Review Roundup: Critics Weigh In On Tyler Perry's ACRIMONY Starring Taraji P. Henson

A faithful wife (Oscar® nominee Taraji P. Henson) tired of standing by her devious husband (Lyriq Bent) is enraged when it becomes clear she has been betrayed.

Writer, actor, filmmaker, playwright, songwriter, entrepreneur and philanthropist Tyler Perry is the mastermind behind nineteen theatrically released feature films, twenty stage plays, nine television shows, and a #1 New York Times bestselling book. His creative EMPIRE has won over audiences and built communities from the Tyler PerryStudios home base in Atlanta, Georgia, throughout the world. His unique blend of spiritual hope and down-home humor continues to shape his inspiring life story, connecting with fans across the globe and always leaving space to dream. Since 2006, the Perry Foundation's aim has been to transform tragedy into triumph by seeding individual potential, supporting communities, and harvesting real change. The foundation supports education, clean water, health, agriculture, girls' and women's rights, technology, arts, and culture, and globally sustainable economic development, both in the U.S. and around the world.

The film hits theaters today, so lets see what the critics are saying:

Owen Gleiberman, Variety: "But everything that happens in "Acrimony" seems off-kilter, because the story the movie presents doesn't track with the lurid nightmare of gaslighting that Melinda is telling us. As the film goes on, Melinda is revealed to be a deeply unreliable narrator. But the trouble with this love-story-from-hell thriller - and the reason it may leave even Perry's fans scratching their heads - is that Perry, in "Acrimony," is a grabby but unreliable filmmaker. He has made a ludicrously scattershot drama in which overwrought feminine rage, diary-of-a-mad-woman craziness, and inept filmmaking are all but inseparable."

Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter: "Perry has directed more than 20 films in his amazingly successful career, and yet seems incapable of improving. This latest effort is the sort of hackwork that wouldn't have passed muster decades ago as the bottom half of a B-movie double bill. The technical aspects are atrocious, from the ugly cinematography to the treacly piano music underscoring every dramatic moment. The story supposedly takes place in Pittsburgh, but it's immediately apparent that the actors never left the confines of the filmmaker's Atlanta studio. Not even for the absurd climactic sequence, taking place on a boat, that defines cheesy. And in keeping with the film's ethos, here's a definition. Cheesy: tacky, cheap, tawdry, corny. "

Sandy Kenyon, ABC 7 NY: "Watching the movie doesn't seem like work, and I had such fun with a story that doesn't always ring true but is consistently entertaining. Henson defines "Acrimony" and lends new meaning to the old saying, "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" as she goes over-the-top into full melt down mode.
Anger at her ex-husband has landed Melinda in a shrink's office. "Every time a black woman gets mad, she's a stereotype," her character complains, adding she is "sick and tired of hearing that." She is not in there by choice, but ordered by a judge to have her head examined. I was fascinated by long minutes spent just watching Henson's character talk. The star commands our attention by the force of her acting and the very compelling tale she tells."

George Wolf, WNAX.com: "It's contrived and obvious at nearly every turn, and though Henson delivers her usual spunk, Perry's penchant for demonizing women who don't stand by their men is on display. The hand he plays for the film's finale smacks of a cop out, a "get out of jail free card" for how he's written Melinda's character."

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