Not Easily Broken (2009)

A car accident and shifting affections test the bond between a married couple.

Director:

Bill Duke

Writers:

Brian Bird (screenplay), T.D. Jakes (novel)

Stars:

Morris Chestnut, Taraji P. Henson, Maeve Quinlan

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Morris Chestnut	...	Dave Johnson
Taraji P. Henson	...	Clarice Clark
Maeve Quinlan	...	Julie Sawyer
Kevin Hart	...	Tree
Wood Harris	...	Darnell Gooden
Eddie Cibrian	...	Brock Houseman
Jenifer Lewis	...	Mary 'Mama' Clark
Niecy Nash	...	Michelle
Cannon Jay	...	Bryson Sawyer
Albert Hall	...	Bishop Wilkes
Jeff Krebs	...	Trauma Doctor
Nathaniel Carter	...	Deshawn
Brendon Terrell Ferguson	...	Marcus (as Brendon Terrell)
Kwame Boateng	...	Darius
Henry Brown	...	Mr. Reid (as Henry Brown Jr.)

Storyline

After years of disagreeing on what true happiness, success, and love really are, Dave and Clarice Johnson have finally reached a breaking point in their marriage. When Clarice is hurt in a car accident, the obvious truth that more than just her injuries need immediate attention is exposed. Their odds of making it worsen as Clarice begins to see a physical therapist, and Dave develops a friendship with Julie and her teenage son Bryson. The acceptance and comfort he finds in them stirs his longing for a family and a passionate partner. As temptation tugs at Dave and Clarice pulls farther away, they must confront whether their vows are or are NOT EASILY BROKEN.

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Plot Keywords:

african american protagonist | based on novel | title spoken by character | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual references and thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

The actor playing the trauma doctor is a real physician.

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Goofs

In the scene where the mother-in-law shows up at the hospital, Dave and the doctor come out of Clarice's room coming toward the camera. When the M.I.L. finds out where the room is, she takes off past the camera in the wrong direction.

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Quotes

Dave Johnson: Sometimes you have to let life turn you upside down so you can learn how to live right side up.

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Connections

References Waiting to Exhale (1995)

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Soundtracks

Love Is Still Here
Written by DJ Kay Gee (as Kier Gist), Darren Lighty, Jaheim (as Jaheim Hoagland)
Performed by Jaheim
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Men Do No Wrong, Ever?

While the film was engaging on many levels, I kept wondering what was not sitting right with me. The more I thought about it, I realized that the male lead in this film was painted as a long-suffering, perfect mate while his wife was the nagging, negligent, career driven failure. The turning point in the film and their marriage was when the female lead approached her husband and apologized for the failures in their marriage. While she had a lot to be sorry for, I've never seen such a one sided marriage in real life. Really, couldn't there be ONE thing the husband could be working on in the marriage? It's VERY unrealistic for such perfection in a human being. I say all this to say that this is what happens when a "female" driven drama (b/c that's the audience this film is hoping will show up) is produced, written, directed, shot and edited by men. Not that men couldn't not do a good job, but this is clearly an example where there was no female input to add balance to the story. On so many levels, it's very unrealistic if not just downright disturbing.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 January 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Not Easily Broken

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,314,278, 11 January 2009

Gross USA:

$10,572,742

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,726,909

Company Credits

Production Co:

Screen Gems, T.D. Jakes Ministries

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1