Morris Chestnut, Taraji P. Henson star in a new movie that’s already outdated

The looming recession, depression, repression, repossession - the Great Whatchamacallit - is starting to distort certain movies.

The conspicuous-consumption of "Bride Wars" seems perilously out of date, for instance, as do the economics of "Not Easily Broken."

The movie stars Taraji P. Henson as a real-estate broker in Southern California, a woman whose success contributes to her increasing dissatisfaction with her hard-working contractor husband (Morris Chestnut), who can't keep up financially.

That scenario probably made sense when "Not Easily Broken" was written (it's based on a T.D. Jakes novel), but no one's sold a house in California in about a year. Any broker looking at a dry riverbed of commissions would be thrilled to have a hard-working handyman to help make ends meet.

Especially a guy who looks like Chestnut. His wife keeps finding fault with him, and you keep wondering about her mental stability - he works hard, tries to keep in shape, is devoted to their marriage and donates his spare time to help neighborhood boys.

When his wife is injured in a car accident, he even allows her over-bearing mother (Jenifer Lewis) to move in, a gesture that eventually pushes the marriage to the breaking point. What pulls it back is the intervention of a concerned pastor, who reminds Henson's character about the purpose and importance of their vows.

"Not Easily Broken" is directed by Bill Duke, one of the few stars of "Predator" who did not become a governor, but who has turned into a pretty good director, given good material.

"Not Easily Broken," battles credibility problems. Even so, Duke crafts some nice scenes between Henson and Lewis as the movie pushes their own relationship to a point of catharsis.

Henson's a good actress - playing a more sympathetic character in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," she's earned a Golden Globe nomination. Hard to believe she's the same girl who manned the .50 caliber in "Smokin' Aces." *

Produced by Cl*nt Culpepper, T.D. Jakes, Aaron Norr*s and Curt*s Wallace, d*rected by B*ll Duke, wr*tten by Br*an B*rd, mus*c by Kurt Farquhar, d*str*buted by Sony P*ctures.