Good Deeds parents guide

Good Deeds Parent Guide

If the imposing figure of Tyler Perry can convince people to look around and help those less fortunate, this film will be worthwhile. Even if you feel like you've been walloped over the head with it.

Overall C+

Wesley Deeds (Tyler Perry) has followed the life path set out for him by his wealthy family, but finds himself questioning his direction after he does one kind act for a homeless, single mother (Thandie Newton).

Release date February 24, 2012

Violence B-
Sexual Content C+
Profanity D+
Substance Use C

Why is Good Deeds rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Good Deeds PG-13 for sexual content, language, some violence and thematic material.

Run Time: 111 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Wesley Deeds (played by Tyler Perry) is the kind of son parents brag about and siblings hate to be compared to. He’s conscientious, hard working and predictable. He’s also a far cry from Tyler Perry’s cheeky fictional character Madea.

Wesley has been groomed from childhood to assume the role of president in his father’s computer software firm. Since his dad’s death he’s put aside his own personal interests and goals to run the business even as his younger, and often inebriated, brother (Brian White) whines about his own paltry responsibilities in the company.

At home, Wesley’s live-in fiancé Natalie (Gabrielle Union) is bored with her boyfriend’s lack of spontaneity, especially when it comes to their sexual activity. To compensate for his late hours at the office, she spends a night with her friends at a club and comes home completely drunk, then wonders why he rejects her clumsy pawing.

On the less posh side of town, Lindsey Wakefield (Thandie Newton) is a single mom struggling to make ends meet with the money she gets from her janitorial job in the Deed’s office building. Her outspoken, virulent mouth gets her in trouble when she rips a strip off the two Deed brothers after she parks in Wesley’s reserved spot. Only later does she realize whom she has berated. But despite her crusty persona, Wesley takes an interest in the woman and her young daughter (Jordenn Thompson), whom he finds the child sleeping in the custodial closet while her mother works. Regardless of what his family thinks, he begins to help Lindsey get back on her feet.

While Perry’s serious portrayal of the young, successful businessman is a refreshing change from the madcap behaviors of Madea, Good Deeds is heavy on drama and light on the kind of humor viewers expect to find in one of this actor’s movies. As well, the plot is so predictable and the characters so formulaic that it’s not hard to see where this film is going from the opening scenes.

Yet in spite of some content concerns for viewers (including strong language, implied sexual activity, frequent innuendo and a sibling fistfight) the film’s willingness to trumpet overt lessons about morality and community responsibility isn’t entirely bad. If the imposing figure of Tyler Perry can convince people to look around and help those less fortunate than themselves the message may be worthwhile. Even if you feel like you’ve been walloped over the head with it.

Release Date: 24 February 2012 (Limited)

Note: Also known as Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds

Directed by Tyler Perry. Starring Tyler Perry, Gabrielle Union, Thandie Newton. Running time: 111 minutes. Theatrical release February 24, 2012. Updated

Good Deeds
Rating & Content Info

Why is Good Deeds rated PG-13? Good Deeds is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sexual content, language, some violence and thematic material.

Violence: A couple argues. Characters make mean-spirited comments to others. Other characters yell or argue. A man attacks a woman in a homeless shelter. Men engage in a fistfight that includes shoving and punching. One character slaps another on the face. Characters are thrown out of their home and forced to live on the street.

Sexual Content: Characters engage in sexual activity (only their faces and clothed upper bodies are seen), and comment about it the following morning. Characters kiss and embrace. Brief and sometimes crude sexual innuendo is included in the script. References are made about multiple sexual partners. A man is shown in the shower - nudity is obscured. Characters wear suggestive clothing at a club. Characters make verbal and physical sexual advances. A character is shown in lingerie numerous times.

Language: The script includes a couple of strong slang terms for sexual activity, as well as suggestive slang terms for sexual activity. Also used are racial and sexual slurs, frequent moderate and mild profanities, and crude name calling.

Alcohol / Drug Use: A character loses his driver’s license after drinking and driving, but still drinks often to deal with stress. A character makes a comment about using cocaine. A character becomes drunk during an evening at a nightclub. Another character is portrayed as being inebriated. Characters drink with dinner or in social settings. Brief tobacco use is shown.

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Good Deeds Parents' Guide

Why is Wesley unhappy despite his seemingly perfect life? What kinds of things contribute to real happiness? What does he discover about himself after he meets Lindsey? How do his goals differ from those of his fiancé?

Do you appreciate the strong moral messages in a film or do you think they distract from the entertainment value of the movie?

Have you ever been compared to a sibling? If so, how did you fare? What are the dangers of comparing children? Are there ever any positive reasons for judging one sibling against another?

 

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Good Deeds movie is June 12, 2012. Here are some details…

Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds releases to home video on June 12, 2012, with the following extras:

- Two featurettes exploring the film’s central themes.

Related home video titles:

Tyler Perry is a writer, director and actor (actress too, if you count the roles he’s played in drag). You can see his work in Madea’s Family Reunion, Diary of a Mad Black Woman and I Can Do Bad All By Myself. He leaves behind the Madea character to play Admiral Richard Barnett in Star Trek.

In The Soloist, a news reporter takes an interest in a homeless man with unusual musical talent. A sports journalist decides to write an article that will revive his career and that of a former boxer in Resurrecting the Champ.

Other movies featuring men with the title character’s same last name include Mr. Deeds and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.