Terry McMillan Presents: Forever Review: Taye Diggs & Meagan Good in a Love Story That's Too Real
- Sahndra Fon Dufe
- 6 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 3 hours ago
Taye Diggs & Meagan Good star in Terry McMillan's Forever. This Netflix film about love, loss & fatherhood broke me. Read full review and true story details.
I just watched Terry McMillan Presents: Forever on Netflix, starring Taye Diggs and Meagan Good and I cried. Like, really cried. The kind of crying where my African mind kept saying "spirit of death was coming for her for real" because this movie hurt. It hurt in that deep, soul-touching way that only happens when you watch something so honest, so beautiful, and so unfair that you can't do anything but sit there with your tissues and your feelings.
This is the second film under Terry McMillan's new partnership with Lifetime (now streaming on Netflix), following Tempted by Love. And if you thought McMillan was going to give us a simple, feel-good romance, you were wrong. She gave us life. She gave us love. She gave us loss. And she gave us one of the most refreshing portrayals of Black fatherhood I've seen in years.
Here's my review.
A Not-So-Safe Plot
Johnnie Taylor (Taye Diggs) returns home after a tour of military service, only to be served divorce papers by his wife, who's now with his former best friend and fellow baseball coach. Talk about a rough homecoming. With his life at a crossroads, the last thing he expects is to fall for Officer Carlie Walters (Meagan Good), the local policewoman who pulled him over for speeding (Yes, they meet during a traffic stop. Classic meet-cute with a badge). Determined to win her heart, Johnnie faces his first hurdle: winning over her three teenage daughters: Leslie, Courtney, and Tessa (Leesie Pinto, Madison Griggs, and Chloe Elise Ellis). To be the man Carlie needs him to be, he must let go of old fears and regrets to find love and learn the true meaning of family.
I'll be honest, when they first met, it screamed "love bombing", and maybe that's a reflection of the state of my mind, but I was truly scared this might turn into one of those movies. You know the ones….Hello, Obsession. The Temp. I refused to deliberately read any plot or synopsis online prior, so it was just finding out as I went. It turned out to be really beautiful. They got married. He didn't take a huge paycheck so as not to destabilize her and her three girls. Love.
What Made This Movie Beautiful
1. Redefining Fatherhood: Father vs. Dad
There's a line in this film that literally differentiates the difference between "father" and "dad," and it's one of the most powerful moments I've witnessed in Black cinema in a while. Johnnie is not their biological father. But he is their Dad!
He works hard to raise these three girls. He shows up. He listens. He doesn't break under the pressure of mean teens (which, let's face it, if that was me... I don't know, lol). He doesn't play the ‘step-dad-who's-creepy-or-weird’ trope that we've seen too many times in films. Instead, he's patient, calm, loving, and present.
When the girls' biological father, Lamar Walters (Elimu Nelson), shows up after Carlie's death to take them to Pomona, California, Johnnie stands on business: "No stability, no love. Not after you abandoned them and then show up now from nowhere." The girls lambast Lamar with insults until he leaves, and Johnnie still makes them calm down. He teaches them respect, even for a man who doesn't deserve it. Later, Johnnie goes to Lamar's hotel "in peace" and has a conversation. He goes to Leslie's room and hands her a box of condoms, telling her boyfriend to "use one of these until you're married, financially stable, and ready to start a family." Eww, but also... wawu. That's parenting!
2. The Gender Stereotypes, Bent
Carlie can't cook. Johnnie doesn't mind, because he can. Oh yes, he can! (Not Obama's 2008 campaign slogan) I loved that. Their relationship dynamic is calm and refreshing. They communicate. They laugh. They're not perfect, but they're as real as it gets.
3. Carlie's Friendship with Levi
Officer Levi Ryan (Jeremy Urann), Carlie's white cop partner, has one of the most genuine, non-sexualized friendships with her and is an unc to her kids.Their dynamic is supportive, yet absolutely platonic. We need more of this in films. Men and women who are just friends without any weird tension.
4. Lines that Got Me in My Feelings
After Carlie's funeral (spoiler alert), Johnnie says this to Levi: "Go out and find you someone who makes you feel safer." I had to pause the movie. How real is that? How very relatable, especially in today's world? Both Johnnie and Carlie expressed throughout the film how much their love scared them because it was too real. That vulnerability, that honesty, is what made this movie so powerful.
Also, earlier in the movie, the youngest daughter said they should build a boat so that when storms come, she can put all her dolls in it, just like Noah's Ark.
Johnnie sells his beautiful old car, an antique Mustang, to build that boat. He tells the girls: "You can come here as a safe place whenever you feel bad about anything." Oooof!
What Broke Me Even More
Here's where I cried the hardest: Officer Carlie Walters barely making it past malignant cancer. She fought. She survived. She was declared cancer-free. On her first day back to work, an overnight shift, she stops by a convenience store. There, Tim Gunner, the abusive ex-boyfriend of Leslie (her oldest daughter) who was kicked off Johnnie's baseball team for violent tendencies
She tries to intervene. He shoots her. Before she dies, she's able to spell out "I LOVE U LOTS" in her own blood before the cops and 911 arrive. My African mind literally went, "The spirit of death was coming for her forreal." She survived cancer, only to die like this? On her first day back? It's devastating. It's heartbreakingly real.
At the end of the movie, there's a dedication:
"In loving memory of Carlie Taylor
December 20, 1989 – August 18, 2023
Always in our thoughts, forever in our hearts"
It appears the film was inspired by a real person named Carlie Taylor, though I couldn't find detailed public information about her story. The emotional weight of the film, and the specificity of the dates suggest this tragedy might have happened to someone. If anyone knows more about the real Carlie Taylor's story, please share in the comments. Her memory deserves to be honored.
and bad behavior, is trying to rob the store.
Our Verdict: Ratings and Final Thoughts
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
What Worked:
Taye Diggs and Meagan Good have incredible chemistry! You believe in their love from the first traffic stop.
The portrayal of Black fatherhood is brilliant in a way we don't see enough of.
The emotional honesty in this film is admirable. This movie doesn't shy away from grief or the messiness of blended families. As such, the tragedy hits hard because we've invested in their happiness.
The dialogue feels real, not forced
The girls are believably difficult. Not caricatures, just real teenagers processing trauma
What Didn't Hit:
The pacing in the middle was awkward. Some scenes could have been trimmed.
Also, we needed more of Carlie before the tragedy. I wanted to see more of her personality outside of being a mom and cop. But we didn't get that.
The legal stuff felt rushed . Can kids really just be made to stay with a man they don't know just because he's their biological father? That felt unresolved.
Technical Notes:
Director Charles Murray (Luke Cage, Outer Range) brings a steady, grounded hand to the film. The cinematography is warm and intimate, with lots of close-ups, natural lighting, and domestic spaces; it feels like you're in the room with them. The music is subtle and effective, never overpowering the emotion. This combined with inspired performances from Diggs, who tapped into his personal experiences as a divorced single father, and an admittedly tough to execute showing from Meagan Good, among others, made the film a mature viewing.
Forever feels like Terry McMillan's most mature work in the "Terry McMillan Presents" banner, not about waiting for love (Waiting to Exhale) or rediscovering love (How Stella Got Her Groove Back). It's also her first film to center Black fatherhood so deeply, while still doing what she does best, by capturing the female experience in finding love and happiness, and then showing us what happens when life doesn't play fair.
Final Thoughts:
Forever asks: What does it mean to love someone "forever" when forever gets cut short? The answer, beautifully portrayed through Johnnie's sacrifices and the girls' resilience, is that love doesn't end when life does.
The movie ends with a line Carlie said during the film:
"All the time we have is all the time we have."
And that's it. That's the message. Love while you can. Show up. Be present. Be Dad.
For more Black Film Wire reviews, check out our website here.
Terry McMillan Presents: Forever is now streaming on Netflix.
Review by Sahndra Fon Dufe, Editor-in-Chief, Black Film Wire
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
Is Terry McMillan Presents: Forever based on a true story?Yes, Forever appears to be inspired by a real person. The film ends with a dedication: "In loving memory of Carlie Taylor, December 20, 1989 – August 18, 2023. Always in our thoughts, forever in our hearts." The dates suggest Carlie Taylor was 33 years old when she died in 2023. While specific details about the real Carlie Taylor's story are not widely public, the dedication indicates the film honors her memory. |
What is Terry McMillan Presents: Forever about?Forever stars Taye Diggs as Johnnie Taylor, a veteran who returns home and falls for police officer Carlie Walters (Meagan Good). After marrying Carlie and becoming a father figure to her three daughters, tragedy strikes when Carlie is killed in the line of duty. The film explores themes of Black fatherhood, chosen family, love, loss, and what it means to be a "dad" versus a "father." |
How does Forever compare to other Terry McMillan films?Forever is Terry McMillan's most mature work in the "Terry McMillan Presents" banner. Unlike Waiting to Exhale (about sisterhood) or How Stella Got Her Groove Back (about rediscovering love), Forever focuses on sustaining love through tragedy. It's also the first McMillan film to center Black fatherhood so deeply, with Taye Diggs delivering a career-best performance as a stepfather who becomes "Dad" to three girls who aren't biologically his. |
Who stars in Terry McMillan Presents: Forever?Forever stars Taye Diggs as Johnnie Taylor and Meagan Good as Officer Carlie Walters. The supporting cast includes Leesie Pinto (Leslie), Madison Griggs (Courtney), Chloe Elise Ellis (Tessa), Jeremy Urann (Levi Ryan), Terrell Tilford (Gary Pruitt), and Elimu Nelson (Lamar Walters). The film was directed by Charles Murray and written by Bart Baker. |
What is the message of Terry McMillan Presents: Forever?The central message of Forever is captured in Carlie's line: "All the time we have is all the time we have." The film explores how love doesn't end when life does, emphasizing that being a "dad" is about showing up, sacrifice, and choosing to love not biology. It portrays Black fatherhood as patient, present, and powerful, challenging stereotypes while celebrating the resilience of chosen family. |