the new 80/20

I heart Tyler Perry. I watch almost all of his films, even though I can recite the basic formula by heart: high-class girl gets dumped by her accomplished but abusive partner and is subsequently won over by a dashing Christian man (albeit in a blue collar) who shows her how beautiful she really is. I fall for it everytime, down to the final scene when the evil ex begs her to return and she says you´re forgiven, but no. In between, there´s always a good helping of slapstick comedy and couple of old-time homilies that make for terrific theater viewing. And you know it´s got to be good when it´s banned in Europe!

One of Perry´s more recent additions is last year´s Why Did I Get Married? Have you seen it? Based on the marital woes of four couples, Perry introduces the 80/20 rule: Any relationship is characterized by ¨80 percent fulfillment, 20 percent lack thereof. But if you go after that 20 percent by looking for it in someone else, the characters agree, you´ll lose the 80 and end up living only with the 20¨ (from Pluggedinonline). With one exception, all of the couples decide to stick it out after listing all of the good points of their partner and realizing that they outnumbered the bad.

Whether or not you can take the low ratings and the equally lowbrow message, I wonder if Perry has a point - a new twist on the whole settling question. Basically, no matter how long we pledge not to settle, no matter how long we hold out for ¨the one,¨ no one can meet ALL of our needs. Whether we are in a relationship or looking for one, 80% may be the best we´ll ever get. Even later in the film, Perry suggests that even 51% is good enough. Whatever the percentage, it´s something worth considering.

Do you agree with the concept? What is your 80 and your 20, and when do you know if a partner or suitor has crossed the line?

And does anyone else here concur that Tyler Perry is just awesome? (And unbelievably single yet too! Ladies, there´s hope :)