Seen on: January 11, 2009

The players: Director: Bill Duke, Writer: Brian Bird, Cast: Morris Chestnut, Taraji P. Henson, Maeve Quinlan, Kevin Hart

Facts of interest: Based on the novel by T.D. Jakes.

The plot: A Los Angeles couple struggles to save their troubled marriage.

Our thoughts: Bill Duke’s “Not Easily Broken” isn’t really enlightening in its examination of an imperfect marriage, but the film boasts a fast-paced plot and a couple of surprisingly solid performances that make for a mostly entertaining, if sometimes overemotional drama.

Based on the novel by T.D. Jakes, the movie introduces us to Dave (Morris Chestnut) and Clarice (Taraji P. Henson), a couple whose marriage is far from what it used to be when they tied the knot more than 10 years ago. You see, instead of loving and respecting each other on a daily basis, all they seem capable of doing these days is argue.

While Dave thinks Clarice is working too hard trying to boost her career as a real estate agent when they really should be thinking about starting a family, Clarice complains about Dave spending too much time coaching a young baseball team. Neither Dave nor Clarice seems to be willing to compromise, and it’s slowly eating away at their marriage.

The turning point in their relationship comes with an accident that bounds Clarice to a wheelchair for a couple of months. Even though the arguing persists and Dave and Clarice gradually find themselves drifting apart, this incident also causes both of them to reexamine their marriage and ultimately decide whether they should try to fix things or go separate ways for good.

Interestingly, “Not Easily Broken” draws a detailed picture of what it is that is destroying their marriage and how they deal with this crisis individually. Both Dave and Clarice obviously know they aren’t really committed to each other anymore, but they start off by looking for the causes in the wrong place.

Surprises are scarce in the way they handle the situation, but there’s enough truth and honesty in their dialogue to keep the story interesting and entertaining enough throughout. Marriage takes lots of hard work we’re told at the beginning of the film, and that’s exactly what these main characters realize as the plot progresses.

As much as I hate to say this, the final part of “Broken” falls victim to a dramatic twist that injects the film with an unnecessary melodramatic touch and causes the characters to change their perspective on certain issues a little too quickly. I wouldn’t go as far and say it’s completely unrealistic, but it clearly doesn’t flow well with the rest of the plot.

I particularly enjoyed watching Morris Chestnut in the role of Dave. Even though I found his character to be a little too weak at times, he undoubtedly delivers the film’s most sincere and credible performance. Acting honors also go to Taraji P. Henson and Kevin Hart.

Freaky quote: “I'm outta here!" – Morris Chestnut

The final word: “Not Easily Broken” is not necessarily a film with repeated viewing potential, but its entertaining plot and strong cast will make it worth your while.

Article by Franck Tabouring