The Legal Thriller Killing It On Netflix Right Now
Netflix knows how to rake in views from movie lovers who adore procedurals and thrillers. The latest hit to make waves on its platform is "Mea Culpa." Another production from director-writer-actor Tyler Perry, the film stars singer-actress and former Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland as the appropriately named Mea Harper, a happy defense attorney with strong, close family bonds. Mea is a smart, moral, ambitious woman who dreams of climbing the legal ladder, but when she finds herself working on the team of artist Zyair Malloy (Trevante Rhodes), who's been accused of murdering his girlfriend, her well-balanced life threatens to upend. She's tempted to embark upon an affair with Zyair — and may be running straight into danger if he proves to be less innocent than she believes him to be.
It's soapy, juicy, and very typical of the work of Tyler Perry, who's made his fame and fortune from similar television and film projects, and the formula has worked out for him once more. "Mea Culpa" has pulled in 16 million views for the week of February 19-25 alone on Netflix, with no sign that its popularity might fade soon. That's providing a big boost for Rowland's acting career, which has surprisingly spanned various genres.
Kelly Rowland's acting career has been just as interesting as her musical output
When one thinks of Kelly Rowland, they might call to mind her singing career, but she's also become a decently well-known face in the acting game. Her breakout role was that of Kia Waterson in "Freddy vs Jason." Since then, she's racked up a few more high-profile big-screen appearances, including parts in "Think Like A Man" and "Bad Hair," the unexpected sci-fi comedy that's doing quite well on Hulu.
Rowland has become a familiar face in television movies as well, popping up in the "Merry Liddle Christmas" series of seasonal films. She's also guest-starred on series such as "The Hughleys," "American Dreams" — where she got to sing while portraying Martha Reeves of Martha and the Vandellas fame — and "The Equalizer." She recurred on "Girlfriends" as Tammy Hamilton and showed up on "Empire" six times as Leah Walker. She also played another real-life music legend in Gladys Knight on "American Soul," and appeared as Edie on "Grown-ish."
Tyler Perry had nothing but praise for Rowland's performance in "Mea Culpa." Speaking with Tudum in February 2024, Perry said of the actor, "She is 100% invested. She's there. Once we established the trust between director and actor, she gave it her all. And I just can't wait for the world and everybody to see the gears that she has and the levels that she put down in this and the way she painted it." And now Netflix subscribers worldwide can see all the hard work she put into the part.