Film: A Fall From Grace
Starring: Crystal Fox, Phylicia Rashad, Bresha Webb, Mehcad Brooks, Cicely Tyson, Adrian Pasdar, Tyler Perry.
Director: Tyler Perry
Music by: Jay Weigel
Streaming: Netflix
Review: Klep Napier
Rating: 2.5 X’s out of 5 X’s
Seems like the most effective way to win with a film these days is to distribute straight to Netflix. Or maybe just distribute something with a great cast and decent writing to an already solidified streaming platform. We say this because ‘A Fall From Grace’ is exactly what you get when you mix said formula, however it isn't truly enough to take seriously.
Tyler Perry, known for his spiritually based African American dramedys treats us all with a straight to Netflix drama that plays like "Stella’s Got Her Groove Back" meets "Sleeping With The Enemy" with a twist. When newly divorced Grace Waters meets a young, charismatic gentleman, she’s at first blinded by his charm. But when random life shattering events begin to take place, Grace is sideswiped with a terrifying truth that she never saw coming.
Where this film wins is once again it’s great to see Perry stepping outside of the Madea-verse that he’s known for. Yes, we know he’s done plenty of outside story lines before, but this had a few more layers to it. Not just your typical “Man done did me wrong” plot. But a more intricate and thought provoking twist that will have you shocked about certain key players. Cicely Tyson, and Phylicia Rashad are the big guns which make this piece feel genuine and worth the watch.
Outside of it's main cast and writing, this film loses tons. Be it that this film was shot in a mere five day period, the acting and landscape show little preparation or depth. Very much so that the internet has already taken a liking to the numerous memes and jokes circulating around the web. Mimicking one liners, the buzz is healthy but for all the wrong reasons. Next we couldn’t get through the film without noticing the abundance of bad wigs worn by Crystal Fox and especially Mechad Brooks, who’s usually bald when he’s not in character, so you can understand how noticeably bad his tough guy flat top had to have been. Continuity issues arise during scenes making transitions hurtfully noticeable.
Overall "A Fall From Grace" plays like a lifetime movie on a Sunday afternoon with a great plot detail. It’s good enough to make the cut if your a die hard Tyler Perry fan and you appreciate his urban romance novel, day time soaps vibe. But it's execution is careless and not enough to stand with some of Perry’s greats like "Daddy’s Little Girls" or "The Family That Preys".