Review of If I Can't

If I Can't (2023)
1/10
The 8.0 rating is a lie. One star, because zero isn't an option.
17 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Mena Monroe is a horrible actress. I do admire that she has her own movie studio. Bravo. Because acting isn't her strength. I stuck with this movie, but it was too long and very painful.

Mena/Harlem is speaking to Scott her potential boyfriend and mentions her ex-husband, Emory. The same ex-husband that was killed in a carjacking. They were never divorced. Later on, she remembers they weren't divorced when she's speaking to a bank manager, who's also a realtor who not only found a commercial building, he can also find her a gated residential community as well as her next boyfriend if she likes. A Jack-of-All Trades.

Someone on this set, should have caught this major error. But, they move right along. Low budget movie, no time to correct the scene. Until the scene with the jack-of all trades, who flirts with her after she purchased a building in ATL. I think it's selling weaves in a shop. It wasn't explained and I didn't care.

There were a lot of plot holes that were wrapped up, which was good as her low down friend, Low, which is aptly named, because she is low down explains to Scott that Harlem has money, she even sold Marvin Gaye's house that she's always loved as a child. Emory purchased the house as a surprise. After Emory was killed, Harlem sold the house and moved in with her mother. Postpartum hit's Harlem hard, so she ignores her son and her mother takes care of him.

Scott is a drug dealer and he's abusive. Since he has money, all of Harlem's friends ignore the signs, know that he's a monster and the bruises. Even Harlem. Which has money, so it didn't make sense to stay, because she didn't love him after the repeated verbal and physical abusive. She had a devoted mother, so it wasn't like an issue of what some abusive people (men can also be abused) face, where the abused doesn't have money or a support system.

Scott in turn also has plot holes to fill, he tells Low that him and Emory were drug dealing partners and he had Emory killed, when Emory wanted to go solo or got to big. I don't remember. Which explained the duffle bag of money as H & E celebrate their new house. How Scott was able to find the carjacker as a 'push present' to keep his family intact five years later. Scott kills the carjacker, because H can't.

Scott's ex-girlfriend even tries to tell her to leave Scott, because of his temper, but the lure of money, stupidity and we have to keep this plot going, keeps Harlem and her ex-husband's son. I mean deceased husband's son, staying. Until she finally leaves and buys property in another city or state. It was never explained where she lived, only where she was moving too. There was also a gay make up artist associate that worked in Low's hair salon which is where H also worked at and first met Scott and his ex-girlfriend. I didn't feel that H and the salon makeup artist were friends. Because they only had a few scene together. A good or best friend, they would have been closer. He also dies of AIDS.

As Harlem moves on. Forgets her children and her friends. Her character was awful. No loyalty to anyone. I think she grieved for a year and then fell for a murderous drug dealer, with hair prettier than hers.

Her mother, Ms. Cheryl was a hypocrite. That back and forth about staying with Scott, leaving Scott and back to staying with Scott and then leaving Scott...because he's crazy. Harlem's mother didn't like Scott in the beginning so this back and forth from short scene of love to hate to love to hate to the next scene was dumb.

The biggest what the what moment, which there is no way that this movie has 8 out of 10 stars.

Harlem is finally leaving this abusive relationship, she throws a going away party. She post this event on social media, which Low shows Scott while in her underwear and invites the abusive ex. I think this was also a script error too. Harlem didn't invite Scott, but the mother and Scott, both mentions the invite. AKA. The ex-husband, not dead husband.

Back to the mother leaving a crazy and abusive ex alone with her grandchildren at the party. Harlem wasn't a good mother in this movie at all. The kids were a forgotten background.

In the end. Scott kills Harlem and Emory's son at the going away party. Scott also kills Harlem's cousin, Channa who was sleeping with Scott. H's buddy Low is also murdered. Both Channa and Low kept telling Scott to let Harlem go and be with them, even though they know Scott is unstable. They messed around and found out. Low was shot several times in the driveway and only shown with a fake looking bullet wound in the shoulder. Harlem was also shot several times, not shown, but a fake looking bullet wound in her temple.

There's a flashback of the good and bad of Harlem's life. I think there's a voice over. I didn't remember. The mother grabbing Harlem's gun to kill Scott and Scott committing suicide in front of her with a smile on his face and a note that he wrote to his and Harlem's daughter True about blah..blah..keeping the family or some nonsense.

As I was way pass done with the nonsense of a movie.
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