Written by Julia Hart and Jordan Horowitz
Directed by Julia Hart
Starring Rachel Brosnahan, Marsha Stephanie Blake and Arinzé Kane
Running Time: 2 hour
sMPAA Rating: R for language and violence

by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport

To put it gently, I am not much of a kid person. Nah, not a fan. There’s a lot of reasons for this, but the simplest way to explain it (at least this is what I have gotten out of many therapy sessions) is that never having the opportunity to be much a child myself has created a lack of understanding of what it is like to be a child. Simply put, I don’t know how to play. My experience of being around little ones tends to be difficult and draining. I have no interest in being a mother, except to those of the four legged furry persuasion, like my sweet dear pup, Li’l Foxie. Maybe this makes me some kind of a certain asshole and, well, I’m fine with this. The role of a parent is serious stuff, quite frankly I happen to think it is one of the most important jobs anyone could do on their journey around the sun. I say all this to help understand the sheer horror I felt upon witnessing the opening scene of Julia Hart’s I’m Your Woman, in which the main character, Jean, is gifted a random baby by her husband.

Set sometime in Pittsburgh (shot there too, woot!) in the 1970s, Hart’s stylish crime drama is one that, once ignited, never stops smoldering. When we are first introduced to Jean (Rachel Brosnahan), she doesn’t seem to have many cares in the world beyond sunbathing. That is, until husband Eddie surprises her by dropping an infant child from unknown sources into her lap. To say she is ill-prepared is an understatement. Jean can’t even crack an egg, let alone manage the basic functions of raising a child. This is only the beginning of Jean’s life being turned upside down. She soon finds herself on the run after her husband decided to kill a major player in the criminal underworld. 

With the assistance of Cal (Arinzé Kane), she and baby Harry leave everything behind in hope of safety. This is a film marked with magnetic performances from the main cast and I think this can be owed to the stand-up script from the husband and wife team of Jordan Horowitz and Hart, as well Hart’s directing ability. In watching this, I could not help but think of the 2019 flick, The Kitchen - a story about a trio of women who find themselves thrown into a mafia world after their husbands land themselves in jail. The story idea is in the same vein, but the main difference is that Hart’s rendition is more authentic. The Kitchen failed on many fronts, but the biggest was in the transition of the women managing to run the streets of New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, seemingly overnight. Whereas, Hart manages to give, what I feel is, a realistic account of what it's like to be a fish out of water. 

What I love about Hart’s mafia-ridden tale is that it shows the struggles, the naivety and cluelessness of Jean. Prior to being placed in this particular situation, Jean didn’t seem to think much about anything. All her needs and wants were magically fulfilled. Jean knew her husband was up to illicit affairs but she was conditioned not to ask questions, which one could say was the time period but could also chalk up to an ignorance is bliss mentality. Until the surprise baby shows up, like a lady popping out of a birthday cake, Jean has never been forced to reconcile with herself that she has a meaning to live. 

Jean finds herself not only having to learn how to boil a box of spaghetti, but how to care for a newborn and navigate her way through life by doing something that was not asked of her before: be self-sufficient. Fortunately, she doesn’t have to figure out everything by herself. I’m Your Woman, is a story that utilizes characters of diverse backgrounds to weave the story together. Specifically, the interactions that Jean has with Cal and his wife, Teri (Marsha Stephanie Blake). Both not only have experience of living and working in the criminal underworld, but have done so while being African American. Through learning of their experiences, Jean is given a new perspective on just how different their lives have been and are. I enjoyed the scenes between Teri and Jean and I hope to see more from Marsha Stephanie Blake in the future, she is a powerhouse. As Teri pushes Jean to grow, but it is clear she isn’t going to do that growth for her; Jean has to be willing to step up to the plate.

Watch I’m Your Woman exclusively on Amazon Prime.