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It follows Kendra as she goes to an HBCU in North Carolina. Kendra is determined to focus on school while balancing work study and keeping things professional with her photo class partner. It follows Kendra as she goes to an HBCU in North Carolina. Kendra is determined to focus on school while balancing work study and keeping things professional with her photo class partner. It follows Kendra as she goes to an HBCU in North Carolina. Kendra is determined to focus on school while balancing work study and keeping things professional with her photo class partner.

• Camrus Johnson
• Rachel Ingram
• Sonja Warfield
• Princess Davis
• Ajiona Alexus
• Austin Anozie
• 3 User reviews
• 2 Critic reviews
• 1 nomination

Top cast 13

• College Survivor

• Professor Lovett

• Connie (Constance Shay)

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• pumping_iron-1
• Jun 27, 2023
• How long is Real Love? Powered by Alexa
• June 10, 2023 (United States)
• United States
• Mary J. Blige's Real Love
• Vancouver, Canada
• Blue Butterfly
• Davis Entertainment
• Front Street Pictures
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

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• Runtime 1 hour 27 minutes

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Mary J. Blige’s Real Love Captures First Love, ’90s Nostalgia & The Dichotomy of A Woman’s Strength

By: Author Jasmine Blu

• X (Twitter)

Love is messy, complicated, and a complete loss of control.

One of the most shining aspects of Mary J. Blige's Real Love is how the iconic Renaissance woman's music inspired the film, and it was done incredibly well.

Mary J. Blige and Lifetime are a collaboration made in heaven, with this genuine, sweet, and real love story that puts not just her music, but music in general, very much at the forefront as it was expertly used as a tool for great storytelling.

At the heart of this film is Kendra, not the love story and chemistry between the leads, which was fantastic, but Kendra herself, as a character and young woman driving this story.

Ajiona Alexus, of 13 Reasons Why acclaim, absolutely shines in this role, deftly carrying the film as lead and capturing all the complexities of Kendra.

It was a perfect coming-of-age story, and Alexus' thoughtful and nuanced performance genuinely felt transformative for the character.

The Kendra we left at the end of the film had truly evolved from the Kendra we met at the beginning, and that's a marking of a great story told when we could follow the story and genuinely see the growth in the character.

Kendra was such a genuine and relatable character. The film played with several archetypes that hit close to home and felt authentic.

The idea of perfect and in control Kendra, who was incredibly focused and had spent her entire life in this box, attempting to make something of herself, make her father, and her mother's memory proud, and amount to something embodied that of a perfect protagonist in a new adult story before she embarks on this journey of discovery.

And Kendra also perfectly encapsulated what we affectionately call "Eldest Daughter Syndrome." She took on the role of maternal figure and caretaker after her mother passed away, boxing herself into the role of "responsible daughter," who came across as so focused that she was uptight and hadn't allowed herself to live and be.

It's such a common phenomenon, one that isn't new, though discussed with more frequency these days, that having it depicted with the nineties nostalgic back lay was one of the parts of the film that stood out best.

Kendra was instantly likable, relatable, inspiring, and a protagonist you genuinely rooted for and wanted the best for throughout the film, even as she stumbled through some of life's and a woman's biggest obstacles.

So often, with women's stories, there's this implication that one must choose between self or love and romance.

And very quickly, the film worked to put that to bed for Kendra, dispelling this idea she had that college was merely a stepping stone to her dream of becoming a photographer and that she couldn't learn things outside of the traditional realm of education.

One of the more notable instances of this was with Professor Lovett, played by Fire Country 's Marci T. House.

I genuinely appreciated this woman as a mentor, especially offering the pearls of wisdom and advice as an older woman to this young adult who had missed out on the maternal energy, at least being on the receiving end of it, for too long.

"Your art can only be as alive as you are," was some advice that Lovett gave her, and one can't think of something better to dole out to a young woman who seemingly spent much of her life so focused on her next steps forward that she hadn't taken enough time to look up, take it all in, breathe, and figure out who she really is.

For Kendra to be the true artist she was born to be, she had to be an active participant rather than a passive surveyor in life.

And fortunately, even with the friends she made along the way, she had people who were willing to push her out of her comfort zone, break her free of her shell, and spend the perfect time learning about herself, who she is, what she wants, and what she's capable of and more.

Of course, that came with varying degrees and shades, as there were some lessons that no one should have to learn.

Life for women on college campuses is hard now, it was when I was on one (I literally got assigned to a mandatory Rape Defense Course during orientation), and goodness only knows how much worse it was in 1992.

It's upsetting that too often, with women's coming-of-age stories, sexual assault is essentially a rite of passage. It's more alarming that it's so realistic and commonplace, particularly with some demographics, that one can't even criticize it as a problematic vehicle for storytelling; it's just… too real, stories that require telling.

Thankfully, the film took some measures and was considerate of the story they were telling when covering both her sexual assault and her suicide attempt.

It wasn't graphic or exploitative, resting on implication more than anything else, which was the more desirable, sensitive way of handling the subject matter.

It was heartbreaking that the highs of Kendra learning to unwind and experience life, letting her hair down, this necessary step in the college experience also had to include lows like navigating her Freshman year after a traumatic sexual assault with little recourse.

One day, one can experience all that life has to offer and get an introduction to new life stages without getting marred by such traumatic things. Everyone, from her father and sister to her professor and friends, seemed to urge her to live a little, and it was exciting to see that she did.

And Ben was instrumental in that.

Alexus and All American 's Da'Vinchi had absolutely fabulous chemistry, and they made it effortless to fall in love with this love story.

In many ways, they were evenly matched despite coming from different worlds. They brought out the best in one another, and for a first love, one can't ask for anything better.

There was a certain innocence to their relationship, particularly in the beginning. Ben was smitten with her almost instantly, and one could understand why.

And while Kendra was a bit reserved and hesitant, it didn't take long for Ben's charms to wear her down, and they fell into something genuinely warm and sweet as they melded that perfect balance of flirty first love with genuine friendship.

They became each other's "person," understanding one another on a deeper level better than anyone else managed to.

That made them a pairing worth rooting for even when life kept throwing some obstacles big and small toward them, or they had moments when it felt like their incompatibility through different life experiences would overcome what drew them together.

Ben's life was one of privilege, and he had his own naivety because there were so many aspects of Kendra's life or her personality that he couldn't quite grasp.

But while Ben's privileges were notable and used to highlight the differences and challenges between him and Kendra, they also weren't portrayed as all roses and sunshine for him either.

They managed to capture how his being from a wealthy, established family comes with a certain level of perks while also realistically capturing the drawbacks and how his parents and the crippling weight of the expectations placed upon him were damaging and impacted him greatly.

As the story progresses, their respective ages take hold, allowing for space for these characters to be genuinely sympathetic.

It would be too easy to get frustrated by Ben as this man who can't quite stand up to his family for the majority of the film or who puts too much stake in his fear of standing alone on his own two feet.

But when you remember that he's merely 19 at best, just barely out of adolescence, and you think back on where you may have been at that age, many of Ben's lapses in judgment and blunders fall in line with a young man who has barely got his feet underneath him.

He's still this kid, afraid of what it means to disappoint his parents or step against them. And the small steps he makes throughout the movie are commendable because his growth comes in its own time.

One of the first things Kendra tells him is that he should "Take the space," and it's the type of thing that Ben clings to, coming from a world where he doesn't have much room to figure out who he is and what he wants out of life outside of falling in line with his parents' expectations and making them proud.

As frustrating as it was, even his errors with Connie felt perfectly, realistically juvenile and true to form for a man his age.

He loved Kendra but resorted to elementary tactics like using Connie, his parents' dream woman for him, to make Kendra jealous or having sex with her to take his mind off Kendra, resulting in an unplanned pregnancy.

Ben wasn't a perfect man, but that's what made him such a compelling character and love interest, and that's what made this love story every bit one that lived up to the title.

It wasn't perfect, but it was real. Real messy. Real complicated. Real difficult. Real challenging. Real love.

One thing that was unmistakable throughout was Ben's love for Kendra, and that shone through brilliantly.

Their love wasn't without its casualties, and as much as Connie was an absolute pain in the ass, again, one thinks about her age and how common it is for girls to behave like that.

She treated Kendra horribly and was haughty, snobbish, and rude. And she knew Ben didn't love her and that their relationship was something that his mother projected onto them rather than of his own doing.

But she, too, was probably a young girl who fell victim to her parent's expectations and what society expected of her. And their families expected her with Ben, just not how things ended.

She didn't have much screen time, but one of the most touching moments was when she and Kendra had a real heart-to-heart on that park bench, connecting as two young women trying to figure out their lives and what it meant next.

Connie's pregnancy was a surprise, but life worked out that way.

But in a refreshing move, Ben finally took that much-needed stand even when Kendra herself was encouraging Ben to marry Connie and do the "proper" thing that his and Connie's parents expected of them.

He found his own solution and a way through things as an adult, which didn't result in ignoring the "problem" of having a baby out of wedlock and hoping that Connie and this child would just go away.

He knew he risked his family cutting him off, disowning them, and so forth, for falling short of their expectations and not doing what they wanted, but he made his first real choice for himself anyway.

And when you think of how brave that is for a young man like him at his age, it was one of these quiet moments worthy of pride.

Again, in so many ways, it sucks that Kendra's love story was marred with many obstacles, but there's a certain beauty in that too.

It's beautiful to know that a young man like Ben existed for her, someone who told her that she was "safe" with him when she could've concluded that no man was safe after the awful things that Reggie did.

He was a man who protected and defended her, yes, but also allowed himself to be protected and defended, too, without it being a blow to his ego.

He was a man who made the right choice for himself but was also willing to let her go because he wanted to do what was best for her.

As for Kendra, Real Love was beautiful in that, from a romantic standpoint, her relationship with Ben was just that, but more than anything, her real love was about her learning to love herself.

She set out to attend Hammon with a certain goal, and while there were moments where she was afraid that a romance distracted her from that, it only enhanced her story and journey.

She still reached her goals and followed her dreams by the film's end.

Kendra didn't have to sacrifice bits of herself or her desires "for a boy."

We got this remarkable tale that perfectly encapsulated the rich dichotomy of a woman's strength, particularly a Black woman's strength, as the film managed to take the notion of the " Strong Black Woman " trope and give it the necessary nuance that so often is lacking.

Kendra was an incredibly strong young woman, and her strength was constantly tested, but through that strength, she was also given the space to be vulnerable, cared for, tended to, and more.

Her strength and desire to be as strong as possible allowed her sexual assault to nearly swallow her up whole, her near suicide attempt being the perfect indicator of that. However, the strength it took to finally open up, be vulnerable, and allow herself to come to grips with what happened to her is what freed her, too.

Kendra possessed that quiet type of strength that felt like it deconstructed some of the problematic or at least narrow depictions of it with Black female characters, and it's part of what made her such a refreshing character.

As a result, one can't wait to see what the next chapter in her life has in store for her.

Despite everything she endured in that chaotic first year, from a whirlwind relationship with Ben to a sexual assault and juggling classes, work studies, and jobs, she still excelled.

And now she's off to Chicago for the opportunity of a lifetime, and one can only guess that there's nothing but great things in store for her professionally.

The irony isn't lost when you consider what Ben's parents thought of her, her pursuit of photography as a profession, and where she came from as a working-class daughter of a sanitation worker.

They were judgmental enough to assume that she'd be some statistic, and now she's off to make her dreams come true while their son has a child out of wedlock.

Life is funny that way.

But as much as Kendra and Ben's love story ended bittersweetly, "To Be Continued" is promising. Their paths must definitely cross again — a love story like theirs doesn't just end, even if it takes years to get back on track.

Fortunately, we'll get the second part with Strength of a Woman, and we'll be back with another Lifetime Movie Review for you as well.

With Mary J. Blige as an executive producer and this story inspired by one of her hit songs, it's not the least bit surprising that music was used so well throughout to drive the narrative.

Mary J. Blige's hit "Real Love," serving as Kendra and Ben's song, couldn't have been more perfect for them and worked as a theme for the film.

As heartbreaking as it was, one could appreciate that the song that Reggie turned up to drown out her screams as he assaulted her was a trigger for her whenever she heard it.

Even Kendra playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons perfectly captured the subversion of what she represented with a classical piece and was befitting of the various stages she'd go through throughout the season.

I also couldn't help but think of one of Blige's more recent hits, "Whole Damn Year," which would later feel well-suited for Kendra's experience with Reggie, but nevertheless, the use of seasons to highlight changes in one's life was beyond fitting.

But the music was only a piece of the storytelling that worked as they had so much fun with the '90s fashion and hairstyles, which evoked some nostalgia as well.

Overall, Real Love was a compelling love story from the network and felt different than Lifetime's usual fare in many ways, something worth coming back to when the second chapter drops.

And we know Mary J. Blige has such an incredible and raw discography that, hopefully, she'll revisit using her songs to tell more stories in the future.

But we'd love to hear what your thoughts are about this film. Sound off below!

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Mary J. Blige's Real Love

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Follow 18-year-old Kendra as she sets off on her own at an HBCU.

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About the movie.

Mary J. Blige’s Real Love follows 18-year-old Kendra (Ajiona Alexus) as she sets off on her own for the first time at an HBCU in North Carolina. Attending on a scholarship, Kendra is determined to focus on school while balancing work study and keeping things professional with Ben (Da’Vinchi), her photo class partner. Despite disapproving parents, financial hardship, and even an unexpected pregnancy, Kendra and Ben find themselves falling hard for each other and ultimately learning the meaning of “Real Love.” Even when Kendra realizes that in order to pursue her dreams, she must leave Ben behind, it’s certain that their story isn’t over…

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Real Love (2023)

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‘Mary J. Blige’s Real Love’ Cast Talks New Lifetime Movie: Interview

(L-R) Ajiona Alexus, Mary J. Blige and Da'Vinchi.

Mary J. Blige has established herself as an undisputed legend by candidly expressing personal struggles in her music, particularly in regard to a wide variety of romantic issues.

Her music has served as an inspiration to many, with its empowering message of resilience through difficult times. Now, she hopes to continue this artistic expression through film, giving her fans a new way to connect with her music.

Blige, who has previously had success with Lifetime through the biopic productions of Betty & Coretta and The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel , is partnering with the network again for two new original movies later this month in celebration of Black Music Month.

Blige’s latest focus is the movie Mary J. Blige’s Real Love , which she is executive producing through her production company, Blue Butterfly. The movie will premiere on Lifetime this Saturday, June 10, at 8 p.m.

Starring Ajiona Alexus and Da’Vinchi , the film, directed by Camrus Johnson and written by Sonja Warfield and Rachel Ingram, is loosely based on Blige’s 1992 classic “ Real Love .”

It follows Kendra (Alexus), a student at an HBCU striving to become a photographer, and her relationship with Ben (Da’Vinchi), a young man aspiring to join a fraternity, who becomes both her inspiration and distraction.

In a previous statement, Blige said, “I wrote ‘Real Love’ based on my real life experiences and my fans connected to it in a deeply personal way. It’s exciting to now use this song and my music to create a new story by way of film, continuing to build on a pillar of the foundation of my production company, Blue Butterfly. My passion for acting and music now include developing diverse stories with music as the backdrop. I am grateful to Lifetime for their partnership in the story of ‘Real Love.’”

Rated R&B caught up with Mary J. Blige, Ajiona Alexus and Da’Vinchi to discuss Mary J. Blige’s Real Love .

I watched Mary J. Blige’s Real Love over the weekend and was blown away and so invested in each character, Kendra and Ben. I’m curious to know how you felt Ajiona Alexus and Da’Vinchi did in their roles?

MARY J. BLIGE: I hand-selected them. I’m a fan of BMF and I saw them in [in the series], and they were such strong actors. Everybody was great in BMF , but these two really stood out. I really believed them, and I wanted them for the movie. So, their performance was phenomenal. They did great. They did excellent.

Da’Vinchi, you and Ajiona are no strangers to each other, appearing together in season one of BMF . Now you’ve joined forces in these two movies as leads. What was it like developing a bond through this style of storytelling?

DA’VINCHI: It was dope. In BMF , we hated each other. In this movie, we love each other. But the great part about it is that we had chemistry and were cool off filming. When we weren’t filming BMF , we would play games and chill. The cast would hang out. When we found out we got this movie together, it was like, “Oh, bet! It’s gonna be lit!” We already knew each other. We know how each other works, and we both take our craft seriously. So it was just magic. We were able to create freely.

Can you explain your connection to Mary J. Blige’s “Real Love”?

AJIONA ALEXUS: I’m a ‘90s baby. My mom always played old-school music. So, “Real Love” is just a big part of my childhood. And the fact that they made a movie from the song was just, to me, iconic and groundbreaking. When I got word that I was gonna play this role, I immediately blasted the song. It’s classic. It’s iconic, but most importantly, I think lyrically, it’s just a strong song. The way that they incorporate it into storytelling, I think is what is even more groundbreaking. I can’t wait for it to have a big impact on the people, just like the song itself did.

I understand that you graduated from the College of Central Florida several years ago, which is not an HBCU. However, have you had any prior experience at an HBCU before working on this film?

DA’VINCHI: The dopest part about the timing of this movie, is that right before I started filming it, I came off of a HBCU tour. I really got the real HBCU experience, like going to Howard, one of the biggest HBCU schools out there. I was able to really interact and talk with the students and see what life was like.

For your first two original movies, you chose to focus on love stories. Are there any other movie genres that you think your music could fit into?

MARY J. BLIGE: Drama (laughs). Horror (laughs). Action films. I have so much.

In honor of Black Music Month in June, could you suggest an R&B album that would make a great gift for someone?

MARY J. BLIGE: My Life

AJIONA ALEXUS: My Life  

DA’VINCHI: Confessions [by Usher]

Watch the trailer for Mary J. Blige’s Real Love below.

Read Rated R&Bs revisit on Mary J. Blige’s song “Real Love” here . 

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Antwane joined Rated R&B in January 2013 after graduating from the University of South Carolina. He is the assistant editor. His niche is seasoned R&B acts, along with radio stats on urban and R&B formats.

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Lifetime’s Mary J. Blige’s Real Love: All Shooting Locations and Cast Details

Directed by Camrus Johnson, Lifetime’s ‘Mary J. Blige’s Real Love’ is a romantic drama movie that focuses on Kendra, an 18-year-old girl who earns a scholarship at a coveted HBCU college and sets off on her own for the first time. The ambitious teenager is determined to do well academically as she attempts to balance work-study and keep things professional with her photo class partner Ben. However, love has a way of seeping in when two people are meant to be, no matter how hard they try not to fall for each other.

So, even though the disapproval of their parents, financial hardship, and an unexpected pregnancy, Ben and Kendra are inevitably drawn to each other as they learn the meaning of real love with each other. Things get complicated when she must choose between her love for him and her dreams. A part of the network’s ‘Voices of a Lifetime’ lineup, the romantic movie unfolds mainly at an HBCU college in North Carolina, where Kendra navigates the last stages of her teen life. Moreover, the party scenes and other exterior shots collectively make one curious about the actual filming sites of ‘Mary J. Blige’s Real Love.’

Mary J. Blige’s Real Love: Where Was it Filmed?

‘Mary J. Blige’s Real Love’ was filmed in British Columbia, especially in Metro Vancouver. As per reports, the principal photography for the romantic movie commenced in early October 2022 and wrapped up in about three weeks within the same month. Although the story is set in North Carolina, British Columbia’s vast and versatile landscape worked well to stand in for the Old North State. Now, without further ado, let’s traverse all the specific locations that appear in the Lifetime movie !

Metro Vancouver, British Columbia

Also known as Greater Vancouver. Metro Vancouver hosted the production of ‘Mary J. Blige’s Real Love.’ The filming unit traveled across the metropolitan area to shoot several pivotal sequences. Apart from the principal city of Vancouver, they took their production to a couple of other locations across Metro Vancouver. For instance, the City of Langley was an important shooting spot for the movie.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by kenny🍄 (@kenyajordann)

Furthermore, the cast and crew members of the romantic movie were spotted taping various key portions in the city of Abbotsford. Interestingly, the Abbotsford School District administers around 46 public elementary, middle, and secondary schools, making the city a suitable production location for a movie like ‘Mary J. Blige’s Real Love.’

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Camrus Johnson/CamRus (@camrusj)

To shoot most of the HBCU college scenes, the production team probably set up camp in an actual school or college. But some interior scenes were likely taped using a sound stage or two in one of the film studios in the metropolitan area. Besides the Lifetime movie, Metro Vancouver’s locales have been featured in numerous film and TV projects. Some notable ones are ‘ To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before ,’ ‘ The Age of Adaline ,’ ‘ Firefly Lane ,’ ‘ Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies ,’ ‘ A Million Little Things ,’ and ‘ Virgin River .’

Mary J. Blige’s Real Love Cast

Ajiona Alexus essays the role of the 18-year-old Kendra in the Lifetime movie. Known for her role as Sheri Holland in the famous Netflix series ‘ 13 Reasons Why ,’ the talented Ajiona has been featured in several other productions. You might also recognize her from ‘ BMF ,’ ‘ Acrimony ,’ ‘Empire,’ ‘Light as a Feather,’ and ‘Something Like Summer.’ On the other hand, Da’Vinchi portrays Kendra’s love interest and photo class partner.

You may find the actor’s face familiar is that Da’Vinchi features in ‘ All American ,’ ‘BMF,’ ‘ Grown-ish ,’ ‘The Disappearance of Mrs. Wu,’ and ‘ The Way Back .’ Other cast members who play supporting yet pivotal roles in the Lifetime movie are Marci T. House (Professor Lovett), Garfield Wilson, Princess Davis, Shiraine Haas, Austin Anozie, Millan Tesfazgi, and Leanne Ofori-Atta (Constance Shay).

Read More:  Is Lifetime’s Mary J. Blige’s Real Love Based on a True Story?

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Mary J. Blige turns her strength in song to a pair of TV films: 'Love comes from me'

Mary J. Blige’s music has always been about potency and vulnerability.

Her 14 studio albums – including last year’s self-empowerment statement “Good Morning Gorgeous” – are anchored in the strife she’s endured and her resiliency.

So it makes sense that two of Blige’s lauded hits, the rousing R&B anthem “Real Love” from her 1992 debut (“What’s the 411?”) and the title track of 2017’s “Strength of a Woman” album inspired – and titled – a pair of Lifetime original movies.

Blige, through her Blue Butterfly production camp, executive produced the two films starring Ajiona Alexus (“Empire,” “13 Reasons Why”) and Da’Vinchi (“BMF,” “All American”) as Kendra and Ben, students at a North Carolina HBCU who fall in and out and back in love between college and professional adulthood.

“Mary J. Blige’s Real Love” premiered on Lifetime Saturday (8 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. CDT) and “Mary J. Blige’s “Strength of a Woman” follows the Kendra and Ben story at the same time this Saturday. They will also stream on the Lifetime app and mylifetime.com.

In addition to nurturing her production company, Blige, 52, has been in New York to film the third season of the Starz drama “Power Book II: Ghost” (she plays intense matriarch Monet Tejada) and is working on new music and a tour.

She and her films’ stars talked to USA TODAY about finding strength in surrendering and the sometimes-dark journeys faced in the two stories.

Question: Mary, what is the backstory about these two films being inspired by your music?

Mary J. Blige: It comes from the songs and just discovering that love and finding that love comes from me. I’m able to show people love in relationships and how important it is to the world and to life.

Ajiona and Da’Vinchi, did you feel any pressure knowing that these movies were so closely tied to Mary?

Ajiona Alexus: Not pressure because I get excited. I love being around people who love music and the arts as much as I do. We’re setting trends and opening new doors.

Da’Vinchi: I definitely felt a little pressure, but pressure to me is fuel. My whole life has been pressure. This was just like, kick in, lock in, get ready to make some history.

There is a 15-year gap between the two movies. Was it harder playing the younger or more current versions of your characters?

Da’Vinchi: The older version was more difficult because 15 years (after college) they were 35 and I don’t know what it’s like to be 35!

Alexus: For each time period, I went through the process of creating the character, where she would be mentally in college and then 15 years later. It was a lot of backstory I would think about in my hotel room.

At the end of “Real Love,” Ben and Kendra take a very ‘90s version of a selfie and then do it the old-fashioned way again in “Strength of a Woman.” You’re both 27. Do you remember taking selfies without a phone?

Da’Vinchi: (Laughs) Yeah, the first iPod Touch didn’t have a front camera, so you had to turn it.

Kendra goes through a traumatic sexual assault in “Real Love.” Tell me about partnering with the Take Back the Night foundation and the challenges of playing Kendra during those dark scenes.

Alexus: I definitely had to take it to a dark place. I’m so blessed to partner with Take Back the Night . I was able to talk to a lot of victims (through the organization) and a lot of people told me their stories. When I watch that moment in the film, I don’t think there will be a time that I don’t cry. But I’m happy the story shows Kendra overcoming (the assault) and following her dreams. I hope a lot of young women can look up to her.

Mary, why did you want that to be part of Kendra’s story?

Blige: It shows the journey and where a person comes from and where their strength comes from . I will always have real-life situations in my movies and songs because it’s relative to people. It keeps them locked in.

Tragedy and triumph: The complicated history of TLC explored in new documentary

There is a memorable line in “Strength of a Woman,” that “sometimes behind strong is about surrendering.” Do you feel that’s true?

Blige: It’s the biggest truth. In order to find yourself and that strength you have to be still and self-aware. In order to be self-aware you need to be non-biased enough to see the ugly truth about yourself, the good and the bad, so you can see what you need to fix. Being calm is surrender.

Alexus: Surrendering comes with honesty. It’s the harsh truth that you have to audit your life and surrender to the reality of what you’re living in.

Da’Vinchi: When you surrender, it allows you to hit rock bottom. And when you hit rock bottom, you found out who the rock is at the bottom and that is God. And then you get your strength and build from there and climb back up.

Rock 'n' roll revival: Bryan Adams and Joan Jett kicked off their summer tour with a ton of hits

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Mary J. Blige to executive produce Lifetime movie inspired by her hit song 'Real Love'

Because Lifetime ain't the place for "No More Drama."

Jessica is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, where she covers TV, movies, and pop culture. Her work has appeared in Bustle, NYLON, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, and more. She lives in California with her dog.

What's the 411, you ask? Well, Mary J. Blige is officially confirmed to executive produce a film based on her 1992 breakthrough hit "Real Love."

A Lifetime coming-of-age drama, Real Love will follow Kendra, a studious teen who sets off on her own for the first time to attend college in upstate New York. But when she meets her film class partner Ben, her plans are thrown for a loop. Despite disapproving parents, financial hardships, and competition to become top students, Kendra and Ben fall for one another and "ultimately learn the meaning of real love," per the movie's press release.

The film will be written by Sonja Warfield and Rachel Ingram. Ashaunna Ayars and Nicole Jackson will executive produce alongside Blige for her production banner, Blue Butterfly, with Jordan and John Davis also executive producing (it's a family affair!). Most important, however, the movie will feature additional music from Blige's catalog.

"I wrote 'Real Love' based on my real-life experiences and my fans connected to it in a deeply personal way," Blige said in a statement. "It's exciting to now use this song and my music to create a new story by way of film, continuing to build on a pillar of the foundation of my production company, Blue Butterfly. My passions for acting and music now include developing diverse stories with music as the backdrop."

Blige is no stranger to Lifetime. She executive produced the 2020 original movie The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel with Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott , and headlined the 2013 Coretta Scott King and Betty Shabazz biopic Betty & Coretta opposite Angela Bassett .

Most recently, Blige executive produced her 2021 Amazon Studios documentary, Mary J. Blige's My Life .

"Mary is one of those phenomenal talents that can do it all," Tanya Lopez, EVP of scripted content at Lifetime, said of reteaming with the Grammy Award–winning diva — and walking disco ball — in a statement. "We are so thrilled to be able to partner with her again on this new opportunity to bring her music to life in the form of a movie that we know audiences will love."

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Film Review: ‘Real Love’

Actor Bouli Lanners' engulfingly soulful performance accents Claire Burger's note-perfect story of a fractured family learning to mend.

By Jessica Kiang

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“All my life is loving you,” is a line of dialogue that, on the page, looks worn thin with familiarity, a little like the trite English title of Claire Burger ’s solo directorial debut, “Real Love.” But to reveal that the words are spoken not by a pining lover during the dash-to-the-airport climax of a romantic comedy, but by a father unwittingly tripping on ecstasy, to his two teenage daughters and his estranged wife, is to hint at the nature of this gorgeous film’s gentle miracle, which is to take its well-worn, soapy setup and rinse it of cliché, so it comes up new and shining. For any father who ever loved his child, or any child who ever loved their father, “Real Love” brings real joy.

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Mario is reeling, but hardly has time to process as he also has to deal with the reactions of his two daughters whom, for the time being, he is sole-parenting. Worldly 17-year-old Niki (Sarah Henochsberg) is on the threshold of adulthood anyway, and can relate her mother’s desire for independence to her own. But puppyish yet truculent 14-year-old Frida (Justine Lacroix) is a different story. Embarking on her own fraught rite of passage — a painful crush on Alex (Celia Mayer), a tough-talking girl in her class — Frida is resentful of her father (it is she who ends up spiking his drink with MDMA in retribution for a perceived slight) and loudly insists she’ll move in with their mother as soon as she can.

But even as Frida sulks through the forced jollity of Mario’s parental pep talks and drags her heels through the art galleries and theater shows to which he brings her, Julien Poupard’s careful camera picks up the underlying affection that exists between them — in the casual slinging of her foot across his lap while they watch TV, or the way her frostiness thaws during Mario’s impromptu car karaoke sessions. Burger, who previously co-directed the Cannes Camera d’Or-winning “Party Girl,” is careful not to vilify any of her innately believable characters. Armelle’s departure, though deeply hurtful, is never framed as wanton abandonment, and even as our hearts break for that central loss of love, each family member’s tentative experiment in finding it anew is painted in acutely compassionate colors.

The supremely confident, intimate storytelling, the unobtrusive warmth of the camerawork, and the piercing naturalism of the performances, direct us so precisely into the heart of each deceptively simple scene that Burger’s intense empathy for her characters becomes our own. It soon feels like we’ve known, and been fond of these people forever. In particular, Lanners, who carries most of the film’s weight on his broad, buckling shoulders, contributes an indelible portrait of Mario’s crumpled decency. He is a man suddenly confronted with the truth that even his ferocious affection for his family cannot stop the processes of growing up, growing apart, of falling into and eventually all the way out of love.

Modest though it is, Burger’s wise, tender film is its own sort of spectacular, putting the awe back into the ordinary, and ending as a testament to the humble hope that after tumbling through life’s topsy-turviness, we might, just possibly, land right side up.

Reviewed at Karloy Vary Film Festival, July 6, 2019. (Also in Venice Film Festival.) Running time: 98 MIN. (Original title: "C'est ça l'amour")

• Production: (France) A Dharamsala production, in co-production with Arte France Cinema, Mars Films, Scope Pictures. (Int'l sales: Indie Sales, Paris.) Producer: Isabelle Madelaine. Co-producers: Olivier Père, Genevieve Lemal.
• Crew: Director, writer: Claire Burger. Camera (color, widescreen): Julien Poupard. Editor: Laurent Sénéchal, Claire Burger. Music: Roc Chen.
• With: Bouli Lanners, Justine Lacroix, Sarah Henochsberg, Cecily Remy-Boutang, Antonia Buresi, Celia Mayer, Lorenzo Demanget, Tiago Gandra. (French dialogue)

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Mary j. blige’s ‘real love’ and ‘strength of a woman’ lifetime movies to debut in june.

The movies tell a continuing story and star Ajiona Alexus and Da'Vinchi.

By DeMicia Inman

DeMicia Inman

Staff Writer, News

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Mary J. Blige and Lifetime have set a June release date for her original film two-pack. Real Love, inspired by her classic record of the same name, and Strength Of A Woman will premiere on the network on back-to-back weekends in June. Slated for June 10 and June 17 respectively, the movies tell a continuing story .

Mary J. Blige Lands Talk Show As Part Of First-Look Deal With BET

According to the official description, Real Love follows 18-year-old Kendra (Alexus) as she sets off on her own for the first time at an HBCU in North Carolina. At the university on a scholarship, she aims to stay focused on school, however, she and her photo class partner Ben (Da’Vinchi) develop a relationship beyond the lesson plan.

Despite disapproving parents, financial hardship, and even an unexpected pregnancy, Kendra and Ben find themselves falling hard for each other and learn the meaning of Real Love.

“I wrote ‘Real Love’ based on my real-life experiences and my fans connected to it in a deeply personal way,” shared the Grammy Award-winning performer. “It’s exciting to now use this song and my music to create a new story by way of film, continuing to build on a pillar of the foundation of my production company, Blue Butterfly. My passions for acting and music now include developing diverse stories with music as the backdrop. I am grateful to Lifetime for their partnership in the story of  Real Love. “

Their story continues in Strength Of A Woman , jumping ahead more than 15 years. Despite Kendra succeeding at photography, she finds herself in a failed marriage and must reckon with the decisions she made for the life she thought she wanted.  Reconnecting with Ben, she is forced to a crisis point and must dig deep to find the strength to take control of her life and accept the love her college romance may be offering again.

Camrus Johnson directs  Real Love  from a script written by Sonja Warfield and Rachel Ingram, and Shari Lynette Carpenter directs  Strength of a Woman  from a script written by Ingram.

In support of the films, Lifetime has partnered with Take Back The Night Foundation, an international event and non-profit organization with the mission of ending all forms of sexual violence, including sexual assault, sexual abuse, trafficking, stalking, gender harassment, and relationship violence, and to support survivors in their healing journeys.

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Mary J. Blige's Real Love Reviews

• 2 hr 3 mins
• Drama, Suspense
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Kendra sets off on her own for the first time at the HBCU in North Carolina. Attending on a scholarship, Kendra is determined to focus on school while balancing work-study and keeping things professional with her photo class partner Ben.

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When Does ‘Mary J. Blige’s Real Love’ Premiere on Lifetime? How to Stream Online

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Amish Affair’ on Lifetime, in Which an Amish Adulterer’s God Complex Leads Him to Take Deadly, Drastic Action

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After bringing us the behind the scenes story of TLC and their summer tour last week, Lifetime keeps the music pumping with the first of two new movies from producer and R&B megastar Mary J. Blige. The first film, Real Love, stars Da’Vinchi and Ajiona Alexus as a young couple who meet and fall in love at a HBCU in North Carolina. From there, their lives are intertwined no matter what they do — and that’s not just because there’s an unexpected pregnancy in their story.

If you’re looking for information on watching Lifetime’s Mary J. Blige’s Real Love , we’ve got all of those details covered. Here’s everything you need to know about watching and/or streaming this movie on Lifetime.

What time does Mary J. Blige’s Real Love premiere on Lifetime?

Mary J. Blige’s Real Love premieres on Lifetime on Saturday, June 10 at 8 p.m. ET. If you have a cable login and want to watch the movie debut online, you can stream it live via Lifetime’s website .

If you don’t have a cable login, you can still watch Lifetime movies as they air via the following live TV streaming services: frndly , Hulu , Sling TV , and Philo .

When will Lifetime rerun Mary J. Blige’s Real Love ?

After it premieres on Saturday, June 10 at 8 p.m. ET, Mary J. Blige’s Real Love will re-air on Lifetime at the following time:

• Sunday, June 11 at 12 a.m. ET
• Friday, June 16 at 8 p.m. ET
• Saturday, June 17 at 12 a.m. ET
• Saturday, June 17 at 6 p.m. ET

How to stream Mary J. Blige’s Real Love?

If you miss Mary J. Blige’s Real Love when it premieres on Lifetime and all of its reruns, you will be able to stream it next day on Lifetime’s website for free (with ads). You can also stream it on-demand via frndly , Hulu , Sling TV , and Philo .

Who is in the Mary J. Blige’s Real Love cast?

Da’Vinchi ( All American ) plays Ben, Ajiona Alexus ( 13 Reasons Why ) plays Kendra, Garfield Wilson ( Snowpiercer ), Marci T. House ( Devil in Ohio ), Princess Davis ( Yellowjackets ), and Shiraine Haas ( Sweeter Than Chocolate )

Mary J. Blige’s Real Love premieres on Lifetime on Saturday, June 10 at 8 p.m. ET.

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‘real love’ (‘c’est ca l’amour’): film review | venice 2018.

Belgian actor Bouli Lanners ('Rust and Bone') headlines 'Real Love,' the solo directorial debut from French filmmaker Claire Burger ('Party Girl').

By Boyd van Hoeij

Boyd van Hoeij

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A distressed father of two gets involved in community theater when his wife leaves him in the tender family drama  Real Love (C’est ca l’amour) . This is the first solo effort as a director from French filmmaker Claire Burger, who won the Camera d’Or in Cannes in 2014 for  Party Girl , which she co-directed with Marie Amachoukeli and Samuel Theis. She here returns home to the village of Forbach, on the Franco-German border, where a bearded administrative employee with a teenage daughter into boys and drugs and a tween daughter wrestling with her sexuality are not the only ones requiring his attention, as his wife announces she wants to leave the family home to think things over for a while. 

Belgian actor-director Bouli Lanners ( Rust and Bone ,  Heal the Living ) carries most of the film on his sturdy shoulders as a papa bear with a sorrowful gaze, while Burger’s relative inexperience shows in the way the narrative can’t quite decide whether it is really his story or that of his entire family. Yet  Real Love  — the French title literally translates as the more evocative This Is What Love Is — is a quite moving portrayal of one family’s struggles in a small town that should do well at festivals and at Francophone showcases. It premiered in Venice in the independently programmed Venice Days section.

The Bottom Line Familiar but moving.

Regional authorities administrative employee Mario (Lanners) is, like many in the former mining region of northeastern France, of Italian extraction. His daughter Niki (Sarah Henochsberg) is 17 and almost ready to fly the nest, while her younger sister, the more androgynous-looking Frida (Justine Lacroix), has secretly started experimenting with other girls. Their mother, Armelle (Cecile Remy-Boutang, improbably also the production manager), is a lighting technician at the local theater. She seems unaware of what’s happening with her daughters as she’s struggling with her relationship with Mario to the extent that she decides to move out of their home — and, for a good part of the film, literally out of the picture.  

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Mario’s routine is suddenly thrown for a loop, as he suddenly has to face life and parenting duties without a partner. The easiest solution, in his eyes, is to try and talk to Armelle even though she doesn’t seem to want that. This results in him sneaking into performances at the theater where she works — sometimes with his girls — as well as actually enrolling in a community theater group that has its rehearsals in Armelle’s workplace. In the early going, Burger, who also wrote the screenplay, mines Mario’s double agenda and little actual interest in the rehearsals for some gentle moments of humor, though the direction in which this particular subplot is headed is not exactly a surprise, as the improvised work they are rehearsing requires each of the participants to bring something of themselves to the piece. 

In the second act, about 25 minutes in, Burger widens the view to follow Mario’s daughters away from their embattled father as well. It is nice to see how confident Niki is with the handsome Nazim (Lorenzo Demanget), telling him to “not get any ideas” after they kiss. Niki is only three years older than Frida but clearly further ahead, as Frida has just started experimenting with the too-cool-for-school Alex (Celia Mayer), a female classmate. During a sleepover at Frida’s, which Mario himself suggested, he sees the two girls kiss, which makes his parental anxiety spiral out of control. Not necessarily homophobic, Mario clearly thinks things are going too quickly for his youngest daughter, though it is finally the warmth and finesse of Lanners’ performance — rather than Burger’s writing — that help suggest that the separated father of two might just be panicking about all the sudden changes in his life more than anything specific related to Frida’s sexual awakening or orientation. 

On  Party Girl , Burger worked exclusively with non-professional actors from the family of co-director Theis, whose stories inspired the screenplay. One of the reasons that film felt so authentic was that it convincingly blurred the lines between documentary reality and fiction. Here, Burger filmed in her own childhood home in Forbach but as a solo writer she struggles with the work’s point of view. The entire first act suggests the film is about Mario, but as the view widens, the focus of the story is diluted as we get to know his daughters better. Even Armelle makes a comeback, with a late-in-the-game and well-scripted scene in which she takes her daughters out for lunch and the two react very differently to her new circumstances (Henochsberg is especially good in this particular conversation as the wiser yet also hurt older daughter). 

'Genesis' ('Genese'): Film Review | Locarno 2018

This imbalance between the characters short-changes all of them as the viewer searches to comprehend which of the characters to identify with and there finally isn’t enough time to develop all of them properly because their solo subplots eat into each other’s screen time. This is especially problematic for an unexpected twist involving herbal tea, which lacks the prerequisite character motivation to be really believable, though the aftermath of that scene is among the pic’s warmest moments. And thankfully, the cast is all-round solid, from Lanners down to newcomers Lacroix, Henochsberg and Demanget. 

On a technical level, assembly is mostly workmanlike, with Burger putting the locations so familiar to her to good use. A ballet choreographed by Angelin Preljocaj is unexpectedly and rather movingly used to elevate the story above its working-class origins, suggesting art really can speak to people from all walks of life. 

Production companies: Dharamsala, Arte France Cinema, Mars Films, Scope Pictures Cast: Bouli Lanners, Justine Lacroix, Sarah Henochsberg, Cecily Remy-Boutang, Antonia Buresi, Celia Mayer, Lorenzo Demanget Writer-director: Claire Burger   Producer: Isabelle Madelaine Director of photography: Julien Poupard Production designer: Pascale Consigny Costume designer: Isabelle Pannetier Editors: Laurent Senechal, Claire Burger  Casting: Cynthia Arra Venue: Venice Film Festival (Venice Days) Sales: Indie Sales

In French 98 minutes

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In celebration of really love & the slow burn.

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Real Love Reviews

No All Critics reviews for Real Love.

Bob Marley: One Love Review: A Decent Biopic

By Jonathan Sim

Every little thing is gonna be alright. Bob Marley: One Love is the latest biopic about a famous musician. These types of movies have been running rampant in Hollywood lately, as we’ve seen in Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman, Elvis, and an upcoming Antoine Fuqua biopic about Michael Jackson. This film is about a global symbol of Jamaican music, focusing on his assassination attempt and the repercussions of that on his career and his impact on the world. While this is not one of the better musician biopics of late, it manages to be just interesting enough to hit the mark.

The film stars Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob Marley. Ben-Adir has consistently turned in excellent performances in Peaky Blinders, Secret Invasion, and Barbie. Bob Marley: One Love feels like a vehicle to propel him into the public eye as a serious actor. He’s commendable here, being given the challenging task of playing one of the most iconic people who has ever lived. Ben-Adir captures something superb with this performance, changing his voice and accent entirely and embodying the way Marley would speak and perform. You can tell Ben-Adir put in a lot of work and research into getting the portrayal accurate.

Bob Marley: One Love is directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, who previously directed Will Smith to an Oscar-winning performance in King Richard. This movie was dropped in February and will likely not receive much awards attention next year. However, that’s not to discount Green’s phenomenal work behind the camera here. He brings the story to life very well, and he directs excellent performances from Ben-Adir and his co-star, Lashana Lynch, who plays Rita Marley in the film. There’s a lot of drama in this narrative, and the script demands a lot from them, but they rise up to the challenge and knock it out of the park.

The screenplay from Green and co-writers Zach Baylin, Terence Winter, and Frank E. Flowers goes for an interesting angle here. This movie is not exactly an origin story for him. We don’t see much of his childhood or what made him fall in love with music or anything like that. We also don’t see much of his rise to the top with the success of his Rastaman Vibration album. The film mainly focuses on the assassination attempt on Marley during a period of political unrest in Jamaica. Two days after the attempt, Marley performed at the Smile Jamaica Concert. It’s a wonderful display of his adversity and commitment to peace.

Bob Marley: One Love is a movie about the strength of music and how it unites people. It serves as a celebration of Jamaican music and culture, showcasing many of them throughout. Marley’s emotions can be held at arm’s length for a bit too much of the movie, but whenever the film delves into his paranoia after getting shot or a few of his personal relationships, it shines. There’s an argument scene that is written and performed quite well. However, the second act can feel a bit disjointed and directionless. The narrative framework is not strong enough to make it as compelling as it should be.

As a result, Bob Marley: One Love does not reach its full potential. We have outstanding performances leading the film, but there are a few issues that hold this movie back from being the classic that it is. While there is Jamaican music and a few of Marley’s songs in the film, the soundtrack feels like an afterthought. The scenes are all acceptable, but it can be a bit of a somber viewing experience. Marley’s music is classic, and it brought happiness to many who needed it, but none of that can be said about this movie. It’s the type of film that is perfectly watchable as it happens but doesn’t have the staying power it needs to be truly special.

One of the shining elements of Bob Marley: One Love is how it positions Marley’s message. It is very much about his music, but the more important aspect is the impact his music has. He strives for peace throughout the entire movie, and although he died at the very young age of 36, the legacy he left for the world is immeasurable. It’s a must-watch for those who love his music. Although there are issues holding the film back, it manages to explore a few wonderful aspects of his life. Personally, I think the film could have benefitted from exploring more of his music and how it impacted the genre, as well as viewing Marley’s life from a more holistic lens. It’s not one of the better music biopics, nor is it the best in Green’s directorial career, but it manages to be a touching, beautiful movie that can make one love.

SCORE: 6/10

As ComingSoon’s  review policy  explains, a score of 6 equates to “Decent.” It fails to reach its full potential and is a run-of-the-mill experience.

Disclosure: ComingSoon attended a press screening for our Bob Marley: One Love review.

Jonathan Sim is a film critic and filmmaker born and raised in New York City. He has met/interviewed some of the leading figures in Hollywood, including Christopher Nolan, Zendaya, Liam Neeson, and Denis Villeneueve. He also works as a screenwriter, director, and producer on independent short films.

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