Tyler Perry: Critic-Proof?

"When you get down to it, Perry’s actors and characters may be African American, but his stories are about family and spirituality – concepts that know no racial borders. We may criticize his cinematography or weak stories, but I’ll always respect his selection of themes as long as he stays true to them. Give me the weak but heartfelt Madea’s Family Reunion over the more popular but less substantial White Chicks any day. It’s movies like his that will be remembered in fifty years, simply because they are so universal. Even if the specific intent of Perry’s films isn’t to bridge any racial gaps (or gender gaps), the themes he touches on transcend.

I guess it’s because of that universality that I’m so disappointed when Perry’s faithful fans start throwing around race as a factor when reviews aren’t positive. Here you have a potentially brilliant filmmaker making movies that appeal to a wide spectrum, and any criticism of his filmmaking suddenly becomes a racial epithet. What good are movies that cross those borders if the people enjoying the films just draw those borders back again?

The truth is, the Perry faithful shouldn’t be so concerned with what critics say about the filmmaker’s movies. After all, Perry isn’t, and neither are the big studios. Lionsgate doesn’t offer advanced screenings for most Tyler Perry movies for critics. For a refreshing change, it’s not because they’re worried about what critics might say, but instead because they realize it doesn’t matter. Tyler Perry is critic-proof, a rare position for a filmmaker, and even more rare for one that Hollywood hasn’t fully embraced. His movies appeal to a niche audience that critics won’t be able to put off – an audience I consider myself a part of, even if I often find myself appreciating his movies more for their intent than their execution." (Rafe Telsch, "Racism, Hollywood, and Tyler Perry," 10/17/07)

Aside from overwhelming praise by my coworkers, the only thing that led me to watch Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys (two stars total) was Kathy Bates. It's not the first time that a Tyler Perry movie has had a white character, but it's the first time it's had a big name white actress. Unfortunately her talent was wasted. Her character had no arc, but neither did anyone else's. No drive-by baptism or surprise ending changed anyone. There just isn't anyone to like or root for, although I did admit to my coworker that Alfre Woodard's character was good-natured and gave the best speeches. But she still doesn't DO anything or affect any change. The only person who does or tries to do anything new or differently is the bad guy, who is an otherwise nice guy except to his wife and mother. It wasn't all for naught though. The sets were beautiful (more the post-Katrina New Orleans than the male strip joint) and most of the people were too (I like Tyler Perry with big hair and a beard, but not snaggle-toothed Robin Givens). The worst part was the country music. The best part was the dialogue. Here are some samples so you don't have to watch the movie:

"Be careful how you talk to strangers because you could be entertaining an angel unawares."

"You are a woman scorned without a prenupt. That is a recipe for good living."