2013. Rated PG-13, 111 minutes.
Judith (Smollett-Bell) and Brice (Gross) first met when they
were six years old. Now in their mid-twenties, they’ve been married for six
years. Things are looking up for them. She has just started her job as the
in-house counselor at a dating service while he is pursuing his dream of owning
his own pharmacy. Like lots of couples they’ve settled into a routine. It
works, but it’s not necessarily thrilling, so she is feeling a little down about the whole thing. Brice has also forgotten his wife’s birthday which adds to her sadness. In comes fabulously
wealthy, handsome, and young Harley (Jones). He’s looking to invest in the
company Judith works for. The two have been paired together as he also works on
a computer program that can assess compatibility between clients. Doesn’t every
dating website already have this? I digress. Point is, Harley takes an
immediate liking to Judith and begins to woo her with the finer things in life.
That simple premise, maybe tweaked a bit on the details, has
been the starting point for numerous movies. We have all seen at least a few of
them. However, as writer/director Tyler Perry has consistently shown, he can
never leave well enough alone. He insists on stacking the odds much higher than
needed against his protagonist. This could have been a thorough, mature
examination of the two relationships involved, both Judith’s with Brice and
Harley. Instead, we get very easy markers that are never dealt with and
heaping helpings melodrama. Then there is always another problem to add to the
pile. Each one is not just an emotional issue, either. These are potentially
fatal problems so intently focused on our heroine the movie renders itself a
farce rather than the engaging character study of a woman in flux. Other
similar movies have subplots, occasionally lots of them. However, they
generally concern other characters. They don’t bury the lead beneath an
avalanche of earth-shattering dilemmas. It gets to the point where we realize
the movie itself doesn’t like her. This is most evident in its harsh and
cynical conclusion. Admittedly, this fits with his typically southern Christian viewpoint.
Breaking the sanctity of marriage is cause for swift and eternal damnation.
To try and deal with all those issues raised, the movie
simply shifts into hero vs. villain mode. This exposes another Tyler Perry
trait. His bad guys are so over the top they cease to seem human. They are
hissing, seething balls of rage. Harley is no exception. Robbie Jones is not a
bad actor. The material leaves him no choice but to play it with both fists
gripping ham and a mouth constantly full of scenery. This further adds to the
feeling we’re watching something comical in nature. This wouldn’t be an issue
if the movie didn’t so obviously want to be taken seriously. The mismatch of
tone and content wreaks havoc on the film.
If there is one thing Mr. Perry usually gets right, it is
wringing heartfelt performances out of his female leads. More than the zany
antics of Madea (thankfully not present here) or the sermonizing of his elder
characters, these ladies ground his movies. They provide an emotional core for
the audience to latch onto. Though she’s not yet the same caliber of actress as
Perry alums Kimberly Elise and Angela Bassett, Jurnee Smollett-Bell more than
holds her own and shows great potential. She’s been in front of a camera since
she was very young, but this is her first grown up role, as far as I know.
Hopefully, she’ll have more in her future.
Conversely, Perry could not coax even one convincing line
out of supporting player Kim Kardashian. She is just painful to watch. The few
lines she had were far too many as it sounds like she’s reading them for the
very first time. Also, the normally solid Vanessa Williams was equally as bad.
Her faux-French accent was distractingly horrendous. It also doesn’t have to be
there at all. It is merely used to set up an unfunny one-liner late in the
movie. As the husband, Lance Gross is bland, but likable. This is actually high praise since the character exists to be exactly that. The only strong
performance in the movie beside our leading lady’s is given by singer/actress
Brandy Norwood. Unfortunately, her character occasionally appears to be in a
horror movie all by herself. She eventually joins the rest of the cast in this movie during the third act.
Temptation is a movie that wants to be
a mature portrayal of a marriage in crisis and how it might play out in
biblical terms. In actuality, it is steeped in so much melodrama, its like the
actors are performing a difficult trapeze act sans net. Since what it tries to
be and what it is don’t line up it all becomes laughable. It’s also
heavy-handed with an over-simplified conclusion. All grays are removed from
this world in favor of easily contrasted blacks and whites. Judith ceases to
be a woman and becomes a blatant scare tactic used against all women.
