By Terryn Kelly

Mixing Christianity along with the big screen is nothing new for movie goers. Currently, one producer seems to be monopolizing on the genre in a big way.

            Tyler Perry first burst onto the Hollywood scene February 2005, with his comically refreshing play turned movie Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Although the movies are based around African-American characters, they have been well received by Christians of different backgrounds and races.

            Many people support Perry in his efforts to employ black actors since they are lacking on the big screen, but also because he provides the audience with a deeper look into the African-American culture. Various people can relate to his Madea character, especially if they were raised in the South by a grandmother.

            Lisa Jones does like the character for many reasons.

            She said, “I’m from the South, so when I saw Madea Goes to Jail, I immediately thought of my grandma. The southern accent and quick temper definitely reminded me of her. I think that it is cool Tyler has created this universal character that a majority of us (African-Americans) actually have in our family.”

            Not all people are smitten with Perry and his line of movies and three television shows, especially if Madea is the main focus. She requires Perry to dress as a woman in full make up, a wig and padding. Some say that is not of God to support a man who is dressed in drag. This has also led to rumors of Perry possibly being homosexual. Others complain that he is stereotyping his own race. They are upset about the images seen on screen, and are worried if this is how other nationalities will perceive all black people to be.

            Brittany Wilson favors his movies that are more serious.

            “Some of his plays and movies are actually really good, like The Family that Preys. I really enjoyed that movie because he had a valid message throughout the movie without using that god- awful Madea. No man should be dressed as a woman, and I refuse to support the plays or movies when he is dressed up like her,” she said.

            Wilson can understand why Perry writes the script the way he does, but she thinks he could do a better job.

            “We are all not like the characters in his movies. We all aren’t loud angry or crazy all the time. This is only a slice of what our culture is like, and I wish he would show that black people can be very diverse,” she said.

            All his movies are amusing and relatable. It is nice to see someone who used to live on the street turn into a millionaire because we chose to buy his movies and go see his plays. I look forward to seeing his new movie The Marriage Counselor even though some are already planning to boycott the movie because it will feature Kim Kardashian.

Cover via Amazon

Writer, director, producer, actor Tyler Perry had an inauspicious start in life.  Born Emmitt Perry Jr. in New Orleans, Louisiana, one of four children of Emmitt Perry, Sr., a carpenter, and Willie Maxine Perry, he had a troubled childhood.  An abusive father, the elder Perry drove him to attempt suicide during his childhood to escape the beatings.  When he was 16, Perry had his first name legally changed to Tyler to distance himself from his father.

Perry did not formally finish high school, getting his diploma through GED.  He started writing after watching an Oprah Winfrey show where he heard her say that writing about one’s experiences could have a cathartic effect.  After looking up ‘cathartic’ in the dictionary, he began writing about his experiences, using invented names.  The journal of his efforts eventually became his first play, I Know I Been Changed, featuring a character who confronts an abuser, forgives him, and moves on.

In 1990, he moved to Atlanta to finish working on his play and in 1992, rented the 14th Street Playhouse in Atlanta and staged it, filling the roles of director, producer, promoter, and star.  The show was a financial disaster at first, with only 30 people showing up for the weekend run.  But, an investment from one of the 30 attendees kept him from giving up.  Over the next six years, he staged I Know I Been Changed in Atlanta and other southeastern cities, losing his job each time he had to take time off to rehearse or put on the play, and sometimes having to sleep in his car because he couldn’t afford rent.

He hit pay dirt in 1998 when what he’d decided would be the last performance was sold out.  After a series of sold out performances, and a good review from the Washington Post producers who had previously rejected him approached him about doing new projects.  Perry, though, who had decided from the beginning to insist on total control creative control over his productions, chose to collaborate with T.D. Jakes, an evangelical pastor from Dallas for his next project, and adaptation of a book he’d written, “Woman Thou Art Loosed.”

Some people criticized him early on for the mix of serious and farcical that characterized his work, stating that it demeaned black people; and some still do; but, he ignored the jibes and continued to build on his unique style to the delight of audiences.

His best known character, Medea, introduced in his 2000 play I Can Do Bad All By Myself, was based on his mother and other older women he’d known while growing up in New Orleans, and he played the character himself, dressed in drag.  His plays, many featuring the indomitable and sometimes irreverent Medea, were distributed on DVD and made him a profit of $50 million.

When Woman Thou Art Loosed was released as a successful movie in 2004, main stream producers, recognizing that the black audience was largely untapped and potentially profitable, sought Perry out.  Because Lion Gate gave him the desired total creative control he demanded, he signed with that company to film Diary of a Mad Black Woman in 2005, which, despite receiving mixed reviews quickly topped the box office charts.  Since then, Perry has directed, written, produced, or acted in 15 films and been involved in the production of three successful TV shows, “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne,” “Meet the Browns,” and “Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse.”  While he has yet to receive Oscar or Emmy honors, in 2005 he won two BET Comedy Awards for acting and writing and a Black Movie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting, and he has been nominated for several others, including Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Award and MTV Movie Awards.

Tyler Perry is now widely regarded as one of America’s most popular multi-title filmmakers, and has demonstrated that his talents range beyond comedy.  This summer he will replace Morgan Freeman as crime-solving psychologist Alex Cross in the filming of “I, Alex Cross,” which will be shot on location in Cleveland, Ohio.

Not a bad track record for a kid who grew up in an abusive household.

Sept 12: I am so mad. And black.

Sept 13: There has been no change of circumstances in the last day.

Sept 14: Also, I am a woman.

The above is intended to be offensive. It is also (in my opinion) funny, not only because it is a hyperbolic representation of the content suggested by the title, but also because it is avant garde and off-color. This type of humor does receive a warm reception in mass media, especially when the targets are widely varied, such as with the case of Family Guy. There is hardly a group that can be identified that has not been mocked at least once by Seth MacFarlane and company. I find Tyler Perry’s work to be a little different.

First of all, let me make a disclaimer for which anyone is welcome to chastise my about: everything I know about Tyler Perry’s work I have learned from teasers, promotions and trailers. Before any Perry fans get out their pitchforks, let me remind you that the modern movie trailer is pretty much the whole movie in 60 seconds, or 120 seconds or more in a theater. TV is about the same. Most movies, but especially comedies, are not surprising anymore. You bought the ticket to [college comedy] to see that scene where [gross out moment], and you can usually call out the next thing to happen at any moment. I should see something by Tyler Perry, just to say I did, but until then I don’t think I’m too far out of line thinking that I’ve got a decent handle on it for now.

So, how is House of Pain not offensive to blacks? I see commercials on TV and I think to myself that this stuff appears to be in really bad taste. It takes African-American cultural stereotypes to zany levels that I didn’t I would see since the cancellation of Amos and Andy.

I tried to reverse it in my head and imagine a black guy watching a show exploiting white stereotypes. First of all, that image alone doesn’t seem able to fully form in my head. White culture stereotypes are largely rooted in being boring, so that’s not a very good basis for entertainment, and especially comedy. But if this was somehow put together, the show would ultimately be in poor taste and probably cancelled quickly. Why does it work for Tyler Perry? Is this a FUBU attitude of acceptance?

At this point I want to make clear that I am not criticizing Tyler Perry, or insinuating anything about his talent. The man produces entertainment that a lot of people enjoy, so congratulations to him. I just want to understand why no one seems to agree that this humor is in poor taste. I want to understand why Tyler Perry is revered by the very people I would expect to be calling for his head. Please comment with your opinions.