Entertainment Weekly has posted a compelling article about Tyler Perry and the Madea franchise.
Perry’s seven movies have grossed more than $350 million; he is on track to become one of the most successful black filmmakers of all-time. But not every one appreciates the image of African-American life that his films purport.
As Viola Davis, who starred in Madea Goes to Jail; explained: ”People feel the images [in his movies] are very stereotypical, and black people are frustrated because they feel we should be more evolved. But there are very few black images in Hollywood, so black people are going to his movies. That’s the dichotomy. Tyler Perry is making money.”
Perry’s films present a dilemma about race and the presence of African-Americans in the entertainment industry that is more relevant than ever. This excerpt from the article stands out to me as to why Perry is a important filmmaker and why he is not just presenting a stereotypical image of black America:
”Tyler Perry understands that much of his audience is African-American women — the most ignored group in Hollywood — so he’s doing movies that speak to them,” Bogle says. ”You could see these films as parables or fables. There’s a black prince figure who shows up for black women who’ve been frustrated, unhappy, or abused.” That’s the real reason critics don’t like Perry’s movies, says Nelson George: They’re made for churchgoing, working-class black women, not urban hipsters (or tenured professors). ”Tyler Perry speaks to a constituency that is not cool,” George says. ”There’s nothing cutting-edge about the people who like Tyler Perry. So, for a lot of other people, it’s like, ‘What is this thing that’s representing black people all over the world? I don’t like it. It doesn’t represent me.”’
@Cinefille 