Not Easily Broken (PG-13) ★★★
Melodramatic story of a troubled marriage doesn't break any new ground but is often engrossing anyway.
Story
Dave Johnson's (Morris Chestnut) dreams of playing in the major leagues have long been dashed and now he's left to coach Little League and try to make a go of his modest construction firm. He's a good guy, but after more than a decade of marriage, he's is constantly harassed by his successful realtor/wife Clarice (Taraji P. Henson) and her obnoxious mother, Mary (Jenifer Lewis). A tragic automobile accident brings things to a marital boiling point -- Clarice becomes housebound with severe leg injuries, and Dave just might be attracted to the physical therapist Julie (Maeve Quinlan), a white single mother who has arrived to help out.
Acting
Based on T.D. Jakes' religious themed book Woman Thou Art Loosed , this intense and old fashioned drama offers some meaty roles to some fine actors, and they run with the opportunity -- particularly Chestnut, who displays such warmth and likeability he seems almost too good to be true. Henson (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Hustle and Flow) has had a few good screen outings of late but probably could have taken it down just a notch to make Clarice just a little more empathetic. You almost wonder how poor Dave has lasted so long with this woman. Ditto Lewis. On the other hand, the warm and understanding Quinlan is the perfect counterpoint, pointing out a real crisis of conscience for Dave. Welcome comic relief comes in the form of his buddies, Eddie Cibrian and particularly the highly amusing Kevin Hart. And watch for a restaurant-scene cameo by Jakes.
Direction
Fortunately, actor turned director Bill Duke knows how to rein in this tricky marital story and make its most important message -- tolerance and perseverance in relationships --somehow ring true. There may not be a whole lot of subtlety in this particular tale (or many of Jakes books in general), but it's an agreeable and engrossing affair that's worthy of attention from anyone involved in a long term relationship. And it's certainly refreshing for once to see this kind of romantic drama played out almost entirely from the male point of view.
Bottom Line
Hollywood.com rated this film 3 stars.
To get the full Quicklook Films experience, uncheck "Enable on this Site" from Adblock Plus
box office top 10
Civil War Released: April 12, 2024 Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura 25.7M
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Released: March 29, 2024 Cast: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry 15.5M
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Released: March 22, 2024 Cast: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon 5.8M
Kung Fu Panda 4 Released: March 8, 2024 Cast: Jack Black, Viola Davis 5.5M
Dune: Part Two Released: March 1, 2024 Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson 4.3M
Monkey Man Released: April 5, 2024 Cast: Dev Patel, Sikandar Kher 4.1M
The First Omen Released: April 5, 2024 Cast: Nell Tiger Free, Bill Nighy 3.8M
The Long Game Released: April 12, 2024 Cast: Dennis Quaid, Gillian Vigman 1.4M
Shrek 2 Released: May 19, 2004 Cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy 1.4M
Sting Released: April 12, 2024 Cast: Alyla Browne, Ryan Corr 1.2M