Tyler Perry’s Divorce in the Black Parent Guide

Why do women stay with violent and abusive husbands? I’ve seen women stick it out in bad marriages and have heard them speak of patience, forgiveness, potential, second chances, honoring vows, finding help, and the needs of their children. I can see where they’re coming from, but I’ve never understood it. (Which shows how lucky I’ve been.)

Tyler Perry’s Divorce in the Black endeavors to tell one of these stories from a woman’s perspective, while also providing a heaping serving of warnings and relationship advice. Ava (Meagan Good) is a preacher’s daughter, successful bank employee, and wife to

Dallas (Cory Hardrict). The couple live comfortably in Atlanta, not too far from their rural hometown. Ava’s parents are loving and supportive, but Dallas grew up in a violent family of career criminals who never accepted his wife. Now Dallas has had enough of Ava and her parents and demands a divorce.

With her dream of a lasting marriage crumbling around her, Ava takes a long, hard look at the misery she has endured in two decades with Dallas. As she confronts her impossible dreams, rationalizations, and years of living in denial, she finally accepts that she’s been trapped in an abusive marriage and is better off getting out of it. There’s just one catch: Dallas isn’t ready to let her go…

I’m no fan of director Tyler Perry – his Madea films are some of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. Heaven knows Divorce in the Black is no cinematic masterpiece, but at least it’s watchable. I’m sympathetic with any film that points out the horrors of domestic violence and the toll it takes on women and our society. As with any other Tyler Perry movie, the dialogue is often clunky, and in this case, it’s sometimes preachy. But, hey, if he wants to warn viewers about domestic violence, I don’t care if he gets a bit awkward at times.

What I object to in this film is the profanity, which hits close to 200 curse words, over half of which are sexual expletives or scatological curses. There’s also sexual content, with a sex scene that involves some disrobing, heated kissing, oral sex, and passionate moaning and thrusting. There’s no nudity, but, boy, is there a lot of heat. Given the movie’s theme, it’s not surprising that violence is frequently on screen. People are beaten, clubbed, and shot, sometimes fatally. Some of these acts are premeditated and some are done in self-defense. Add in frequent alcohol consumption and marijuana use and the Restricted rating is well deserved.

Whether or not this film deserves your time is a bigger question. The story is gripping, the tension unrelenting, and the issue is one that deserves continued attention. But the level of negative content is high and the movie’s flaws too often weigh it down. And did I mention that’s almost two-and-a-half hours long? With that kind of time, you could find more interesting and comprehensive ways to understand the issue of domestic violence – and skip all the cussing.