook the viewer, but sometimes loses them along the way, but with “Doing Time” that doesn’t seem to be the case.
At the core, one could argue that doing time is a classic love story, but it has a bit of a twist, one that you wouldn’t expect. We open to a female prison officer, Anika portrayed exceptionally well by Naomi Baker. She has dreams of being a nurse. At the same time, she is carrying for her ill mother who is battling cancer that she contracted while working at a chemical plant. Anika is also pregnant.
During her shift, a violent prison riot erupts, where Anika is almost raped by two prisoners, but in the midst of this riot, she is rescued by inmate Carousel (Jay Reeves), who takes her to safety, by stashing her inside his cell and preventing other prisoners from getting to her. In the process he is stabbed. Ok, you might say that is an interesting opening to say the least.
This transitions to Anika soon giving birth and later become pen pals with Carousel. She has to be scolded at times from her older sisters, who think they have it all together, but there is a bit surprise with one of those sisters towards the end of the movie that was quite shocking and satisfying to say the least. When Carousel eventually gets paroled, he comes to meet Anika and the two drum up a friendship that slowly blossoms into a relationship.
What Perry does exceptionally well with this movie is place all the focus on Anika and Carousel. Yes, we do have other players involved, but this is the core of the movie and that is made quite clear early on. We get to see what makes these character tick, what gets under their skin and how they operate to get closer to achieving the things that matter most to them.
Yes, one could make the argument that Perry falls into the territory of woman in distress with a man coming to rescue her, but that didn’t bother me too much because the chemistry between Baker and Reeves makes you want to see these characters win. With Carousel he’s a man trying to turn his life around after prison, by getting a job, staying on the right track, trying to find love and be a provider at the same time.
You have one living life in the shadows, raising a child as a single mother, and then you have another trying to get his life back on track after spending more than 10 plus years in prison as a teenager. Once you have that label of being a ‘convict’ as Anika’s mother viciously uses against Carousel, it is hard to get rid of it. It breaks him at times, but he continues to push forward. You see these characters endure mental warfare over their predicament, shamed with the choices they make and that desire to want more than what has been given to them.
Tyler Perry’s “Doing Time” is an enchanting story that just engulfs the viewer where you care, and you care in a way that I have not seen in a really long time from a movie from this director. Absolute kudos on all fronts.
Written By LaDale Anderson
