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'Acrimony' Means Let That Sh*t Go, Sis
The title of the new Tyler Perry film, Acrimony, is one of the most searched words on Merriam Webster this month due to the anticipation of the film's release on Friday (March 30).
The dictionary defines Acrimony as meaning anger or bitterness. And in the flick, Taraji P. Henson is the crazy beautiful lead character telling the story of a woman scorned. Acrimony was shot in a mere eight days at Perry's studio in Atlanta, and he says that it is his favorite to date. Regarding the project, Taraji compared her character to Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction:
"It's about what happens when the love is lost, when you lose your security in the relationship. Funds, money. There's stress, when you're married and there's no money coming in. What happens when you want that relationship back, but you can't get it back?"
The movie follows the life of Taraji's character, Melinda, who at the beginning of the film is a hopeful college student who falls in love. She later creates a life with a husband, played by She's Gotta Have It's Lyriq Bent, and becomes the sole breadwinner in their household, acting as his support system while he pursued his dream.
After 18 years, the marriage reaches a point of failure and they divorce. Later, he becomes wildly successful, and she feels betrayed. After taking care of her ex-husband for nearly two decades, he goes on to create a life of wealth and happiness without her and it causes Melinda to go off the deep end.
Love conquers all, except for when it doesn't.
As women of color, we're always told to "stand by our man" through everything, even if we don't appear to be evenly yoked, no matter how much wrong he does. We are expected to stand by and help our man pick up the pieces. When and if the relationship ends, we are left feeling robbed of our own pieces, full of resentment and ready to slap a b*tch.
There is a Melinda that lives inside of all of us, when and if provoked. We think to ourselves, Don't I deserve something for my time, my energy, and the love I offered you? Taraji said that Melinda is an example of all of the sh*t she would have done if she wasn't scared to go to jail. Don't be bougie, we've all been there.
Acrimony/Tyler Perry Studios
"Love makes you do crazy things," she said on the Today Show. "It's all the things I wish I could have done but hadn't acted on."
College was a rough ride for me. I was miles away from family but I had finally made a home for myself with my then-boyfriend, who was an "artist." When we got into a relationship, he decided not to go into the navy, a choice that he always blamed on me. He was very talented but had no clue what he was going to do with his life.
Thank God he met me.
I filled out every grant and scholarship application there was trying to get him into college, and he was never grateful and I was always mad. As the time went on and I focused on him, my senior year of college passed me by. I missed Homecoming, I never pledged, and I have no memories with my classmates because I was focused on helping him.
I turned down post-graduate internships, avoided applying for jobs in places that were too far out of his comfort zone, and put my dream on the backburner for what I thought was best for us. Fast forward three years, and he's a barber or some sh*t and we're not even together. He never wanted to go to college. And everything that I did for him, I realize now, I was only doing for myself.
Melinda is a symbol of the rage and animosity that women hide so well underneath our kind smiles and encouraging words. As women of color, we often take it upon ourselves to nurture and care for the ones that we love more than we do ourselves. This often leaves us betrayed. Especially when that energy isn't reciprocated. Even more so when that man leaves you and he's left better than you found him, while you're left half-filled, half-loved, and all the way broken.
As much as I wanted to drive up to where he was and bust all the windows out of his car for all of the time, energy, and love that I wasted on him, I understand now that it's much easier for me to just let that sh*t go. I sleep a lot better at night having done that.
Acrimony is a testament to the sheer beauty of letting sh*t go. The truth about life and love is that you're bound to get hurt, and want to hurt somebody, but you must remember that your dignity depends on the release of that hurt.
But for those of us who haven't let it go completely yet, we can definitely live vicariously through Melinda and bust some windows. Metaphorically of course. Watch the trailer for the movie, slated to premiere March 30, below.
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Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
This article is sponsored by Hulu.
UnPrisonedhas returned for its highly anticipated second season, delving deeper into the complex dynamics of the Alexander family.
The series premiere comes a year after its debut season garnered rave reviews from fans and critics and earned record-breaking ratings for Hulu's Onyx Collective brand. UnPrisoned's success can be attributed to its raw, relatable themes and comedic appeal.
Inspired by creator Tracy McMillan's life, the show follows Paige (Kerry Washington), a therapist and single mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo) --who was released from prison-- moves in with her and her teenage son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
Throughout UnPrisoned's first season, viewers witnessed how Edwin's incarceration deeply affected Paige's life and relationships. In the series, Paige unpacks her trauma through interactions with her inner child and her online followers. Meanwhile, Edwin is overcoming specific struggles with his own past that led to his life of crime, including a dysfunctional upbringing and his mother's arrest. As the Alexanders attempt to reconcile, new challenges arise.
This new season promises to further explore their unconventional family dynamic. Here are several compelling reasons why season two of UnPrisoned should be on everyone's watchlist.
The Alexander Family Life Is Still In Shambles
UnPrisoned's second season resumes where the series left off, with Paige grappling with the fallout from her troubled therapy practice and Edwin navigating life independently after moving out. Meanwhile, Finn faces his own challenges. The teenager is battling anxiety and seeking information about his father—a topic Paige avoids discussing.
The Alexander Family Are Attending Therapy To Resolve Their Underlying Issues
Amid the chaos in their lives, the Alexander family decides to mend their bond by confronting their past traumas. They seek professional help and attend therapy sessions with a “family radical healing coach,” played by John Stamos, a new cast member. This collective effort aims to unravel the complexities of their shared history and strengthen their relationships.
The process of unraveling each character's internal conflicts and their potential impact on future relationships may clash with Paige's textbook therapy approach. While Paige is used to being in the therapist's seat in both career and family, this forces her into the unfamiliar role of a patient during therapy sessions. This shift would compel her to look in the mirror and try a radically different approach.
The Alexander Family Learned A Big Lesson During A Therapy Session
In therapy, the Alexanders are tasked with addressing their individual traumas to salvage their remaining relationships. One of the family therapist’s eccentric suggestions was an exercise involving a family wrestling match. During this session, Paige faces tough questions about her refusal to share information about Finn's father.
While it's unclear whether this scene is reality or fantasy, the image of the family duking it out in the ring certainly makes for hilarious yet compelling television.
Paige Tries Dating Again Following Failed Relationships
Amid her life's chaos, Paige decides to step back into the dating field. However, her many attempts have left her with mixed results. The dating apps have turned out to be a fail, and an outing with her ex Mal (Marque Richardson), who is also her father's parole officer, doesn’t go quite as expected after he brings an unexpected guest – his new girlfriend.
The situation takes an awkward turn when Mal's new partner learns why the former couple split, partly due to Paige's self-sabotage.
UnPrisoned Is A Perfect Balance Of Comedy And Drama
As a dramedy, UnPrisoned takes a comedic approach to its heavy subjects. The show takes us on a ride with Paige's dating misadventures and navigating a friendship with her ex.
Other lighthearted moments include Edwin's attempts at CPR based on online videos and, of course, the antics of the Alexander family's unconventional new healing coach.
The second season of UnPrisoned is now available on Hulu.
UnPrisoned | Season 2 Trailer | Hulu
Feature image courtesy
Blair Underwood Initially Turned Down 'Sex And The City' Because 'It Was About How Samantha Was Fascinated By Dating A Black Man’
Actor and heartthrob Blair Underwood is opening up about why he turned down Sex and the City the first time he was offered a role. Many fans of the HBO series may recall Blair's time on the show in which his character was dating Miranda (Cynthia Nixon). However, he was previously offered another role where his character would date Samantha (Kim Cattrall).
During his interview with AV Club, the Set It Off star revealed that he was uncomfortable with the initial offer due to the character's fascination with him being a Black man.
“I actually did say ‘no’ the first time,” he said. “The first time they had offered the role, to be honest with you, it was about how Samantha was fascinated by dating a Black man and wanted to know if, uh, all of the rumors were true about our anatomy! And I said, ‘Listen, I’m honored, thank you, but I just don’t want to play a character based on race, on curiosity about a Black man.'”
But that didn't stop them from reaching out again. This time he was offered to play Dr. Robert Leeds, the love interest to Miranda and he decided to go for it. "So they were nice enough to call about a year later, and I said, 'Well, is it gonna be about race?' And they said, 'No, no, no, we’re not even gonna mention race!' And I think it really did only come up maybe once," he recalled.
"It did five episodes, and I think Samantha mentioned it once, saying something about 'a Black doctor' that Miranda was dating. And that’s really been a consistent thing in my career: not wanting to be boxed as 'the Black guy.'
"I’ve had that conversation with many producers along the way, and they were so great. They said, 'No, he’s just a doctor who Miranda meets in the elevator, and they have a nice little fling.' And it was amazing."
Blair has had a wide-ranging career playing everything from a lawyer on L.A. Law to playing Madame CJ Walker's husband on Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madame CJ Walker. And during his interview, he revealed another role that he initially turned down, Set It Off. The movie, which is considered a classic in Black culture, stars Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise. Blair's character, Keith, played a banker and love interest to Jada's character, Stony.
He explained why he said no at first and eventually accepted the offer. "I had initially said “no” to that. Because I was playing this historic, iconic African-American historical figure in Jackie Robinson, and the time, y’know, there was Boyz N The Hood, and Menace II Society was out there, and I’d finished playing this noble Negro… [Laughs]," he said.
"And I’m reading the script, and there’s a scene where Jada Pinkett’s character—Jada Pinkett-Smith now—was going to sell her body so she could make some money to send her brother to college. And I remember, honestly, I threw the script across the room. I was, like, “I don’t want to do this. I want to do something uplifting for the Black culture and Black characters, and I don’t know if I want to see this.”
After a conversation with the movie's director F. Gary Gray and the actor's manager encouraging him to finish reading the script, Blair had a change of heart. What he first thought about the movie turned out to be totally different.
"So I finished the script, and I saw that the character they were asking me to play was really the love story in the midst of all of this turmoil of all of these characters, the four ladies: Queen Latifah, Vivica Fox, Kimberly Elise, and Jada," he explained.
"It was so well-written, it was such a great platform for them. And to be able to play the love story and the storyline that gave Jada’s character a leg up and a way out of this world, something to hope for, to wish for, someone to love her… I said, 'You know what? I’d like to be a part of that.'
"And I’m so glad I did, because that film resonates to this day. People all the time come up to me and say that they love that movie. So I’m glad that I did it."