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Mea Culpa (2024)

Mea Culpa (2024)

6.0

A snoozefest that lacks the sensuality and mystery to count as an erotic thriller

Movie

United States of America
English
Crime, Drama, Thriller
2024

TLDR

I refuse to believe this is the same Trevante Rhodes that brought the house down in Moonlight because where was *that* energy here?

What it's about

When Mea (Kelly Rowland) decides to represent a controversial client (Trevante Rhodes), she stirs up a host of issues that call into question her fraught relationship with her husband and his family.

The take

You don’t come into a Tyler Perry movie expecting to be dazzled, but you do expect to be entertained. Mea Culpa evokes neither of those feelings, at least not in the first half of the film. Between the predictable plot and Rhodes’ bewilderingly flat performance, it’s a mighty challenge to stay awake. Rhodes is, of course, the lead in the award-winning film Moonlight, where he gave a soulful and lived-in performance. So it doesn’t make sense why, in Mea Culpa, despite playing a perennially horny man, he’s as exciting to watch as paint dry. We’re supposed to believe that his charisma (or lack thereof) seduces Rowland’s character, but there’s no chemistry to be found. For her part, Rowland is a delight to watch. The many turns she experiences fit her range, and she is effectively the heart of the film. Mea Culpa, to be fair, revs up and gets thrilling by the second half, when the chips start to fall and the twists unfold. But it’s too little too late, and they barely shock you at that point, that is if you’re still awake.

What stands out

That body paint scene. ‘Nuff said.

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