Acrimony (film)

Acrimony is a 2018 American psychological thriller film produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry. The film stars Taraji P. Henson, Lyriq Bent, Jazmyn Simon, and Crystle Stewart, and follows a loyal wife who decides to take revenge on her ex-husband. Principal photography began in October 2016 in Pittsburgh. Acrimony was released in the United States by Lionsgate on March 30, 2018. It received generally unfavorable reviews from critics and has grossed $46 million worldwide.

Plot
Melinda Moore is a steadfast, hardworking wife who supports her husband, Robert, an engineer pursuing a launch of his invention. A running total/dwindling balance of the proceeds Melinda receives after her mother's death is portrayed as the couple gets in over their heads in debt, which fractures their marriage over time. The music of Nina Simone is played throughout key moments experienced by the couple. The film is divided into categories based in the emotional spectrum that Melinda experiences, as follows:

Acrimony
Melinda Moore meets her dream guy, Robert Gayle, a chemical engineering student, on their college campus, when they collide on a rainy day. Later, Robert finds her dorm to return some pages of her paper, in exchange for some missing pages of his. Initially, Melinda is annoyed, but he offers to help her with a class he succeeded in. Melinda finds out that her mother died, and Robert comforts her as she is grieving.

At Robert's house, an RV, he introduces her to the music of Nina Simone and takes her virginity. As Melinda recalls the details of their relationship to her therapist in court mandated counseling, her view of their life together is tarnished, in her belief that he took advantage of her. Melinda’s sisters, June and Brenda, are leery of Robert, and his intention toward her inheritance. Robert is trying to get Prescott, a venture capitalist, to finance his invention, and he talks her into buying him a car. Melinda catches Robert cheating on her with Diana Wells. Enraged, she rams the RV with her car several times.

With her adrenaline rush, she felt no pain from the impact, but she collapses, and is taken to the hospital for an emergency full hysterectomy. While Melinda is recovering, Robert comes to see her, and they reconcile despite her sisters' objections. They get married without her sisters in attendance, because they think it is a huge mistake.

Years later, Melinda works to support them, as Robert is unable to find work because he is a felon and spent two years in prison. Robert talks Melinda into mortgaging the house so he can build a new prototype of the battery. Twenty years go by and Diana reappears, now working as an Assistant to Prescott and arranges for Robert to have a meeting with him. Elsewhere, June and Brenda tell Melinda that Robert is cheating on her after finding Diana’s wallet in his truck. Prescott offers Robert $800,000 to sell his work, but he wants to license the technology to them instead. Prescott is not willing to budge, and Robert declines the offer. Back at the house, Melinda is seething with anger at the whole situation and wants a divorce.

Melinda loses the house and moves in with Brenda, and begins to date her ex-boyfriend, Devon. After their divorce, Robert tells Diana he is living in a shelter, and she insists on bringing him to stay with her.

Sunder
Prescott reconsiders and offers Robert a multimillion-dollar deal, while allowing him to keep intellectual ownership of the battery technology, which he accepts. Melinda is annoyed when Robert shows up to her job, wearing a suit and bringing her flowers, saying they will never get back together. He thanks her for her love and support and, to show his gratitude, Robert gives Melinda $10 million dollars and buys her home back.

Bewail
Melinda is sorry that she listened to her family and tells them all off. She goes to Robert’s new penthouse apartment and attempts to seduce him, but Diana comes in and introduces herself as Robert’s fiancé.

Deranged
Angry and hurt, Melinda becomes obsessed with the couple and continues a campaign of revenge, and mutilates photos she has of them. A lack of eating or sleeping further pushes her closer to the edge. Melinda sues Robert and Diana, claiming that the deal with Prescott happened before their divorce, and the case is dismissed. Melinda’s sisters and a friend go to check up on her but are disturbed to find photos of the couple.

Robert and Diana file a countersuit against Melinda for her threats and obtain restraining orders. Melinda’s family has to restrain her from going after Robert and Diana as they leave the courtroom. Melinda goes to a bridal shop and destroys Diana’s wedding gown with hydrochloric acid, but she’s caught and gets a stern warning from the judge. Diana is pregnant which sets Melinda off even further and the therapist diagnoses her with borderline personality disorder. On Robert's wedding day, her family and friend guard the exits of her house and use their cars to block Melinda’s in so she cannot go after them.

Inexorable
On their honeymoon cruise, Melinda appears and shoots Robert. She makes the crew of the boat jump overboard and is about to shoot Diana, but Robert knocks her overboard. As Diana goes for help, Melinda climbs back onto the boat, and attempts to hit Robert with an ax, but her leg gets caught in the anchor chain, pulling her off the boat, where she drowns.

Cast

 * Taraji P. Henson as Melinda Moore-Gayle
 * Ajiona Alexus as Young Melinda
 * Lyriq Bent as Robert Gayle
 * Antonio Madison as Young Robert
 * Crystle Stewart as Diana Wells
 * Danielle Nicolet as Sara
 * Jay Hunter as Devon
 * Jazmyn Simon as June Moore
 * Jason Vail
 * Ptosha Storey as Brenda Moore
 * Douglas Dickerman as Mr. Prescott
 * Bresha Webb as Young Brenda
 * Raquel Bianca John as Young June
 * Nelson Estevez as Casey
 * Kendrick Cross as Kalvin

Production
Filming took place around Pittsburgh and Atlanta in fall 2016.

Release
The film was released in the United States on March 30, 2018. It was originally titled She's Living My Life.

Box office
, Acrimony has grossed $43.5million in the United States and Canada, and $2.6million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $46.1million.

In the United States and Canada, Acrimony was released alongside God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness and Ready Player One, and was projected to gross $10–15 million from 2,006 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $7.6 million on its first day, including $1 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $17.2 million, finishing second, behind Ready Player One, and besting both projections and the $10 million opening of Henson's Proud Mary two months earlier. It fell 51.2% in its second weekend to $8.4 million, finishing fifth.

Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 23%, based on 26 reviews, and an average rating of 3/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 32 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.

Monica Castillo of RogerEbert.com gave the film a negative review, writing that "Taraji P. Henson deserves better."