I figured there wasn’t much more that can be said about Tyler Perry that hasn’t already been said. That was until my sister saw the trailer for his latest film “Madea’s Big Happy Family” and blurted out that his next film should be “Madea’s Wake and Funeral.” My sentiments exactly, although I could have never thought of something so hilarious on the spot like that.
For one split second, with the release of “For Colored Girls..”, a film that I generally hated, I believed Tyler Perry (TP) was interested in transforming his career from that of a series of modern day minstrel shows to one that involved making films of substance and message (that didn’t include a him in drag). But just as I was holding out hope that this man could find his way, turn over a new leaf and begin to make films that were tolerable, here comes some more Madea b*llsh^t. And while I usually try not to use such harsh language in writing, it is totally called for in this instance. For what TP is feeding to the black community which has a fragile (at best) or f’d up (at worst) self image, is nothing more than a cocktail of destruction flavored with cherry (laughter) to make it easier to swallow.
I am now and have always been critical of TP films that included Madea. Any of his films that have not included this character and her band of merry misfits, have been at best, OK. I could go on forever on my feelings about his writing ability or lack thereof and I could go even further about the low caliber of acting he insist on putting in his films and passing off as ground breaking. But that isn’t the point of this particular piece. This is specifically about the Madea centered films that are supposed to do their best to show the ins and outs of a large black family with a Matriarch (Madea) as the main character who helps the family solve their problems. I have no issue with that premise on its surface. However, in every TP film, someone is pregnant when they shouldn’t be, someone is always on drugs, someone is always participating in some seedy behavior, someone is always abandoning their child, some man has always walked away from his wife or children, some woman is always being abused, and someone is always down and out. None of these topics are funny. And in reality, where they are happening in real life to the real life black people flooding the theaters to watch it play out on screen, there is nothing comical about it. Yet these same films with these same issues are littered with “comedy.” Since when was any of that stuff funny? Furthermore, TP prides himself on creating films that are relatable. That idea is infuriating because it assumes all black people come from the same experience and can relate to this family of dysfunction. That demonstrates TP’s limited view of Black people and their diverse experiences in this country.
Spike Lee is right, when we flock to the theaters in droves on opening weekend to see these TP films, we are casting a vote for how we want to see ourselves on screen. People are up in arms when white directors want to portray black people in roles that are considered demeaning. Black people are even further enraged when those same white people reward the black actors with Oscars for their portrayal of whores, maids and crooked cops. But why the outrage when it’s done by others? The outrage should be overflowing as one of our own continuously pimps out some of the real hardships of our communities, adds a laugh track and makes big bucks on our backs and our wallets.
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