A Fall From Grace Review

Writer/director Tyler Perry’s clumsy attempts at narrative ambitiousness in his newest film A Fall From Grace are as apparent as they are flawed. The convoluted storyline that unfolds becomes unforgivably messy, while the performances and direction consistently lack confidence and technique. Perry challenged himself to shoot A Fall From Grace in five days, and it’s abundantly clear that the outcome of the film suffers drastically from the troubling timeframe. Despite the film having scattered moments of emotional resonance, A Fall From Grace ultimately feels exhausted and rushed, failing to conjure a satisfying payoff due to its generic filmmaking and troublesome structure.

When Grace Waters, a respected and valued figure amongst her Virginia community, is arrested and awaiting trial for murder, some wonder why or if she could have done it. Despite the situation being an open and close case due to Grace’s admittance to the killing, young and inexperienced public defender Jasmine Bryant feels like there’s more to the story, risking her job to uncover the truth about what put Grace in such life-altering circumstances.

The storytelling and dialogue of A Fall From Grace quickly become frustrating due to its bland execution. Large portions are uninspired and hastily put together, leaving Perry dependant on subverting the audience's expectations in the most abrupt and insufficient ways. Much of the film feels as if it's just helplessly going through the motions, unable to achieve the effective thrills or shocks that are intended. The story that wants to be told has potential, but Perry often fumbles it due to a lack of visual panache.

Unfortunately, the performances and filmmaking are on par with the film’s spiritless narrative. Poor framing and direction leave many scenes visually stale, while the flat cinematography fails to enhance the film in any way. Still, the most distracting aspect of A Fall From Grace is generated from its blatantly poor editing, which helps make an already tangled story more torturous. These negatives result in a third act that is laughable due to its absence of logic and admirable enjoyment.

Overall, A Fall From Grace is a weak and unfortified thriller that fails to thrill. The film's numerous attempts to be unpredictable never generate anything worthwhile. While the film hosts sporadic moments of competence and intrigued, the countless flaws and uninteresting filmmaking leaves Tyler Perry's newest narrative a plain and unadorned odyssey.

Unimaginative direction, poor production design, and a shallow story leaves Tyler Perry’s A Fall From Grace lacking memorability.

Produced By: Netflix
Runtime: 120 minutes
Rating: NR