Not Easily Broken on Blu-ray Disc Review
By Rachel Cericola
The Film
Marriage has its ups and downs. However, for the cast of
Not Easily Broken, it seems like a downright bummer.
The "man" in this relationship is David (Morris Chestnut), an injured ex-ballplayer who spends his days coaching Little League and his nights getting henpecked by wife Clarice (recent Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson). He puts up with it because he loves Clarice, and well, she brings home the bacon via the real estate market. When an accident leaves Clarice in a wheelchair, the relationship is put through a series of tests.
Based on the novel by the best-selling author T.D. Jakes (
Woman Thou Art Loosed),
Not Easily Broken could be a nice love story, if it wasn't so busy trying to tell five others stories. We have Clarice's recovery, her nagging live-in mother (Jenifer Lewis), David's friends, and the physical therapist/single mother (Maeve Quinlan) that David starts to develop feelings for. Also, the therapist in question is a white woman, so you can add another check mark to the plot list.
Not Easily Broken is more like "not easily likeable." The characters are nagging and/or whiney, and oh -- and did we mention that Clarice's horrible accident basically left her
leg broken? Lame. Maybe if you're a fan of bad movie-of-the-week music, you may get caught up; we're just not buying any of it.
The Picture
Not Easily Broken may be hard to watch from a plot standpoint, but the image is a different story. From the opening church scene to the pick-up games to Henson's two-tone hair color; there are a lot of great colors going on in this 1.85:1 transfer. There is very little grain, but plenty of detail. Also, flesh tones are deep and on target.
The Sound
The rear speakers get a minor workout, especially during the film's heavy soundtrack and the occasional church services (Jakes is a pastor/preacher). The TrueHD sounds nice, but it's really all about the dialogue, which is remarkably clear and sharp. Also, when those women nag, you can really feel the heebie-jeebies.
The Extras
It's nice that the extras are in high-def -- all two of them. Expect the obligatory 13-minute "making-of" featurette and deleted scenes. Don't bother with either.
Final Thoughts
The scribe is a pastor/preacher and the film gives plenty of shout-outs to God. However,
Not Easily Broken never makes that leap of faith into something a bit gutsier about what it's preaching. Instead, someone busted out their cliché handbook and out popped a boring drama with a pretty looking Hollywood ending.
Where to Buy:
Product Details
- Actors: Morris Chestnut, Taraji P. Henson, Kevin Hart, Jenifer Lewis, Maeve Quinlan, Wood Harris
- Director: Bill Duke
- Audio/Languages: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (English)
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, French
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Region: A
- Number of Discs: 1
- Rating: PG-13
- Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- Blu-ray Disc Release Date: April 7, 2009
- Run Time: 100 minutes
- List Price: $39.95
- Extras:
- Making Not Easily Broken
- Deleted Scenes
- BD Live
