Parents' Guide to Tyler Perry's Divorce in the Black

This nearly unwatchable melodrama is simultaneously one of Perry's most disturbing and stalest movies to date. The opening scene—a funeral with drama that escalates into a body being taken from its casket and carried out of the church—will turn many viewers off after the first few minutes of the two-hour runtime. (There's a spoiler alert to warn anyone who doesn't want to see this kind of thing on screen.) From that upsetting scene to the movie's high level of cursing to more on-screen violence between stars Hardrict and Good, Tyler Perry's Divorce in the Black isn't as much about the redemption and strength of a "good woman" as it is a soulless spectacle designed to get a salacious rise out of viewers.

The best thing that can be said about this film is that it's an extremely watered-down, vapid version of one of Perry's best films from early in his career, Diary of a Mad Black Woman. At worst, it's a mockery of that film, complete with Perry's tired cliches, poor lighting, nonexistent world-building, and lackluster directing. It also throws a bit of classism in the mix for good measure: The villains can be evil, but why do they also have to be living in a trailer and at the mercy of Ava's family's generosity? The saving graces of this film are Ava's friend Rona (Taylor Polidore Williams) and Dallas' evil mother, Linda (Ursula O. Robinson). Somehow, they spin gold out of straw with their roles, providing more nuance and heart than we normally see in Perry's later works. But, sadly, they can't save this film from Perry's own (lack of) imagination.