A Critique of Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor, a Movie by Tyler Perry

Temptation is defined as a strong urge or desire to have or do something. Most people experience temptations in their lives whether big or small. Temptation is simply a flaw that we as humans are going to experience because we are not perfect and crave what we don’t have. However, how that individual handles that certain crave shows a lot about their character. Though we all experience temptations, it is up to us to make mindful decisions about what is in our best interest. A couple years ago, a friend recommended to me that I watch the movie Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor. The movie was written and directed by Tyler Perry and released in 2013. It is about a woman named Judith who is married to a man named Brice but starts to experience desires. She has a happy marriage and decent life but she suddenly craves more. At first, I kept delaying actually watching the movie but I’m very thrilled that I did. Not only is the movie good and filled with suspense, it is very impactful. The movie Temptation is important because it shows what could happen if we let our temptations take over us and has an impactful meaning.

If we let our temptations get the best of us it could lead to serious downfalls. This is seen dramatically in this movie. In the beginning, we are introduced to a married couple Judith and Brice. An ideal couple that has been together since they were teenagers and seem to be madly in love. They live a middle-class life as Judith works as a therapist and Brice as a pharmacist. Even though Judith’s life seems ideal we start to get a peak that she wishes she had more when she complains that she wants her own business and more to her life. One day, Judith meets a man named Harley at work. He’s very rich, handsome and successful and overall seems to have it all. Judith however is not fazed by him at first, she has a loving husband and knows she shouldn’t be looking his way. Day after day, Harley taunts Judith and tells her that her marriage is boring and that he could give her anything she ever wanted. Suddenly she realizes that even though she loves her husband, she is bored and desires more. She starts having an affair with Harley and he begins to spoil her with expensive trips, jewelry, clothes and anything she wants. Judith thinks she is happy but it is really her desires taking over her and she soon faces the consequences. Harley soon demands that she leave her husband to be with him but she doesn’t want to. Her husband finds out about the affair and they argue until she leaves him to be with Harley. Harley grows angry at her over a disagreement and starts to beat her. He turns very abusive towards her especially when she tells him that she is leaving him. As he is beating her in a scene, Brice happens to come by and demands that he stop hurting her, he saves her life. Later that day, Judith finds out that she has HIV that was contracted from her affair with Harley. Though he seemed perfect he was far from it, he abused her, gave her HIV and ended her marriage. She faced many downfalls because she could not handle her temptations and remain happy with what she had. If we constantly let our temptations influence us it will only lead to destruction. Tyler Perry took a simple marriage and twisted it into a storyline that could happen to anyone who is not mindful of their actions. The movie showed me that our selfish impulses can cause disaster. Though the outcome may not be as extreme as in the movie, it gives viewers a sense that our temptations can cause pain.

The movie has a lot of meaningful messages to be interpreted by the viewers. It shed light on the dangers that can come out of relationships like infidelity and domestic abuse. It also showed the impact of HIV and unknowingly contracting it. Judith had an average life with a decent husband but she craved more and in the end her infidelity led to her downfall. Our rebellious choices may cost a heavy price and this is what we witnessed throughout the movie. She also experienced domestic violence from her lover which is never okay. Abusive relationships should be immediately left and she does leave quickly. The more dramatic effect of the movie would be her contracting HIV without knowledge that she was sleeping with a carrier of it. Even though she made her mistakes, this is very illegal and should not happen as often as it does. I like how Tyler Perry highlights this in the movie because things like this do happen and we must be careful about who we have relations with. In an interview about the movie Tyler Perry describes, “Why this film was so important is the message of making the wrong choices and how one choice can change your whole life” (Perry). Perry does a good job at including messages in his films. His movies commonly shed light on certain occurrences we see in society. He highlights domestic violence and notes that although it is common, there needs to be steps taken to stop and prevent it. This movie in particular has many messages regarding negative outcomes of certain impulses.

Though the movie has many messages some may criticize the melodramatic feel that the movie possesses. They may agree that the movie has a good storyline but is overdramatic. Common Sense Media describes the movie as “A soapy melodrama that has mixed messages about love and marriage” (Angulo). Another reviewer from Entertainment Weekly makes a comment, “A few wild, third-act twists give Perry's middling melodrama some soap-opera kick. But all the finger-wagging sure does get tiring after a while” (Nashawaty). Both reviewers label the movie as a melodrama and criticize it for being complex or confusing. While some people may think the movie is too dramatic, it still offers a good storyline that is important for viewers to understand. The movie is supposed to impact people to want to make better choices in their lives. The ways that the message is portrayed doesn’t matter as long as the message is received and understood.