Acrimony

This endless, crushingly serious drama explores a disintegrating marriage between two shallow, selfish partners, and then, for its ridiculous third act, it turns into an awful thriller. Writer/director Tyler Perry's Acrimony may have a highbrow-sounding title, but it nevertheless aims for the lowest common denominator. It has nothing to say except that people are pretty much fundamentally awful, and there's nothing to be done about it. Robert is a parasite who passively aggressively sucks the life out of Melinda, and she's a hateful, miserable woman, bent only on her own satisfaction.

Spending any time with these two would be a trial, but Perry asks us to sit for a full, painful two hours. Robert eventually makes a gesture that seems to come from genuine regret and kindness, but it doesn't go far as the ludicrous plot mechanisms kick in for the brain-dead finale. Henson is a fine actor, and she seems to have worked hard here, as have some of her co-stars, but unfortunately, their efforts are wasted in a movie that may leave viewers feeling hopeless and lousy. Not even the occasional music of Nina Simone helps to add any heart or soul.