Tyler Perry's The Single Moms Club

Before taking a hiatus from movie-making to focus on television, Atlanta-based filmmaker Tyler Perry helmed this story about a group of single mothers who, despite socioeconomic differences, turn to one another for support. Summoned to a parent-principal conference after their troubled preteens have misbehaved at an elite Atlanta prep school (and are facing expulsion), five single moms are punished for their children's transgressions by being forced to organize a dance and fundraiser. The disparate women band together, forming a babysitting service for one another, and taking turns so the other four can enjoy a night out and, perhaps, romance. May (Nia Long) is a struggling journalist/aspiring novelist whose husband has disappeared; Hillary (Amy Smart) is a pampered, newly divorced socialite who has to fire her nanny; Esperanza (Zulay Henao) is afraid she'll lose financial support from her sleazy ex-husband (Eddie Cibran) if she becomes serious about her devoted boyfriend (William Levy); Lytia (Cocoa Brown) is a sassy, struggling waitress whose two older children are in prison; and Jan (Wendi McLendon-Covey) is an uptight, ambitious publishing company executive who, coincidentally, recently turned down May's manuscript for being “too black.” Writer-director Perry tries to integrate their individual stories, but the syrupy characters are one-dimensional and clichéd, and the pace is inconsistent and plodding, ultimately leading to a far-too-tidy conclusion. A contrived, heavy-handed melodrama about camaraderie and the value of female solidarity, this is optional, at best. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the cast featurettes “The Single Moms Sisterhood” (11 min.) and “The Mens Club” (6 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for an unremarkable film.] (S. Granger)