TRASH IN MY EYE No. 60 of 2024 (No. 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux
Divorce in the Black (2024)
Running time: 143 minutes (2 hours, 23 minutes)
MPA – R for language, some sexual content and violence
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Tyler Perry
PRODUCERS: Will Areu, Tyler Perry, Angi Bones, Diane Ashford, and Meagan Good
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Michael Watson (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Storm Evans
COMPOSER: Sheri Chung
DRAMA/THRILLER
Starring: Meagan Good, Cory Hardrict, Joseph Lee Anderson, Taylor Polidore, Shannon Wallace, Richard Lawson, Debbi Morgan, Mark Elliot Brewer, Rakeem Laws, Berry Williams, Jr., Jeffrey Creightney, and Ursula O. Robinson
Divorce in the Black is a 2024 drama and thriller from writer-director Tyler Perry. The film is an Amazon “Prime Original,” and it began streaming on the service July 11, 2024. Divorce in the Black follows a young woman who is left heartbroken after her husband abandons their marriage.
Divorce in the Black introduces 37-year-old Ava (Meagan Good). She is the daughter of a preacher, Clarence (Richard Lawson) and a demur church-going woman, Gene (Debbi Morgan). Ava married Dallas Bertrand (Cory Hardrict), one of five sons from a family of trifling Negroes who were raised (not reared) by their obnoxious mother, Linda (Ursula O. Robinson)
Ava and Dallas's marriage was troubled from the start and is troubled now. The recent troubles begin with the funeral of Dallas' 39-year-old brother, Cody Bertrand, who had just been released from prison when someone he attempted to mug shot him to death. Ava's preacher father, Clarence, officiates the funeral, and he believes that he cannot lie and act as if Cody had been a decent person. Clarence's words about Cody lead the Bertrands to commit a horribly disgusting act in order to put an end to the funeral service.
Shortly after the funeral, Ava and Dallas return to their home in Atlanta. Dallas is feeling resentful, mainly egged on by his remaining brothers and his mother. He tells Ava that he wants a divorce and that he has already taken care of everything. He says all she needs to do is sign the divorce papers. Ava is heartbroken and grief-stricken by this terrible turn of events. She returns to her parents home in rural Georgia. Eventually, she finds solace and friendship by reuniting with an old friend, Benji (Joseph Lee Anderson), which could turn romantic. Dallas, however, starts to feel cheated when he discovers that Ava and Benji are seeing each other, and he begins to grow increasingly violent. Now, Ava will have to make the toughest decisions of her life.
I thought that Mea Culpa, a “Netflix Original” film released in February (2024), was likely Tyler Perry's craziest non-Madea film to date, being even wackier than his 2013 film, Temptations: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor. Now, I'm declaring that Divorce in the Black, released mere months after Mea Culpa, is Perry's craziest film. In many ways, Divorce in the Black is not a good film. After its jaw-dropping opening act, the film's narrative has a hard time finding its footing. It meanders, mostly focusing on Ava's grief over the sudden divorce announcement.
[Apparently, “divorce in the black” means a divorce in which you gain something or remain in the positive after the conclusion. “Divorce in the red” means to lose something or end up in the negative after it is all over.]
Divorce in the Black redeems itself with an entertainingly outrageous and outrageously entertaining last act. I wouldn't call Dallas' actions throughout the film over-the-top. They're quite believable, and, in fact, I've known or heard of men like him. What makes the ending of Divorce in the Black so satisfactory is Ava's change in attitude and Dallas' comeuppance. I can't remember the last time I so enjoyed an African-American male character suffering something similar to Dallas' fate. However, dear readers, you have to wade through a lot of mixed-bag storytelling and almost two hours of questionable runtime to get to the end's immense satisfaction.
I mainly watched Divorce in the Black because I wanted to do some Tyler Perry catch-up before I watched his latest “Netflix Original,” the historical drama, The Six Triple Eight. So I judge Divorce in the Black as mainly being fit for fans engaged in watching most of, if not all, of Perry's filmography.
5 of 10
C+
★★½ out of 4 stars
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
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