I look forward to when I will finally write positive reviews about Tyler Perry's movies. At this point, I'm not sure if that would happen. The man is a brilliant creative artist (I refer to his former works), director and producer but he needs an editor or writing consultant asap!
When I watched his latest Madea sequel, A Madea Homecoming, Acrimony and Mea Culpa last year, I might have promised myself that I won't watch his films again. Then I came across Divorce In The Black (2024) featuring Meagan Good and my promise flies out the window. Probably because I hoped this one might be different. Sadly, it's not, and the negative reviews and criticisms have not stopped.
I noted in my last review that Tyler Perry is known for his usual trope of offensive portrayals of his female characters, making them take the blame for their husband's nasty and inhumane behaviours. This doesn't sit well with his audience hence the criticisms. In this recent release, this motif is repeated again!
The film opens at the funeral of a young man in a church. Seated in the front row are the Bertran family comprising the mother, sons and a daughter-in-law. One of the sons, Dallas (played by Cory Hardrict) looks distraught while his wife, Ava (played by Meagan Good) tries to hold his hand. He snatches his hand away, revealing their relationship is fractured.
All hell is let loose when the pastor openly condemns the family for their bad behaviour and the ways they have terrorised the community. The mother gets angry and orders her sons to take the body out of the church. The deceased family blames Ava for the turn of event because the pastor is her father.
After the funeral that never took place, Dallas treats Ava poorly and disrespects her at a double date dinner, openly asking for a divorce. Ava tries to hold on but how much longer can she endure the abuses? Is she strong enough to grant Dallas the divorce?
Review
The plot of this film—a faithful wife subjected to abuse and ill-treatment by her husband, torn between granting a divorce and moving on with her life—is good. But the storytelling is the problem here. The movie is about two hours and the first hour is well paced and immerses the audience into the storyline. But the other hour is where things get messed up.
There are scenes that I don't expect to feature in this kind of movie. Scenes that not only disparage the African American (or black) community but also belittles the female gender and glorifies abuse. I'd hoped Perry was past this. I think he aimed to portray the courage of a black woman in such circumstance but ends up doing the opposite and reinforcing clichés.
I was a little sad after watching the movie. I expected better. Tyler Perry's works such as the Madea films, House of Payne, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, For Colored Girls, The Single Moms Club and other TV series used to be inspiring and entertaining. Now, his works have taken a nosedive, turning into soap operas that portray stereotypes and annoying characters with no depth. It's obvious he's trying to dance to Hollywood's trend and culture but that's what kills his creativity. True artists are known and celebrated for their unique style that sets them apart from others. I'm afraid Perry has lost that edge and I'm done watching his movies.
The cast's performances are great. Meagan Good and Cory Hardrict delivered as expected and their chemistry is convincing. The supporting actors are also intriguing but there's only so much these people can do. Their acting skills and charisma cannot redeem the negative criticism trailing this film.
Overall, I won't recommend Divorce In The Black to anyone but if you're interested in watching just for the fun of it, be my guest. The film is R-rated for violence including domestic abuse, fights, use of guns, profanities and mild sex scenes. So it's an adult movie and children shouldn't see it. I'd rate it one star out of 5.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Thumbnail image, fair use
Other images are screenshots from the movie
Posted using CineTV