Review of Not Easily Broken (2009) by Joseph D — 16 Apr 2009

The best scene occurs in closeup and about 75 minutes in the movie between Taraji P. Henson and the wonderful Jenifer Lewis (playing her mother from hell). "Black Women must be strong" declares the mother explaining why she has a chip on her shoulder. The daughter says something like "Mum, you've ruined my marriage, now get out of my house." I asked myself, "What took her so long?" One of the methods the mother preys on her daughter's insecurity is by insinuating that her husband will leave her for a white woman (Maeve Quinlan). I've never understood why black writers (e.g. Terry McMillan in "Waiting To Exhale") feel that the ultimate rejection of a black woman is for her husband to leave her for a white woman. Is this true? White women prey on successful black men nutured by black women. I don't know but in this movie, the wife's fears are uncalled for.

The movie should be about a marriage that really hits the rocks after the couple are involved in a car accident. The husband, Morris Chestnut (underplaying his role too much) is no longer the bread winner in the family and is more interested in coaching baseball. Taraji Henson (who was so heartwarming in "Hustle and Flow") plays the wife, a successful real estate agent but the movie doesn't really reflect her perspective so we don't get to know her character very well. To help her recuperate, she invites her mother (Jenifer Lewis) to live in her house. As an actress, Jenifer Lewis dominates her scenes and you can't take your eyes off her. The other actor who really impressed me is Kevin Hart as an emotional African American man,who proves to be too feminine for his wife.

"Not Easily Broken" is reflective of the recent state of African American movies today. They focus on African American families and relationships but I think these movies are becoming too routine. In the 60s, Sidney Poitier reflected the black man trying to gain social acceptance in the white world in movies like "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner," and "In The Heat Of The Night." The 70s were known for black exploitation films where actors like Richard Roundtree and Pam Grier took their guns and karate chops to the abusive white establishments. In the 80s, African American movies were dominated by comedy actors like Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy. In the 90s, the auteur Spike Lee made very provocative movies and, honestly, his movies (e.g "Malcolm X" with the excellent Denzel Washington) will last a lifetime because they are so intelligently made.

Obviously, movies like "Not Easily Broken," and Tyler Perry's "Meeting The Browns" have a ready-made audience. Not until this audience says "enough with the cliches" will we have more substantial movies that will not only entertain us while we sit but will make us think hard even after the movie ends.