Does "Tyler Perry Hate Black Women"? Did Oprah damage her brand and reputation by airing this show? Was the show "so awful that the awfulness appears intentional"?
Even though the ratings were sensational, the reviews from others were absolutely brutal. I used quotes in the sentences above because they were direct quotes from sources like NewsOne and the LA Times.
I did watch both episodes of the show when it aired on Tuesday night but I also caught the hour interview that Oprah did with Tyler Perry beforehand. It was an interesting view of Mr. Perry and he made some valid points about his work.
Paraphrasing, he stated that he writes from his experiences, particularly coming up in New Orleans. He can only write what he knows and they are his stories alone to tell. Now that is quite understandable but in my opinion, Mr. Perry can no longer use that as an excuse.
We are speaking about a man that has paved his own road into Hollywood when he was constantly pushed and shoved to the side. He made Hollywood see him for the force that he is. He opened his own door when so many were closed in his face. He is a multi-millionaire and has the ability to widen his experiences. He has the means to create new opportunities for himself and those can be used as new inspiration for his writing.
It should no longer be used as an excuse when people ask him why he tends to stick with the same material over and over again when he has the means to expand upon it and become much greater. Sure he has an audience and a sure formula. He creates what this particular group wants to see, produces it, and is well rewarded.
But shouldn't a man of his stature be willing to take more chances just to create a wider audience for his work? This is a golden opportunity to snag those who are not impressed with the body of work that he has created so far and turn them into fans. Or at least capture the respect that he deserves.
It seems as if Mr. Perry gives into a paranoia (refusing to let critics view his work before released) in keeping others outside, but somehow wanting the respect from those who just don't see him in the same light as the "Hollywood Elite". This is a man who, by all rights, has earned his spot at the table with the greatest and yet gets stiffed every single time.
The Haves and The Have Nots is a soapy dramatic series which I held high hopes for. I must say that while I don't consider myself a fan of his work, I do have tremendous respect for Mr. Perry. I fall in love with his story every single time I hear it. It gives me great courage to continue my writing as well.
However, I am not in love with this show. The show seemed to be a mish-mash of some of his earlier work with the same characters over and over again. I understand that Mr. Perry was greatly influenced by other bodies of work that came before him, such as The Color Purple. At some points in the show, I sat on the edge of my seat wondering when a line from The Color Purple was going to come spitting out of Hanna the maid's mouth. Kathryn Cryer seemed to come straight from Kathy Bates' character in The Family That Preys. Candace seemed as one-dimensional as Sanaa Lathan's character Andrea. Other characters were just plain strange such as Wyatt Cryer and Jeffrey Harrington.
There were contrived plot lines that drove me to almost change the channel. Why would Amanda insist on having Candace tutor her when her father is a skilled litigator? Why does Amanda insist on having Candace around her all of a sudden? This girl one minute was giving John the time of his life in a bedroom and then shows up at the house because Amanda happens to be friends with her. Not only that, Amanda INSISTS that Candace spend the night and....gasp....the family hasn't heard one word about her in the past and now she's hanging around like she's family! It holds onto the notion that if Amanda decided to tell her to f**** off, she would have no OTHER reason to even be in the house to provide the tension. It's just too contrived to be believable and Amanda would have to be doing cartwheels because she just loves this beautiful black girl Candace so much to keep her in the house and under John's nose for no other reason than making him squirm.
I am not sure where Wyatt and Jeffrey are going but their introduction into the story seemed a bit rushed. There was too much exposition...too much telling and not enough showing. The first episode pretty much stuck to the main house, with the exception of a hotel room and Hanna's house. That left the dialogue too stilted. The characters were forced to tell the audience too much. It was like watching a play in which the backstory must be explained rather than revealed to the audience slowly. Pacing...Mr. Perry. Pacing.....
I still can't figure out why Wyatt, their son, walked around the house naked for seven minutes. It delved the somewhat serious tone into complete lunacy.
Lastly, who physically licks their lips (when NOT done in jest) when they see someone physically appealing? Oh come now, Jeffrey Harrington. Or was that a really bad stereotype of the gay community? I haven't figured that one out yet.
Does Tyler Perry hate black women? Of course not. I think that notion is patently absurd. Tyler Perry sticks with his winning formula and doesn't deviate. Women in his world are either church going fanatics, stuck up and bourgeois, or hypersexual and in need of a good man/God. His characters are just the same ones over and over again but he just changes the names on the script. It's like he's plagiarized himself again and again. Morally, it's not wrong to do so. Financially? He laughs all the way to the bank. Smart? Depends on how you look at the situation. Is he being fair to himself? Not even close.
Mr. Perry stated that he feels burdened by the fact that so many people depend on him. They need to continue working and making names for themselves which means he needs to continue producing.
If I were standing in front of him right now and he asked my lowly opinion, I would simply tell him to take a year off. Explore the world if he hasn't already done so. Talk to people of different backgrounds. Read lots of books...books he would have never read in a million years. Watch movies that he wouldn't have normally watched ever because you just don't care for that genre. Talk to aspiring writers and budding actors. Dare to be different. Open your heart and your mind to something new.
Mr. Perry. This is what you are here to do. Creation is stifled when it's forced and it's time for a new formula. I, of all people, know that you have what it takes. It's time for something new.
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