Three Life Lessons from Taraji P Henson "Proud mary"

I am a fan of Taraji P. Henson. I love all the characters she’s played, especially as Cookie in Fox’s Empire. She always exhibits a level of sincerity, determination, and tenacity as an actress. For me, his characters are always very easy to identify and multidimensional. She is like your favorite cousin, keeping her as a true aunt, friend who supports you. When I saw the Sony / Screen Gems action thriller Proud mary Last weekend, I was impressed with Taraji again. But not because the movie was great.

I enjoyed the movie, but Proud mary It was not a box office success, grossing about $ 14 million in its second weekend amid $ 20 million screenings in its opening weekend, and debuting in eighth place as a box opener. The movie, however, broke the balance, so it’s always a good thing, especially since Taraji has executive producer credits.

There were elements of the film that were missing (the production quality could have been better, the writing could have been tighter, I would have liked better preparation at the beginning and more action in between, maybe his face with another woman, something that she is Cookie the character does it flawlessly), and the performance of several characters was not up to par (what happened with Danny Glover and Billy Brown). But looking past all of that to focus on Taraji’s character, Mary, she acts entertainingly (albeit stereotyped) as a fearless, evil, and armed assassin displaying maternal instincts, empathy, and survival skills to protect Jahi Wilson’s character. , Danny, the son of one of his victims.

As a rare viewer but avid defender of roles starring black women, I always look beyond the entertainment aspect of movies and focus my understanding on the character’s backstory and its reflection of societal norms, values, and beliefs. Mary’s backstory was not fully developed, but the story was clear enough to determine that she was an orphan taken in by a crime family who had an encounter that woke her up. She decided to reclaim her life, goals, and dreams while giving Danny the opportunity to experience motherly love, hope, and stability. Trying to regain control of a patriarchal environment is a familiar script many women grapple with as they navigate their lives, but just like in a bad movie, there are always some points worth experiencing.

• Trust your instincts. Mary’s career choice was more about survival that desensitized her actions and ruled her life. But when he saw the boy in his brand’s house playing video games inadvertently, his instincts told him it was time to move on, but not without curiosity or concern about who he was leaving behind. She thought of the boy often and checked him out. He recognized that a change in life was due. As women, we have a unique gift and we often know when we are at a bad job, have toxic relationships, and make unhealthy life decisions. We must remember that it is our divine nature to trust our instincts and know when it is time to make a change to do the right thing, not just for ourselves, but often for others. Let’s not ignore that annoying feeling or signal that we know it is meant to get our attention.
• Be willing to start over. The organized crime family decided that Mary’s destiny was to murder people. He had to leave an orphan child to realize that his life was more valuable than that, so he decided to do it again, to live life differently and on his own terms. A replay can happen at any time, age, or stage in life, but a person must be willing to let go of the past and whatever negative things weigh on them. Unlike the movie, I am NOT suggesting being extreme and taking an entire family out, but it is not shameful to distance yourself from people who keep you in a bad place due to their lifestyle, actions, dysfunction, and / or attitudes. It is possible to leave people behind and move on, especially after we have learned the lesson they were meant to teach in our lives.
• You can always make a difference. Danny needed Mary in his life as much as she needed him. He found out that his mother left him and felt abandoned, and that his father was not a good guy. Just the little bit of compassion she showed him softened him knowing that someone cared about him. We never know someone’s story and the impact life has had on them. Children become the adults we interact with and it is the sincerity and little kindnesses that can make the difference, such as a smile, opening the door to the person behind you, a quick email, a message of text or phone call so someone knows what you’re thinking. them, a genuine compliment, or simply surrendering it in your own unique way with the expectation of only good Universe karma.