Chronicling the story of one couple’s love, loss and ultimate faith in one another, Not Easily Broken follows the lives of Dave (MORRIS CHESTNUT) and Clarice (TARAJI P. HENSON) Johnson in their second decade of marriage. Dave’s dreams of major league baseball success were dashed by an injury in college, leading him to a steady but unfulfilling career as the head of a small construction firm. Clarice is basking in the glow of real estate stardom, creating a life that revolves around her rise to the top. She has become blind to Dave’s needs, the most important being his desire to become a father and start a family with her.
They face a total disruption in their lives when a car crash seriously injures Clarice, whose meddling mother, Mary (JENIFER LEWIS), blames Dave for her daughter’s leg injuries and derailed career.
Help comes in the form of kind-hearted physical therapist and single mom Julie Sawyer (MAEVE QUINLAN), whose son Bryson (CANNON JAY) is coached by Dave and his pals Brock (EDDIE CIBRIAN) and Tree (KEVIN HART) in Little League baseball. Though Clarice is helped by Julie’s care, she becomes concerned that her constant criticism of Dave has pushed her husband away; possibly into the arms of the empathetic Julie. Soon Dave and Clarice must face a married couple’s most serious questions: are we really meant to be together, and if we are, how do we fight to keep what we have built as man and wife?
The film’s strong supporting cast is headed by Eddie Cibrian (The Cave), Kevin Hart (Soul Plane), Niecy Nash (TV’s Reno 911!) and Cannon Jay (Walk Hard) among many others.
Not Easily Broken was adapted by Brian Bird from the novel by best-selling author and pastor Bishop T. D. Jakes, whose popular works include the film (and novel) Woman,Thou Art Loosed as well as such books as “The Lady, Her Lover and Her Lord”, “Mama Made the Difference: Life Lessons My Mother Taught Me”, “God’s Leading Lady” and “The Great Investment: Faith, Family and Finance” among many others. Jakes is the leader of The Potter’s House, a nondenominational church based in Dallas that lists over 30,000 members. He also serves in several humanitarian capacities throughout the world as well as leads symposiums and conferences that break national attendance records.
“Not Easily Broken” was filmed entirely in and around Los Angeles including the communities of Valencia, Stevenson Ranch, Newhall, Hawthorne and Hollywood.
