Mea Culpa
Mea Culpa
Starring Kelly Rowland, Trevante Rhodes, Nick Sagar, Sean Sagar
Directed by Tyler Perry
Mea (Kelly Rowland) is a successful defense lawyer who's been carrying the burden of a marriage on the rocks as her husband Kal (Sean Sagar) lost his job due to drug use and doesn't want his mother or brother - District Attorney Ray Harper (Nick Sagar) - to know. Mea is belittled and taunted by Ray and their mother Azalia (Kerry O'Malley) relentlessly, and then she's approached by famed painter Zyair (Trevante Rhodes) to represent him in the murder of his girlfriend, even though no body has been found. The case is a media sensation, and it'll create conflicts of interest because Ray is prosecuting him, but she takes the case after Ray and his mother demand that she doesn't.
It becomes apparent that Mea has feelings for Zyair, and he takes full advantage of that by exploiting her weakness to make her fall in love with him. Though she resists, she ultimately gives into her urges and is conflicted with her actions - especially as it seems more and more likely that Zyair is actually a cold blooded killer, and if she's not careful she could be the next victim.
The Good:
The cinematography was on point, and the shots were well executed.
The Bad:
I was wondering if the film was supposed to take place in the 90s, but to my surprise it's set in the modern day. I say "surprised" because due to how women are treated in this film Tyler Perry is responsible for sending women's rights back fifty years. I couldn't believe the dialogue, especially as Ray, Kal and their mother belittled Mea over and over, and the words they would say to her. It's shocking, downright malevolent, and at first it made me feel for Mea because she's been verbally abused for awhile it seems.
But then Mea's actions show why she's been talked to this way, because even though at first she seems like a competent woman, she's really a complete mess and a total moron. She takes a high profile case because her in-laws demand she doesn't. She doesn't believe Zyair is innocent, but she is seduced by his charms. She succumbs to his advances quite easily, and right away has regret about it, and performs several unethical practices that could send Zyair to jail all because she allowed her emotions to rule every moment of her life.
It's a shame, because Kelly Rowland deserves more than being treated as a two-way punching bag. On one side she's abused by her in-laws, and on the other she's abused by Zyair and his manipulations. If this was physical she'd have two black eyes and bruises all over her body. It's painful to watch, especially moreso because she chooses to make the mistakes that lead her to these moments. Not that she's asking for it, but her actions cause the reactions because she doesn't seem to understand common sense.
Trevante Rhodes has about as much charm as a snake charmer who doesn't know how to use a pungi. His lines are flat and unemotional, like he's reading off a recipe book. Apart from Perry's awful writing, I wonder how he manages to land any girls at all, let alone a supposed intelligent one like Mea.
The last half of the film is downright comedy gold, and of course unintentional. It was like Tyler Perry was so into the eroticism that he forgot there was a thriller there as well, and the final twists and shocks come in a shocking way, but not because it's shocking - it's because it makes not a lick of sense. Then the comedy really hits when Mea finds herself in deep water with little means of escape, and the ways she tries to escape feels like watching those classic Abbot and Costello movies with slapstick comedy. It's the literal best part of this two-hour drudge-fest - because it's so laughably bad.
The Summary:
Someone should really check up on Tyler Perry, because if "Mea Cupla" is any indication, he might be losing his mind thinking a film like this is something anyone with more than one-half of a brain cell would find entertaining.
The Score: D-
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