Read our review of Tyler Perry’s latest film “Divorce in the Black” on Amazon Prime. Find out why it’s his worst film yet.
When you see a title like “Divorce in the Black” appear underneath a Tyler Perry byline, you assume this is more not-so-clever wordplay that clumsily states the obvious: a woman takes her no-good ex to the cleaners before riding off into the sunset. But this new Amazon Prime feature doesn’t just fail to live up to that billing. It’s easily his worst film to date.
Perry – who, as ever, holds credit for producing, writing, and directing this 132-minute film – sets up the disappointment early, opening at the funeral of a young man for a heavy dose of exposition. Who the man is doesn’t matter as much as him dying while attempting to rob a parishioner who just so happened to be packing heat. In between the deceased being consigned to an afterlife in hell and his ne’er-do-well family dragging the body from the casket and out of the church for a non-judgmental burial, we meet Ava (Think Like a Man’s Meagan Good) and Dallas (American Sniper’s Cory Hardrict), the doomed couple brought that much closer to Splitsville after this scene gets tongues wagging in the tiny rural Georgia town they left long ago for a new start in Atlanta, away from this Hatfields v McCoys-lite drama. The dead guy? He was older brother to Dallas, the latest admittedly “ain’t nothing” dude to draw Tyler Perry’s raggedy hair treatment. Dallas comes from nothing, he’s earned nothing. The only possession that he’d seem genuinely worried about losing is an old pickup truck he restored with his dead brother in high school. But that doesn’t move either. He does not have anything that Ava would want, much less a pile worth warring over in court, other than a bad boy streak that appeals to all preachers’ kids.
Tyler Perry’s “Divorce in the Black” has made a splash on Rotten Tomatoes, but it is hardly the impact that Perry wanted to make. The drama was released on July 11 on Prime Video. Perry, who earned fame with the Madea movies, served as director, producer, and writer. Unfortunately, “Divorce in the Black’s” reviews have been tremendously bleak. While the score is likely to fluctuate with more reviews, “Divorce in the Black” sits at a score of just 0% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer. With 10 professional reviews submitted, all current critics are in agreement that Perry’s most recent Prime movie is a complete disaster. The audience score is far more favorable with a 54% score, but even that bears a Rotten designation.
No Tyler Perry movie has performed more poorly. Yes, it’s a low bar. Meagan Good and Cory Hardrict star in “Divorce in the Black,” the director’s first film for Prime Video, a tonally mismatched melodrama. Tyler Perry is a fascinating case study. Despite constant critical dismissal, he’s one of the most successful filmmakers in America, consistently working with mid-range budgets but managing to gross more than $1 billion. His fan base is one Hollywood routinely ignores—chiefly Black, Christian women—and Perry makes his films with his proud Christian values at the forefront. That critical brush-off, while often frustrating, will be back in full force for his latest film, Tyler Perry’s “Divorce in the Black.” It’s fully warranted.
Sadly, “Divorce in the Black” never gets close to this delirious camp again. The actors always turn into these caricatures of themselves. Megan somehow turned into a female Rambo. Her best friend turns into the ghetto friend who keeps it real. And of course, Corey is the angry, abusive black man. No need to address his generational trauma because that doesn’t create enough drama. His acting in this is something to be desired though. “Divorce in Black” is streaming now on Amazon Prime.
Trailer by Prime
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