DVD: Movie: Not Easily Broken (2012)

UK VERSION // W/ MORRIS CHESTNUT, TARAJI P. HENSON
Faith, family ties, and marital fidelity are all put to the test in NOT EASILY BROKEN, a thoughtful African-American domestic drama based on the novel by mega-pastor T.D. Jakes. As the film opens, Dave Johnson (Morris Chestnut) sets the story to date: his marriage to Clarice (Taraji P. Henson), his dream of being a major league baseball player, and the couple’s shared love and faith. Ten years later, Dave’s dreams have been dashed by a career-ending injury, leaving Clarice’s success as a real estate agent to fuel their tony life. This leaves Dave feeling increasingly emasculated--a volatile situation further enflamed by Clarice’s criticism that Dave spends too much time coaching inner-city youths. This simmering tension boils over when the two are involved in a near-fatal car crash. Clarice’s subsequent physical rehabilitation compels her embittered mother (Jenifer Lewis) to move into the couple’s home and join Clarice in chastising Dave for ignoring his husbandly duties. To escape this daily barrage, Dave spends more and more time with divorcée Julie (Maeve Quinlan), the physical therapist who helps Clarice get back on her feet, as well as Julie’s young son. But when tragedy strikes, Dave and Clarice must finally confront their failing marriage and flagging faith, and reclaim the honesty and respect that once defined their life together.