Mea Culpa – Netflix Review (2/5)

MEA CULPA on Netflix is the latest movie from writer-director Tyler Perry. This time it’s a steamy crime thriller starring Kelly Rowland and Trevante Rhodes. It should please Tyler Perry fans. Read our full Mea Culpa movie review here!

MEA CULPA is a new Netflix movie from Tyler Perry. This time the writer-director is going for a steamy crime thriller that has a touch of 1980s and 1990s movies such as Basic Instinct and Fatal Attraction.  You know, movies with a plot that revolves around people who can’t stay away from (or off of) each other.

In this latest Tyler Perry Netflix movie, those people are portrayed by Kelly Rowland and Trevante Rhodes. I suspect fans of Tyler Perry’s previous Netflix movies will enjoy it. Personally, I didn’t as much. The official runtime is 2 hours, but without end credits, it’s at 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Continue reading our Mea Culpa movie review below. Find it on Netflix from February 23, 2024.

A criminal defense attorney and an artist

In Mea Culpa, the ambitious criminal defense attorney, Mea Harper (Kelly Rowland), takes on a case that she hopes will finally result in her becoming a partner in the firm. The case in question is a murder case, where an artist is accused of murdering his girlfriend.

He insists that he didn’t do it, and Mea is immediately intrigued by the prolific painter. His name is Zyair Malloy (Trevante Rhodes) and women clearly have a soft spot for him. And vice versa!

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Alongside this murder case, we see that Mea is struggling in her marriage with her husband who is a mamma’s boy to the extreme. Her mother-in-law never misses a chance to make it known that she wishes her son had married someone else and her brother-in-law is the District Attorney she’ll face when defending Zyair in court.

It’s messy and silly, but also classic Tyler Perry, so why would you expect anything else? It also helps lead Mea directly into the very strong arms of Zyair.

Lots of eye candy, but no chemistry

The target demographic for this Tyler Perry Netflix movie is clearly women. Specifically straight women, but probably also gay men. I say this because the main character, Mea, portrayed by Kelly Rowland is strong and fierce. Even when the lines, she must say, are rather cringe-worthy.

But also – and honestly even more so – because Trevante Rhodes tends to wear very little clothing. He also tends to wear nothing at all. Actually, that’s not true, because I noticed that he was wearing socks in bed, which I found odd. But hey, to each their own!

Also, there’s a whole scene featuring bodies and paint. As in a sort of “bodypaint session”, if you will. And we do see that paint goes pretty much everywhere along certain parts (and cracks) of Trevante Rhodes’s body. Hey, even as a gay gal, I can appreciate that the man has a very impressive physique.

However, as a woman, I can’t help but think that the little painting session could easily result in a nasty UTI.

Make no mistake, Trevante Rhodes is the eye candy in Mea Culpa. The problem – and it’s a big one – is that his steamy scenes are (mostly) with Kelly Rowland, and their chemistry is lacking. To put it mildly. It’s at a mild simmer, at best!

Watch Tyler Perry’s Mea Culpa on Netflix now!

I do not doubt that Mea Culpa will be a hit with fans of Tyler Perry. He delivers on the same formulaic concept that has resulted in a huge career for him. And if you like his movies, then by all means, make sure you watch this as soon as possible to avoid spoilers.

Especially as the Mea Culpa ending and its various plot twists are big, wild, and absolutely crazy. It’s so far from being remotely realistic that any Chris Stokes movie on Netflix or TUBI is equally believable.

In other words, if you enjoy Mea Culpa, you have a whole lot of movies on TUBI to look forward to. Impressively, they’re made with a fraction of the budget used for Tyler Perry movies. Though I suspect much of that budget goes to big-name casting. It certainly isn’t good lighting!

Again, I have to acknowledge that while this is not my cup of tea, lots of viewers will enjoy it. As someone who loves crazy horror comedies, I certainly won’t judge those of you who will have a great time with Mea Culpa. Go for it and enjoy!

Mea Culpa is on Netflix from February 23, 2024.

Details

Writer & Director: Tyler Perry
Cast: Kelly Rowland, Trevante Rhodes, Nick Sagar, Sean Sagar, RonReaco Lee, Shannon Thornton