A Fall from Grace (2020)
A Fall From Grace is probably the best unintentionally funny movie of 2020 but its so-bad-it's-good factor has diminished since its original release. Seems writer, producer, director Tyler Perry heard the complaints of continuity errors, distracting extras, and other technical issues and addressed them. What's available now is a revised version that isn’t nearly as fun to watch as it should be. For the first half, it’s a badly written drama/courtroom case. The second half is when it gets crazy enough to be enjoyable.
Around the office, public defender Jasmine Bryant (Bresha Webb) is known for taking plea deals. When a seemingly open-and-shut case is brought to the firm, her boss (Tyler Perry) instructs her to do what she always does. Grace Waters (Crystal Fox) confessed to murdering her husband Shannon DeLong (Mehcad Brooks). Prompted by her husband (Matthew Law as Jordan), Jasmine starts investigating this sensational case.
What makes this film as pleasant as a strawberry-and-hair smoothie isn’t evident at first. The dialogue isn’t so good but nothing painful. The drama is over-the-top but mostly standard fare for these non-Madea Tyler Perry films. You can spot a few technical errors but the bulk of them have been edited out with alternate takes (something that should’ve been done in the first place). You don’t like Jasmine because frankly, she sucks at her job - how much becomes evident later. Your main source of entertainment is Grace’s story. She fell in love with a younger man who swept her off her feet with 2 am champagne at a dingy dinner, cheesy picture-perfect moments in the park, and a chaste courtship. They're worth some chuckles. When Grace begins seeing Shannon for who he really is, things start to get good.
As we approach that fateful night, the performances get crazier, the dialogue worse, and the plot goes nuts. Shannon goes from prince charming to Satan. How do we know he’s gone bad? He starts smoking. Has he begun just to stink up Grace’s home? I think so. Otherwise, she would’ve noticed the smell during the month(s?) of courtship.
While I snorted from amusement a few times, particularly at the scene’s most iconic line (if you’ve seen the movie, you know the one). Then, the movie drops a bombshell of a revelation midway through Grace’s trial. You thought Jasmine was incompetent before? You have no idea. See, Shannon’s body was never recovered. Any lawyer worth a nickel would’ve found a way to dismiss the case immediately but in this movie, the judicial court's like Vietnam: there are no rules. And I know what you’re thinking. Shannon is still out there. He’ll turn up somewhere, probably swindling some other lady out of her money. That’s how Jasmine will prove her client’s innocence. It would only solve one of Grace's many problems but you're not supposed to think about that. Or think at all. This movie takes it up to 11 during its conclusion and I was glad it did.
I can “recommend” A Fall From Grace solely for its conclusion. The plot’s as floppy as a slice of processed cheese in the sun, which can be fun but for a bad movie to be worth seeing, it’s got to do something so loony no one in their right mind would’ve ok'd it. This one does and the audacity of its final shot is just what A Fall From Grace needed to become enjoyable for all the wrong reasons. (January 11, 2021)
