MVandertramps
Since: Jul, 2011
12/27/2011 12:16:14
•••
Creator Tyler Perry
I can't decide how I feel about Tyler Perry's body of work. On one hand I like that he's created a series of films and play's starring black people who want to get into showbiz as much as any white person but can't catch a break because of the lack of roles. Tyler Perry is, however, also a part of the problem. Before the 70's the only role a person of colour could get was as a servant or some such thing, Perry's work (all of have the SAME PLOT) help to cement the new role of black people in mainstream television as the Jive Turkey and Black Best Friend making it hard for them to assume a normal, traditionally white role.
So Tyler Perry: a boon or a disservice? Your call.
Creator The Problem with Tyler Perry
As a mad black woman, I am well acquainted with the Tyler Perry plays and films and thus am able to see both the benefits and the downsides that he presents. On the pro side, Madea is hysterical, irreverent, and does voice some of the concerns that some black families have to deal with on a regular basis. On the con side, the Tyler Perry fandom is part of what makes non-Tyler Perry watchers so irritated. Not to say the Tyler Perry problem is not his fault, but a large part of what's wrong with the entire franchise is due to both parties.
You see, when the plays first started out, they were, excuse the pun, a Godsend. The black community never really had one source for down-to-Earth entertainment that dealt with the common problems in our community. Tyler Perry came along and gave them something to bond over because the plays were actually really funny and the singing was excellent, though the acting...less so in some instances. Then the plays got popular. Going mainstream certainly isn't a crime, but some folks started to notice a decline in quality for later plays but everything was still peaches. Then the first film, Diary Of A Mad Black Woman came along. It was intriguing and inspiring, the acting was pretty good, and it was probably the most faithful adaptation of all his films, and it was commercially successful. Next, we had Madeas Family Reunion, which wasn't as well done and didn't succeed as much, but it still made a decent amount of money. It's at that time that I fear Tyler Perry figured it out.
He doesn't have to try.
He can copy/paste the same movie or play over and over again and the black community will still see it, regardless of if it's good or not (I'm looking at you, Daddy's Little Girls, you piece of tripe.) The rare instance when he DID try to think outside the box (The Family That Preys), it went largely unseen. Therefore, we're going to keep getting the same thing unless we ask for more, for better. But sadly, no one is and that's the problem. I pray that one day Perry lives up to his potential because he's shown it numerous times, but complacency is a hard habit to break, especially when it gets you in Forbes magazine. Here's hoping.