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Not Easily BrokenClaudia PuigMarriage is not for the faint of heart, and its bonds should not be easily torn asunder. The message of responsibility and commitment rings loud and clear in the entertaining, if occasionally melodramatic, Not Easily Broken. This is a likable and pleasant film, based on a book by the Rev. T.D. Jakes, with a particularly strong performance by Morris Chestnut as a man having marital problems after his career as a professional ballplayer has ended. Chestnut plays the easygoing Dave, married to a materialistic and ambitious real-estate agent named Clarice (Benjamin Button's Taraji P. Henson). Dave's desires are fairly straightforward: He wants a family, and he's intent on helping at-risk kids through sports. He also would like to avoid interference from his overbearing and embittered mother-in-law (Jenifer Lewis). But Clarice is a bit of a mama's girl and wants the good life. She's not ready for children and resents the time Dave spends coaching Little League. She wants him to drive in style in a Cadillac Escalade; he's happy with his old truck. She tries to amp up his construction business, but he's a humble fellow with modest ambitions. The cards are stacked pretty heavily against the nagging Clarice and her terror of a mother. Dave is the emotional center of this unabashedly sentimental movie. A voice-over narration speaks of a time when men were clear-cut heroes to women. But, it says, women have now become their own heroes. Men need to regain their heroic status. What about mutual heroism? The film has its heart in the right place. The message is hard to fault: Men would do well to focus on their family and rely on their inherent sense of decency and faith. It makes no bones about having a religious undercurrent, but it also doesn't shy away from riotous humor. Nor does it avoid melodrama, which is where it most falters. A tragedy occurs in the last third of the film that suddenly turns this affable dramedy off course, into something more manipulative and tear-jerking. The film's cinematography also looks a bit amateurish. But it is saved by the generally engaging performances of the principals. Kevin Hart is very funny as Tree, Dave's ultra-emotional buddy, and Chestnut's slow burn stares are a treat to watch. Not Easily Broken is well-acted and involving, though this relationship drama may put some people off with its overt sentimentality and moralizing. ?? Copyright 2009 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. |
