On Perry

I never really sat down and decided my list of favorite directors. At some point, I'll make it official, but I can tell you now, as it stands, Scorsese, Tarrantino, Reitman, and def Spike are up there. Spike is just a guy who continues to astound me with his strength of voice, clarity in vision, and unflinching opinion. Although I may not always agree with what he says (re: Eastwood/Flags of our Fathers controversy), I'm intently interested in whatever he says and the conviction with which speaks.
I like Tyler Perry for completely different reasons. I dislike most of his movies, but I still have this desire to see him do well. Why? Because he's black? Well actually that's precisely why. There are so few black directors who are even mentioned in the film community that I want to see him create, author, and express whatever is on his heart. Maybe not whatever, which is precisely why I'm writing this blog post.



Now admittedly, I watched some Tyler Perry plays on bootleg in my preteenage years. They felt like a kept secret; some dude from Atlanta wrote these crazy plays about armed grandmothers and combined soap-operas with gospel. He really tapped into an underrepresented section of our community. His combination of baptist upbringing and theatricality felt natural and sharp. When I heard they, and when I say they I mean white folks, gave 'em money to actually produce and distribute his first film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, I was like lovely, another black storyteller telling HIS stories with his final say. Yet somewhere between him making that first 20 million opening and now I really can't spend money on his stuff.
It just doesn't sit right with me every time I see the same recycled gags about Madea cappin somebody or Brown shuffling around like it's the early 1900's. It feels like stereotypical nonsense. He kinda just plops these characters on screen and they just kinda sit there in these contrived situations screaming at each other. Now one may reply there are messages of redemption, love, and spirituality in all of his films. Granted. Yet they are muddled by the imagery of a minstrel show at times. Many people in the black community have come out against his films, Spike Lee in particular calls it buffoonery (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ciwhh3fB6vE). Honestly, I can't disagree.
Still, you can say I’m enamored with the idea of Tyler Perry more than his actual films. I want to love this guy. He represents the classic American Dream; He even named his production company Miracle on 34th street. That is precisely why I'm interested to see him get out of the canon his older films and stretch into For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf.



With an amazing cast, including Kerry Washington, Anika Noni Rose, Whoopi, and Phylicia Rashad, I think this will be his first critically acclaimed forray. Combining his reverence for the stories of black woman and the sheer brilliance of the text, I think Perry can do some real damage. I’m an optimist.