(DVD and Blu-Ray): Deleted and extended scenes / 3 featurettes***

(Blu-Ray only): BD Live links

“Not Easily Broken” has its heart in the right place, but it still sags under the weight of its drama. This adaptation of T.D. Jakes’ novel is a shamelessly redemptive story about the ways in which life will test us, about the bonds we make and the bonds on the verge of breaking. I can’t say I was expecting an original story, although I was expecting it to go a little deeper and work with something more compelling. ***

This movie is not a comedy, but it does follow the format of a sitcom, where one-dimensional characters solve all their problems within a thirty-minute timeslot. This might account for the way very real events come off so unrealistically; every scene in this film seems staged, exaggerated, dramatized for the sake of entertainment. If you like that sense of heightened reality, “Not Easily Broken” will probably be the one for you. ***

Taking place in Los Angeles, the story begins in 1995, when college sweethearts Dave Johnson (Morris Chestnut) and Clarice Clark (Taraji P. Henson) tie the knot. I mean this in more ways than one; the minister drapes a rope over them during the ceremony, and according to him, the three cords create a strand that is not easily broken. A very noticeable air of joy fills this opening scene, which is to say that there’s something a little phony about it, as if Dave and Clarice were just caught up in the moment without having thought about the future. ***

Indeed, when the story flashes forward to the present day, it’s obvious that things haven’t quite turned out the way either one expected. Dave’s dreams of becoming a professional baseball player were shattered when he seriously injured himself; he now works for a small construction company and drives in a beat-up truck. Clarice, now a successful real estate agent, is not only spending beyond her means, but is putting her career ahead of her marriage, as well. ***

When Clarice is injured in a car crash and forced to attend physical therapy, her relationship with Dave is put to the ultimate test. Pent-up anger and resentment begin to surface. Dave, who would like nothing more than to raise a family, is spending a lot more time coaching a little league baseball team than he is with his wife, who’s having trouble facing the reality of the situation. Clarice’s domineering, man-hating mother, Mary (Jenifer Lewis), soon moves into their house, and true to form, she can always find something about Dave to criticize. ***

It’s his fault, for example, that her daughter got hurt; he came home late, which got them into an argument, which distracted him while he was driving. It isn’t long before Dave begins yearning for a little tenderness, and lo and behold, he strikes up a friendship with Clarice’s physical therapist, Julie (Maeve Quinlan), and her young son, Bryson (Cannon Jay), who’s aiming to be a competitive swimmer. ***

I think you see the point I’m trying to make. But the problems with this movie don’t have much to do with what happens; they have more to do with how the characters react to what happens. Emotions are almost always running high. Everyone behaves as if they were starring in their own soap opera, which is really condescending given the seriousness of the Johnsons’ marital problems. Screenwriter Brian Bird didn’t seem concerned about creating real characters, only cardboard caricatures. Most surprising of all, there’s no sense of development even after an unforeseen tragedy shakes everyone to their cores. ***

More problems arise with the depictions of Dave’s best friends, who are all so flat and underdeveloped that they hardly seem relevant to the story. One is Brock (Eddie Cibrian), an unapologetic womanizer who’s in the process of getting a divorce. He lusts after Julie, although given her status as a single mom, I find that a little hard to believe; one look at this guy will convince you that he isn’t family-man material. ***

The other friend is Tree (Kevin Hart), who’s nothing more than comedy relief. He’s a sensitive, nurturing type who always has something to say about how men and women should relate to one another. Take this piece of advice: Even if he’s done nothing wrong, a husband should always wake up in the morning and say, “I’m sorry,” at least ten times. That way, when he actually does something wrong, she won’t have anything to say because the apology has already been given. Later on, when Tree has had a little too much to drink, he goes into a rant about how marriage is like a tractor beam in Star Wars, and Dave and Brock should join him in it. ***

Both the DVD and Blu-Ray editions include a selection of deleted and extended scenes as well as three featurettes--“Driving with Julie,” “Dropping Off the Sawyers,” and “Making ‘Not Easily Broken.’” Exclusive to the Blu-Ray edition are links to BD Live. The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 widescreen format and features Dolby 5.1 Digital sound. ***

Final Words:

The most disappointing subplot of Not Easily Broken could have been the most satisfying had it not been so neglected. One of Dave’s little leaguers is an at-risk youth named Darius (Kwame Boateng), whose father, Darnell (Wood Harris), used to be Dave’s best friend. Years of resentment and playing the victim have turned Darnell bitter and hostile, which forces Dave to be a father figure for him as well as for Darius. ***

If the characters of Brock, Tree, Julie, and Bryson had been removed altogether, the film could have focused more on this subplot. It’s the perfect counterpart to the main story—Dave wants to mentor Darius because Clarice is denying Dave the chance to have a child of his own. It would have added so much complexity to the story. How is it that a man with no experience as a father could feel so responsible for someone else’s child? It was a missed opportunity for the makers of Not Easily Broken, a film that would have worked had it taken the drama seriously.