This is a story about how married couples get together and how they do not always get along. Four African American couples always get together each year to spend a week vacationing together. They go the Bahamas together.
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The couples are: 1) Sheila (played by Jill Scott) and Troy (played by Lamman Rucker) who she married after she divorced Mike; 2) Patricia (played by Janet Jackson) and Gavin (played by Malik Yoba); 3) Terry (played by Tyler Perry) and Dianne (played by Sharon Leal) and; 4) Angela (played by Tasha Smith) and Marcus (played by Michael Jai White).
Angela and Marcus are constantly fighting. Marcus is a sportscaster who likes the attention of the ladies, which makes Angela jealous. Angela browbeats Marcus in front of everyone in a very ghetto way. After they arrive, the men split off to go jet skiing together and the women have drinks while they catch up on the gossip. To everyone's surprise Sheila's ex-husband Mike (played by Richard T. Jones) shows up. Angela, in her usual abrasive way, tells Mike to get lost. Mike tells all the women he is there for his timeshare vacation and they will just have to accept it.
Mike joins the guys on the beach. They are just as surprised that Mike is there. Even though he was always part of the annual vacation ritual when he was married to Sheila, they cannot believe he has the nerve to show up. Sheila's new husband Troy is furious that Mike is there. Mike goads him about things he learns that are negatively affecting the relationship between Sheila and Troy, such as that Troy does not have a job. This is because Sheila and Troy recently moved to Atlanta. Troy is looking for a job but has not found one for months. He feels bad that he does not have a job so he can think care of her as they are running out of money. This disturbs his marriage with Sheila. They fight over it. Mike exploits the fact Sheila and Troy are not getting along to see if he can get back together with his ex-wife who he still loves. Sheila is not having any of this.
Terry and Diane are getting along well, until when they get in bed together she calls him "Phil" by accident. Angela accuses her husband Marcus of cheating on her. She demands he give her the password for his cell phone. He refuses to give it to her. Marcus thinks she fights with him so they can have great make-up sex later. Patricia is a doctor who writes books about relationships, who is quick to give others relationship advice, but who holds in all of her problems she is having with her husband. When Mike finds Sheila alone in the kitchen, he tries to get her to like him. Sheila is completely over Mike, has no interest in him at all anymore, because he used to beat her. Mike apologizes to Sheila.
On the last day of the vacation, all the couples get together on the beach at night, to share their answers to the question of why they got married. They meet a married elderly couple on the beach. They invite them. The elderly couple tells them they have been married for 55 years who shares their story of love with them. Patricia tells them that Gavin and her plan to get a divorce.
When they get back to Atlanta, all the couples are having troubles. Gavin and Patricia go to the divorce attorney's office. They fight over money. Angela's neighbor complains to hearing about sexual noises coming from her house during the daytime, which makes her suspect Marcus of cheating on her again. She goes to the television station confronts Marcus on live TV. Sheila and Troy fight over the lack of money. Gavin comes home drunk, physically attacks Patricia. He burns the only photos they have of their baby that died. The next day Gavin breaks into the house (because the locks have been changed) to get his stuff after he clears all the money out of the bank accounts. Patricia comes back, catches them and then she destroys the house with Gavin's golf clubs. After that, Patricia falls apart. After awhile, the women come to rescue her.
Diane confesses to her husband Terry she has an interest in another guy but she has not yet acted on it, except for going out to dinner, only that she does have feelings for him.
Angela goes to her house during the day, hears the sex going on, shoots up the place before she sees who is in bed, to find the gardener and the maid are the ones that have been having sex during the day, not her husband Marcus. Angela makes up with Marcus, especially after she takes his phones and checks to see all the text message are from work, then she finds out he has a second secret phone and they start fighting again.
Sheila secretly asks Mike to help get Troy a job at the police department where Mike knows the police chief. Mike agrees too easily.
Mike tells Patricia he has cancer. To return the favor of Mike helping Gavin get a job at the police station, she agrees to take him for his chemo. Troy finds out that Mike helped him get a job. He goes to Mike's house and finds his wife Sheila there. He attacks Mike.
Mike meets with all of the guys. He tells them he is sick with cancer and they should live for every moment, get back in good with their wives. Mike and Troy are OK with each other after that.
Patricia goes to Gavin's office, with a big fake cake that an effeminate guys pops out of humiliating him in front of everybody. Gavin rushes out. Patricia follows. Gavin drives off in a rage. A truck hits him. Gavin dies. Patricia is with all the women at the hospital and she cries out to them to fix their marriages before it is too late.
A year later, she meets the man of her dreams.
Best part of story, including ending:
Even with all the relationship drama, the lying and the cheating, still the meaning of marriage is very powerfully put forth by this film.
Best scene in story:
When Angela shoots up her house after finding a couple having sex in her bedroom, only to find out it is the gardener and the maid. This is a nice surprising moment.
Opinion about the main character:
All the characters share the same trait of having to deal with insecurities about their marriages. They find a way to understand themselves better.
