Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor

A story told by a marriage counsellor. The film opens in an office. An older counsellor tells a young woman who is thinking of cheating on her husband a case from her own past. The narrative turns back from there. Judith has been with her husband Brice since childhood. They move to Washington; she has studied psychology and works at a matchmaking agency, he works at a pharmacy and his life is entirely orderly. Judith wants to open her own practice. She tells her husband and gets nothing back. Harley, who comes to the agency as an investor, is a different sort: rich, attentive, always complimenting and used to getting what he wants. He takes an interest in her. From there the film shows the relationship being built step by step. Everything in Judith's life changes in turn: her clothes, her speech, her manner at work and her relationship with her mother. What the narrative wants to say is plain and the film does not hide it; the story is set up from the start as a warning. Jurnee Smollett plays Judith, Lance Gross plays Brice and Robbie Jones plays Harley. Vanessa Williams, Brandy Norwood and Kim Kardashian are in the cast. Tyler Perry directed and wrote it. The source is his own stage play. A suitable choice for anyone who likes melodrama and narratives that teach a lesson. For a viewer expecting complex characters, the film decides its sides early and does not change them.