It’s odd that it’s 2020 and the writer-director Tyler Perry, someone who considers himself a progressive filmmaker, still makes movies that resemble the histrionic, “Lifetime: Television for Women” format of the ‘90s. While Perry has made fans primarily of black women and churchgoers, his persistent reliance on downtrodden female protagonists to point out issues of misogyny and infidelity undercuts the audience he aims to celebrate.

Even with the backing of Netflix and his own groundbreaking new production studio, the filmmaker’s latest, “Tyler Perry’s A Fall From Grace,” still doesn’t rise above that formula. Though the movie, which for all intents and purposes is a thriller, boasts unexpected character twists that turn some into villains, at its core is a black woman named Grace (Crystal Fox), who has routinely been emotionally used and abused by men. What’s worse, she’s resigned herself to that fate.