Director Tyler Perry takes a break from Madea, his popular character featured in Diary of Mad Black Woman and Family Reunion, to train his camera on The Family That Preys. This latest Perry movie follows the lives of the rich and powerful Cartwrights and the working class Pratts. Both families are headed by two matriarchs, each powerful in her own way as portrayed by Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard, two of Hollywood’s great veteran actresses.

I wanted to enjoy this film, but it’s another example of Hollywood’s tendency toward false advertising in trailers for upcoming movies. Television advertisements for The Family marketed this as a sophisticated and sexy rendition of a Hatfields vs. McCoys feuding-families saga. On the strength of that promise, I got in line despite my original misgivings. A bad choice on my part.

Tough as nails Charlotte Cartwright (Bates) helms her multi-million dollar corporation while keeping an eye on her Machiavellian son, William (Cole Hauser). She’s just hired a Chief Operating Officer (Robin Givens) to leash her son. For Charlotte’s unlikely best friend, diner owner Alice Pratt (Woodard) is also business as usual. Saintly and wise Alice has in her two daughters: the good seed Pam (Taraji P. Henson) and the bad seed snobby and ambitious Andrea (Sanaa Lathan). Disappointed in her earnest, but rather dense construction-worker husband, Chris (Rockman Dunbar), Andrea embarks on an extramarital affair with her boss, the aforementioned William.

Charlotte decides it’s time to take a break from the corporate grind and convinces Alice to head out west on a gal-pal road trip reminiscent of Thelma & Louise minus the criminal activity. Along the way, they dance at a country and western bar, ogle male dancers at a strip club, and Charlotte get’s baptized, born-again Christian style. Alice, however, is unaware that Charlotte is keeping a secret. When it gets out, the trip is cut short.

The Family fails on many fronts, the most obvious of which relates to the film suffering from an identity crisis. The story strays all over the map—equal parts Dynasty, Terms of Endearment and female buddy films rolled into one.

Plot holes abound, but fans don’t seem overly concerned. Perry isn’t that interested in being strictly realistic. The ways in which characters speak and react in situations, even the conflicts themselves and how they are resolved, aren’t 100% believable. Perry prefers to paint in very broad strokes -- which accounts for the clichés, stereotypes, and lack of subtlety and nuance. During an incident showing violence toward women, I was disturbed to see and hear the audience cheer when Chris wallops Andrea after learning about the affair from best friend Ben (Perry with a 70’s inspired hairdo) and wife Pam. And speaking of Chris, he seemed to have a hard time grasping William’s motive for giving Andrea $250,000. How clueless can one man be?

Generally speaking, the acting appears adequate, with the exception of Lathan, who relies on facial gestures and projects attitude instead of making sound dramatic choices.

Bad material notwithstanding, Kathy Bates rises above this lackluster story and demonstrates why she’s one of the best actresses working today -- albeit an underappreciated one, judging by her absence from A-list films. Lathan should take a page out of Bates’ book.  But even Bates isn’t infallible. Her friendship with Woodard's character felt forced and contrived. Still when push comes to shove, Bates carries her guns, and she knows how to fire. Another fine talent, Woodard seems to walk through her role, but she’s redeemed by her charm, class, and humanity. Woodard doesn’t contribute much toward making the pair’s relationship come across as genuine, and it's hard to root for these two as buddies -- separately yes, but not as a duo.

Viewers at the screening I attended clearly enjoyed The Family that Preys, so I concede it’s at least a watchable if not exceptional film for some people. Personally, I can’t even relish this movie as a guilty pleasure. To me, it’s a second-rate, washed-up and washed-out soap opera more appropriate to Lifetime TV's line-up of dismal dramas.

(Released by Lionsgate and rated "PG-13" for thematic material, sexual references and brief violence.) 

Review also posted at www.moviebuffs.com.