The Family That Preys (2008)
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The lives of two families, one wealthy and the other working class, become intertwined through a web of love and business.
The story
The film follows the intertwined lives of two families: the wealthy Cartwrights and the working-class Evans-Bennetts. The conflict begins at the wedding of Andrea, the daughter of Alice Evans, and Chris Bennett, a construction worker. While the wealthy Charlotte Cartwright deals with her son's elopement and her own health struggles, the working-class family navigates financial hardships. Tensions rise as secrets regarding an extramarital affair and hidden funds emerge, forcing both families to navigate the consequences of their choices in love and business.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Socialite Charlotte Cartwright hosts the wedding of her best friend's daughter, Andrea, and construction worker Chris Bennett. While Charlotte's son, William, has eloped with Jillian, the two families' lives become entangled. It is revealed that Andrea is in an affair with William and has a secret account containing $300,000 from him. Meanwhile, Charlotte is secretly battling early-onset Alzheimer's. As business tensions peak, William attempts to seize control of the family company. After a series of confrontations involving stolen money and revealed secrets, Chris discovers Andrea's betrayal and the truth about their son's paternity. In the end, Charlotte is fired from her company by her friend Alice, who is revealed as a secret investor. Charlotte dies by suicide, while Chris and Ben successfully launch their construction firm. Andrea is left alone and heartbroken, while William and Jillian reconcile.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 106
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tyler Perry
- Writers
- Tyler Perry · writer
- Cast and characters
- Alfre Woodard · Alice Reynolds-Evans; Sanaa Lathan · Andrea Evans-Bennett; KaDee Strickland · Jillian Cartwright; Cole Hauser · William Cartwright; Rockmond Dunbar · Chris Bennett; Taraji P. Henson · Pam Evans; Robin Givens · Abigail "Abby" Dexter; Tyler Perry · Ben; Kathy Bates · Charlotte Cartwright; Sebastian Siegel · Nicholas "Nick" Blanchett
- Genres
- comedy; drama
- Themes
- family loyalty; moral uprightness; class conflict
- Tone and mood
- melodramatic
- Premise and plot tags
- dysfunctional families; interracial romance; upper class
- Reception
- The film received mixed or average reviews, with critics noting its predictable plot and heavy melodrama, while audiences gave it a high CinemaScore.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 49 · scale: 100 · review count: 14; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Best Actress · Black Reel Awards · Nomination; Best Actress · Black Reel Awards · Nomination; Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted · Black Reel Awards · Nomination; Best Actress · BET Awards · Win
- Production trivia
- The film features a soundtrack by Aaron Zigman.; The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD in early 2009.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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