Here's Everything To Know About 'Mea Culpa': A Review
*Spoilers ahead*
When I first heard that Kelly Rowland was going to be starring in a movie with Trevante Rhodes, I automatically knew that I would be watching. Finding out they were going to be starring in a steamy thriller was only icing on the cake. The two co-star in the Tyler Perry film Mea Culpa, which premiered on Netflix today. However, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Atlanta screening on February 12, where Tyler, Kelly, and Trevante made a surprising appearance.
Tyler raved over the co-stars and shared how Kelly, who also serves as a producer, delivered in her role. “I had the opportunity to work with her on this film, and she pushed and caused and led and produced and elevated this whole thing to a whole ‘nother new level,” he said. “And I’m really, really proud of her not only as a great person but as a actress.”
Kelly plays the role of Mea Harper, a criminal defense attorney who takes on a new client, Zyair Malloy, played by Trevante Rhodes, who is accused of killing his girlfriend Hydie. Mea is in a rocky marriage and is immediately drawn to Zyair, who is handsome, cocky, and a talented painter. She tries to keep things professional, but Zyair keeps tempting her, and he knows it. Not only that, he may or may not be a murderer. Evidence keeps getting stacked up against him, such as a video of his girlfriend saying that he might kill her to old girlfriends, revealing his proclivity for kinky sex. Zyair looks guilty, but it’s Mea’s job to prove his innocence.
When it comes to Mea’s marriage, it’s deeper than just her and her husband Kal. Her husband, who is an anesthesiologist, lost his job after arriving at work on drugs and refuses to tell his family. His brother Ray (fun fact: they’re brothers in real life) is the assistant district attorney and is representing the case against Zyair. Ray is also married to P-Valleystar Shannon Thorton’s character Charlise. Then we have the brothers’ mother Azalia who is a piece of work. It’s clear that she nor Ray likes Mea, but to take a step further, their mother keeps bringing another woman around Kal in an attempt to get them together. However, Kal keeps making excuses for his mom because she has cancer.
"Tyler Perry's Mea Culpa" Screenshot
Mea hires a private investigator, Jimmy, played by RonReaco Lee, to help her with her case. However, he’s also been spying on Kal, leading him to see Kal walk into a hotel room with the woman Kal’s mom has been trying to set him up with. This infuriates Mea, and she finally gives in to Zyair. They have a passionate night of sex, which involves them rolling around in paint. And let me tell you, that was a scene!
However, what was a sexual high turned into a nightmare for Mea when she finally arrived home and found out that her husband, in fact, didn’t cheat on her. She later interviewed Zyair’s ex, who began asking her questions about her relationship with Zyair, which made Mea realize she was being played. She rushed to Zyair’s to find the portrait he painted of her and pulled it down, which revealed several other portraits of women, including his ex that has the words "die bitch you ruined my life" written on it. So, she pulls herself off the case.
However, Ray got a call from the judge about Mea taking herself off the case because of an inappropriate relationship and told the family. She leaves the country and goes to the Dominican Republic for a little R&R, but during her vacation, she runs into Heidi working at the resort. She calls Jimmy and Ray, and Ray begs her to come back home.
When she arrived, Ray, Charlise, and Azalia were all waiting for her. They were acting strange and making excuses as to why Kal wasn’t there. She gets an email from Jimmy, which reveals that Azalia's cancer diagnosis is fake. She ends up going into a dark room where she sees a painting of Charlise and it all starts making sense to her. Ray and Azalia begin attacking her, but Charlise tries to help Mea, but she ultimately gets killed in the crossfire. Mea tries to escape and runs into Kal, who is driving down the street.
She tells him everything that happened, but she figures out he is also in on the plan. She takes over the steering wheel and crashes his car into a truck, and she is able to escape. The movie ends with Zyair getting out of jail with the charges dropped and Mea seeming to start a new chapter.
The film’s twists and turns take us on a wild ride that leaves us clutching our pearls but yearning for more. I enjoyed the movie from beginning to end, and so far, this is one of the best movies I’ve seen since the year began.
Mea Culpa | Official Trailer | Netflix
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Feature image Tyler Perry's Mea Culpa's cover art
London Alexaundria is the contributing editor for xoNecole. She is an alum of Clark Atlanta University, where she majored in Mass Media Arts and has worked in journalism for over ten years. You can follow her on Instagram and TikTok @theselfcarewriter
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
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Mariee Revere On Her History-Making Million-Dollar Sales And The Future Of MoonXCosmetics
If the name Mariee Revere sounds familiar, it's probably because you heard of her beauty and skincare brand, MoonXCosmetics, or you may have heard about her history-making achievement of making $1.8 million in less than eight minutes. But before starting her million-dollar brand, Mariee was just a teenager trying to cure her acne.
While she grew up in the skincare capital of the world, South Korea, Mariee didn't really experience breakouts until her senior year of high school. Like many people who get their first breakout, she didn't know what to do, and there weren't many products out there at that time. So she decided to experiment. What she didn't know was that what she came up with would ultimately be her ticket to success.
"When I graduated high school, I moved back to America, Georgia, and I ended up making, like, the oil, the Rose Galore oil, which is like the staple product of my brand. I don't know what made me make it, but I did, and it literally cleared my face up," she tells xoNecole in an exclusive interview.
"I end up selling it as a body oil first because, obviously, I'm 17, [and] don't have any background as an esthetician or anything like that. I just made a product that worked for me, but people bought it and was using it, and I reformulated it, and then it just stuck like with me."
While MoonXCosmetics is known for its facial products, it wants to expand to body care and home. It just released its new product, Moon-Gel body wash, and it's only up from there. As Mariee continues to grow the brand, it's more than likely that she will see more history-making moments. And so far she has.
Photo courtesy
When asked if she feels pressure to obtain more of those milestones, she says yes and no. "I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more," she says.
"I want to say more reach than more like fast-paced sales. I do want that. Obviously, every girl wants that, but I do want to have a better overall reach for my brand because I did take two years off so I was able to learn, [and] study a lot of different things. See how things have changed from 2020 to now."
"I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more."
Another part of expanding for any company is hiring people. Finding the right person to help you can be a hassle, especially for business owners who are used to doing all the work themselves. Mariee can relate to this, and she touched on this topic in her documentaryThe Million Dollar Story. She recommends having someone be your "right-hand man" who you trust to handle the ins and outs of the company.
"I could say, definitely get, like a right-hand man to help you within the process because that really was what helped me. I never had a job. I literally was 18 now, being like, you know, the boss of over 30+ employees at one point in time, and I didn't know anything. I didn't know anything about no W-2s, no taxes, no clock in, clock out because all I [have] ever known was my brand," she explains.
"So I definitely partner with people who are very skewed and versed in those areas, and they helped me get through it. Even to this day, I still have my same person helping me with hiring, firing, [and] doing everything that I can right now because I'm still learning. But obviously people get jobs young, so they have way more experience than me, but still learning."
And though she is still learning, one thing she makes sure to stay on top of is being consistent. Consistency is what trips many people up when it comes to achieving goals, but Mariee says it's all about scheduling. Whether it's when to post on social media or email marketing, scheduling it out can make a world of difference. That same practice also works when planning out her future goals for the company.
"Right now, future goals would be to drop at least five more products before the end of the year. We always do outreach, where we do drives and all that, but definitely do way more this year, she says. "Then really dive into body [care], and then hopefully open up MoonXBody underneath MoonXCosmetics to let that branch out and be open and definitely get back consistent."
For more information, visit moonxco.com.
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