By: Zach Fulwood
Tyler Perry is and has always been a rather perplexing individual. Whether it’s because of his portrayals as a middle-aged Black woman with his character, Madea or his ability to consistently put out content that exemplifies (to an extent) the Black experience, Perry and his work has continued to be a topic of discussion. Though controversial, Perry has largely stayed true to himself and his audience with his work ethic never coming into question. In fact, he told us as much with a video showing all of the scripts he wrote on his own in 2019. Naturally, this display of work ethic would be applauded but considering the quality of his work, we might have to rethink that applause just a bit.
To be fair, I can honestly say that I have an appreciation for Tyler Perry and the work he has done in creating a space for Black actors, actresses, and creators alike. Had it not been for him, I would’ve never been introduced to Tessa Thompson, Lance Gross, Demetria McKinney and many others. What he was able to do with building his own production studio is nothing short of amazing and should be applauded. He is the definition of a trailblazer and he has paved the way for so many people of color. While all this is true, there is still a lot to be desired with the quality of his content.
The thing about Tyler Perry is, a lot of his productions either aren’t very good or full of recycled plot lines and for a person that proclaims to write everything he produces, that isn’t a very good look. Don’t get me wrong, he has put out some quality work before and you can’t possibly hit on everything you do. However, it is starting to get to a point where we have to question whether or not the subpar work is becoming the standard instead of the exception .
Recently Tyler Perry’s A Fall From Grace debuted on Netflix and the response was less than stellar to say the least. From critiques about the wigs on the characters to the interesting acting techniques of the extras, people were having a lot of fun with some of the missteps in this movie. I can’t personally say that the movie was bad but, as per usual with Tyler Perry films, the story line was predictable.
Look, as a Black man, I hate to criticize Tyler Perry. He has opened up countless doors for so many up and coming Black creators and has continued to tell stories that cater to an under served community of people. That said, is Madea played out? Yes. Is the acting usually subpar? Sure is. Are the storylines predictable? Without a doubt.
From the outside looking in, it looks like Tyler Perry is going for being the Black version of Lifetime and considering how much money Lifetime makes while remaining extremely repetitive, you can’t blame him if he was. But, if he’s really intent on telling authentic Black stories, something has to change and that something has to start with him.
Categories: Culture
Culturally Biased 
It’s interesting how George Lucas the writer/producer of the Star Wars saga has recycled it’s content over and over just as Tyler Perry over several decades and made millions of dollars. There is very little concern about content, as another Star Wars installment is promoted heavily over the networks as the new blockbuster. I have watched Star Wars and Tyler Perry movies take the same dive into the same dismal abyss “same old same old”.
I believe as black media consumers we want content the represents us to be held to a higher standard. I have heard some refer to this as the corporate black tax.
So we must ask ourselves does it adds value to our life, is it entertainment that engrosses you and in 100 years from now will all this make a difference?
If the answer is yes to one of the three, grab some popcorn, sit down and enjoy yourself.
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