Bad Fandom: Tyler Perry Fans Play The Race Card

By Josh Tyler: 2008-09-14 20:19:31

Tyler Perry’s latest, The Family that Preys, hit theaters this past weekend and as is the norm with his work, it wasn’t screened for critics. As a result most reviewers ignored it, but the few who paid to see it over the weekend savaged it. It went on to make millions of dollars anyway. What’s going on? Most unbiased sources seem to agree that Perry’s movies miss the mark, so where is all the ticket purchasing power coming from?

Tyler Perry believes that he doesn’t need critics and for that matter, doesn’t need normal, mainstream movie audiences. He also doesn’t need to make good movies because he’s backed by fans who will blindly purchase anything he points them at, a group of followers who will literally eat whatever shit he puts on their plate, and then thank him for it. What the hell is going on? What in the world has Tyler Perry done to earn such a blindly devoted fandom? Simple. He’s black and he’s not 50 Cent.

Perry is one of the few black filmmakers out there who operates somewhere within the realm of normality. He’s not angry like Spike Lee, screaming at and against racism both real and imagined. At the same time, he doesn’t portray African Americans as ghetto thugs and gangsters. His characters aren’t rappers or drug dealers or killers. They’re mostly normal people, except with an overtly religious bent. Still, an obsession with Jesus is probably a preferable portrayal to the usual dumb basketball player stereotypes we’re most often stuck with whenever a black man shows up in front of Hollywood’s cameras.

That willingness to make African Americans seem, well, normal on film has earned Perry a wildly devoted following. Unfortunately, they’ve become so wildly devoted that they do not care if his movies are any good. As long as Perry puts a rich black banker in his script, fans trumpet him as a genius. Worse, any attempt to critique his picture in an even somewhat unbiased fashion results in cries of racism from those same fans. Ironic when you consider how hard Perry has worked at eliminating race as an issue in his movies.

Perry’s fans have deluded themselves into thinking he’s a great filmmaker, when in fact he’s just Oprah with a bigger camera. The Family that Preys has been widely panned, and anyone who wasn’t already a member of his cult walked out wondering why they just wasted ten dollars on a glorified soap opera. His fans however, see none of that. They simply scream his greatness and accuse the world of conspiring against him. Explains one commenter at Metromix.com: “White men won't like this movie because it shows a black man doing the right thing for a change.” Yes, because white people like being scared every time they drive down Martin Luther King Boulevard. Right? That makes perfect sense.

Comments left by Perry’s fanboy followers on the many many negative Family that Preys reviews all over the internet this past weekend range from the paranoid: “Hollywood doesn’t like anything or anybody that it can not control. It's long ignored the black community and now that black writers, directors, producers, actors are going out on their own to make films on the things that we have experience the movie critics want to belittle their achievements.” To the deluded: “Best movie I've seen in a long time.” To the personal attacks on critics themselves: “Maybe you should reread your commentary on Tyler Perry and really examine the failures in your life.” To the folks who seem to think they were playing a videogame: “All TP movies are interactive experiences and this was no exception.”

Bear in mind here that this is a movie about the way the children of a rich white woman and her poor black friend cheat on their spouses. It plays out exactly like a particularly bad episode of General Hospital. Apparently, this is a brilliant message, at least according to a commenter named “Universalwriter” who says, “the messages in this movie hit home. Tyler Perry is a genius at his craft. YOU BETTA ASK SOMEBODY!” That’s Tyler Perry, a guy best known for running around in a dress and pretending to be an old woman.

Here’s the frustrating thing. These blinded Perry fanboys aren’t doing Tyler any favors. As I said in my Family that Preys review earlier in the weekend, I think the guy has some genuine talent. Unfortunately, it’s hidden behind awful, self-indulgent filmmaking. He needs to explore new avenues, find better ways to express himself, maybe work with someone else who can help him get his head out of the clouds or at the least, teach him how to make a legitimate film. Unfortunately, he has no reason to do so since he refuses to accept real criticism and instead listens to the thousands of sycophants who comprise his fans and fill his head with wild conspiracy theories in which he’s the finest filmmaker on the planet. Tyler, it’s not The Man keeping you down, it’s the Yes Men.

Note to crazy Tyler Perry fans: Critics aren’t out to get him. The world isn’t out to get him. We want to see a good movie from him. When that happens, maybe he’ll get the attention you crave for him. Until it does, consider, if even for a moment, that perhaps you aren’t approaching his work from a particularly unbiased perspective. When Tyler Perry shoehorned Robin Givens into The Family that Preys for the sole purpose of having a successful black female somewhere in his script, it may have made you feel all warm, tingly, and inspired, but it had little to do with his story and did nothing to move the plot along. A better filmmaker could have still given you that same empowerment glow, but without torpedoing his own writing with extraneous, irrelevant, poorly written characters.

Tyler Perry will never gain wide acceptance, he’ll never have any real impact on Hollywood, as long as you, his fans, keep telling him he’s already genius. Tyler Perry isn’t a genius. He’s raw talent working in a vacuum, and until he gets out of his critique-proof bubble he’ll continue to churn out low-rent soap operas and call them films.

Cinema Blend writers fight back against out of control fanboys in our ongoing series of editorials, Bad Fandom! For more Bad Fandom click here.

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Lacrease Says:
September 14th, 2008 at 23:51
You said: We want to see a good movie from him. He also doesn’t need to make good movies because he’s backed by fans who will blindly purchase anything he points them at, a group of followers who will literally eat whatever shit he puts on their plate, and then thank him for it. Tyler Perry will never gain wide acceptance, he’ll never have any real impact on Hollywood, as long as you, his fans, keep telling him he’s already genius.

I say: As long as you are seeing your family and friends in The Family That Preys, you will never be able to wrap your ANT infested BRAIN around his work. Deal with the issues Tyler brings to the movies, and THEN will you be able to see good work. Key word to watching Tyler's movies.......... Learn and Love and Love.

PS. I wonder if God wrote a piece on YOU to the whole world like you just did Tyler, I WONDER WHAT IT WOULD SAY? Think about it, but you don't have to say anything o us...........we just about know.

Lacrease

Stuart Says:
September 15th, 2008 at 01:32
Thanks Lacrease, for proving his point with that unintelligent hate-filled rant.

Idiot.

Matt Says:
September 15th, 2008 at 13:24
What the heck does that PS mean? Did you graduate from high school? What was your point about God writing a letter? Bringing God into this just shows your stupidity.

Chuxty Says:
September 15th, 2008 at 13:24
Right on Stuart! A little variety is what we ask from Tyler Perry.

Dawn R Says:
September 15th, 2008 at 13:24
Josh Tyler

THE SAD THING IS THAT WE AS AMERICANS ARE TOLD TO TAKE PRIDE IN OURSELVES AND TO CHOOSE OUR OWN PATH. (What a bunch of crap ) If you are a writer who writes about life in the "TRAILER PARK" you came out of or still reside in, even if only in your mind. Are you not still a writer? The people in your trailer park and others in surrounding TPs love your work for the truth the see in it; without the 30,000 $ editors (fancy Stunts). You gain enough confidence to start a small Paper at first it only sells in the Trailer Park. Then people who use to live in the TPs start buying it and showing it 'what you so cleverly call "Normal People" (hum)Are you not still a writer? Or do you become a writer after some silver spoon totting, shell-shocked, throwback, New York Publisher says you are?........

PEOPLE LIKE YOU MAKE ME SICK BECAUSE YOU PROFESS TO HAVE YOUR OWN MIND BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT WHICH EVER WAY THE MEDIA SWAY IS THE WAY YOU GO " THEY TOLD YOU THAT, napoleon dynamite Was A GOOOD MOVIE SO YOU’LL SAY IT WAS A GOO MOVIE.(and you really believe you came to that conclusion alone) ha ha !! (DO YOU RELATE TO THE LIFESTYLE DEPICTED IN THE MOVIE)
They told you that 'Brokeback' was a GREAT Movie so YOU SAY “IT WAS GREAT” (DO YOU RELATE TO THE LIFESTYLE DEPICTED IN THE MOVIE(I”ve got no problem with that) but if you can RELATE TO IT THE IT MAY HAVE BEEN great for you.
I would hope you are intelligent enough to know that no CRITIC can tell you with the stroke of their pen what you can relate to.

OH HO HO …..

you said “That willingness to make African Americans seem, well, normal on film has earned Perry a wildly devoted following. Unfortunately, they’ve become so wildly devoted that they do not care if his movies are any good.”

Listen guy the days of White America telling “Black people, “African American people, Caribbean people Latin People, ASIAN people HECK people of COLOR” what’s good are long gone.

MAYBE YOU NEED A CRITIC STANDING OVER YOURSHOULDER WHEN YOU WRITER what the crap did you mean by “That willingness to make African Americans seem, well, normal on film”

What are they then? Hum? (Birds come in different shades but they are still birds) but you know that already…I hope.

Did however say one true thing (hopefully no one told you to say it and it came from your own mind.) “the guy has some genuine talent”

(And I quote ‘u’ ) Tyler Perry will never gain wide acceptance, he’ll never have any real impact on Hollywood, as long as you, his fans, keep telling him he’s already genius. Tyler Perry isn’t a genius. He’s raw talent working in a vacuum, and until he gets out of his critique-proof bubbled

You can’t get it that WE THE PEOPLE DON’T –WANT---YOUR—ACCEPTANCE—His goal is not HOLLYWOOD at least not the one your concerned with.

(you seem to want this certain group of (what did you say? ) ah “sycophants” to wait on you and others like you to make a film or a song that tells People of color it’s ok to feel good about yourself today(this as long as your pockets get lined) I mean who dear THESE People to take there money away from Burn After Reading, Towelhead
and give it to that “””OOOPS (I’ll let you say it for me) oh and your twist on the word Homeboys (fanboys) not very clever ask your local critic for something better.

My mom had a saying “if they don’t live in this house or contribute to the bills then their words are like SAND ON THE WIND”

I don’t know if you are a RACIST I will not label you one but the fact that you or any white person is afraid to drive down MLK blvd says something about how often you interact with the people who live there (are you insinuating that they are all gun totting savages?) Hum…???

Take a look back at Americas HISTORY of “CRITICS” looks like

They told us the Indians were bad, blasted it through every school, home and street(then when there was WIDE ACCEPTANCE ) they with the help of mindless followers slaughtered a nation of people. Oh and get this Then they turned around and dressed up like those very same Indians in movies and stage shows making millions off of playing a Native American warrior or Hero!!!! Hum???(how neurotic is that?) But they said!!!

Years later they said that Integration, Rock&Roll and Rap Music were BAD,
blasted it through every school, home and street(then when there was WIDE ACCEPTANCE ) more people died(again with the neurotic thing “blackface”) more music was shelved until those activist, hippies, rockers and Rapper said you the OLD SELF APOINTED, BACKWOODS, MURDERING, TAKE a piece of the pie, Critics will no longer tell us how or where to spend our hard earned money or what songs or pictures should move our soul.

And try to remember bill boy
It’s ok to not like something but don’t call the people who do like it crazy until you have taken a picture of their lives, their souls and studied it, or lived it or immersed yourself in it, before you open your mouth against it.

If a cake is made To your specifications with all your of favorites and I slide in uninvited and eat a piece knowing that the flavors of Chocolate and Raspberry did not sit well with me and then I bemoan the horrors of that dreadful slice
it does not make a CRITIC it makes me a Spy

and I’m not even a Tyler Perry Fan(I have seen 2 of his movies and 1play)

MEga Says:
September 15th, 2008 at 13:24
Sooo now, Perry's movies are bad and we as fans are just as bad for not agreeing with the movie reviews??? since when did we "fans" not have the sense to look at a movie and discern whether we like it or not. When did movie reviewers become the standard of whether a movie is good or not?? i HATE articles that state that people who like a movie that the almiighty reviewer doesnt like that there's something wrong us, the fan.

At the end of the day movie reviewerss say the movie is bad, yet millions of people still pay to see it, and speak otherwise. Call me crazay but the man is doing something right somewhere. Everyone is entitled to there opinion so please stop saying that the opinion of fans are not legit...i take offense to that

extra Ordinary Says:
September 15th, 2008 at 14:52
You guys need to quit, I don't hear anyone make a big fuss about Brad and George's movie. Although I haven't seen it but has seen the advertisement (seems funny) and I am a fan of theirs, but their movie is not that bright either. I must say that your criticism is uneducational and not very informative. You are telling everyone how bad the movie is and it is not bad at all. Maybe you need to give the upside and downside of the movie as a real critic or at least give why you feel this way about it, but not rant and speak badly like he is some kind of freak. Regarding your comment about him not working with others, he has made a positive start by changing up the cast. There is always room for change, so obviously you are not looking you are just bitter. Show some love!!!!!

concealed Says:
September 15th, 2008 at 21:21
And out come the venomous fans who can't bare to hear the truth.......

OJR Says:
September 15th, 2008 at 21:35
I can understand where the TP fans are coming from. They feel that attacking TP's ideas/works are an attack on the Black community's attempt to represent themselves' in a medium that is dominated by Caucasian / stereotyped casting.

Al Pacino portrays 2 different types of Latinos in Scarface and Carlito's Way. No Latino actors around?

Hollywood has different Asian ethnics portray themselves as all Chinese or all Japanese in various films. And almost always as background characters unless they are karate chopping something.

Is it a big surprise that TP fans embrace him as a voice that speaks to the rest of the black community w/o having them involved in stereotypical roles?

Ask yourself this : why are many non-Caucasian movies centered on the Jewish people and the Holocaust experience?

Could it be that Hollywood has a strong representation of Jewish Americans? (Duh).

I think that TP fans are appreciative of the fact that a black talent is outside of the Hollywood machine.

As a result, they are willing to take his bad works with his good works.

It will ALWAYS be about race, Josh.

Ambyr Says:
September 15th, 2008 at 21:35
Josh, your opinion doesn't matter. He always opens at number 1 or number 2 and his movies continue to make money long after the opening week. Who the heck are you to tell his fans what the reason is for us going to see his movies. We see them because we like them. I may not be a huge fan of his Madea movies (I like the plays much better) but "Why did I Get Married", and "The Family That Preys" are in my opinion some of the best movies I've seen in a while. "Daddy's Little Girls" was good too but he gets better with every movie. I agree that he has some learning to do about making movies and perhaps could get a little help from someone such as Spike lee who has directed great movies such as "The Inside Man". the point is while I don't necessarily agree with some fans in saying that the critics are racist and don't like Tyler Perry simply because he makes Black movies I do beleive race plays a role in it. Most movies in the U.S are geared towards the mainstream (White ppl) and we are a whole different culture. We are happy to be portrayed as the black ppl we know in our everyday lives. Not as rappers, drug dealers, pimps, and welfare cases that the mainstream likes to beleive that we all are. Perry portrays us all from the good to the bad. When you watch a foreign film such as Amelie, for example, it is a little strange and you don't always understand it the way the people in that culture would. It is the same with Perry's movies maybe you critics don't like them because they are not made for and about you like 95% of the rest of the movies. True the themes are universal but the meat of the movie and the way they unfold are usually unique to the Black experiences. This does not mean everyone can't enjoy them after all we have had to endure "mainstream" movies our whole life and most of them are good but occasionally there is a movie that I can't get into because it is just too "mainstream".

PeteH. Says:
September 15th, 2008 at 21:35
There's nothing wrong with a fan liking Tyler Perry's movies. The problem is when these fans assign some dark, prejudiced motive to a critic who doesn't like the movies. If they don't like "Family That Preys" or whatever other film, it's a good chance that they just simply don't like it; it's not because they're opposed to African American film-making or some other conspiracy garbage. No reasonable person is afraid of the revolutionary power of Perry's movies or some such; they just don't like the films.

JakeTheFatMan Says:
September 15th, 2008 at 21:35
"unbiased sources" do they even exist? We all view the world from a prism of our own values.

@Stuart: whats the difference between "unintelligent" hate-filled rant and "intelligent" hate-filled rant?

People are responding to Tyler Perry's films can't we just leave it at that? Its the old adage 'film is subjective'.

Josh's conclusion seems to boil down to "Perry can do better ... for me"

I'm still waiting for Bad Fandom's take on the few that post at Cinema Blend's forum.

Rose Kowalski Says:
September 16th, 2008 at 00:40
I am a huge Tyler Perry fan, and yes, I will consume whatever he creates. I am of Hispanic heritage and live in one of the most homogenous communities in the U.S. and know very little of other cultures, but Tyler's movies speak to me and to millions because of his themes of "live, love, and learn". The ideas of love and forgiveness that he presents rings true to my heart and are real... reflective of the circle of relationships in which I engage. Everyone of his characters are flawed people, whether successful or failures in one sense or the other...but there is always a hope and a redeeming quality for any individual who recognizes the omnipotence of God. I can honestly saythat my life has been transformed by certain lines from his movies...I guess this is what "interactive" means.
You said that "Tyler Perry will never gain wide acceptance, he’ll never have any real impact on Hollywood, as long as you, his fans, keep telling him he’s already genius." He doesn't have to have real impact on Hollywood because Tyler never meant to be all things to all men... he is secure in who he is in Christ and all he has to do is to keep on doing what he thinks God wants him to do. He is a righteous genius before God, and in the end, all that matters is what God thinks of him. Yup, whatever he creates, I will consume.

Claudia Says:
September 17th, 2008 at 15:30
This whole thing is sad, I mean, it's a movie, some people will like it, some people will not. Did you like it? Good for you, you didn't? Well, wait for the next one. We should be arguing whether a movie is good or not, and if all you guys who are saying that nobody should tell you whether you should like the movie or not, well, that goes both ways, you shouldn't be attacking the people who didn't like it.

Can we just like or dislike a movie without ever getting into the race issue? Can we have civilized discussions on the internet? Or are we forever doomed to people abusing the privilege of being anonymous and act like a total jerk?

I'm just saying guys, live and let live. If you liked the movie, good for you, enjoy the film, but don't be a jerk to the people who didn't like it. That goes for people who didn't like it too, okay, you didn't like it, give your reasons and don't be a douchebag about it.

Please, can we be polite to each other? Can we share our opinions without attacking each other?

Hallie Says:
September 21st, 2008 at 14:32
Please folks! What is all this about? Really it's so much more to worry
about !! Sounds like alot of hate going on! We are constantly being put down when we try and do nothing but positive! SOUNDS LIKE A DEVIL TO ME ALWAYS HATEING AND NEVER WANTING TO SEE ANYBODY DOING GOOD BUT THEIR OWN ! We all have to live on this planet together, so what are you going to do leave and go live on the moon.
If not, than stop all the hate. Look at the condition of the world today.
Man has brought ruin to themselves their is no time to hate!!!!! DON'T YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE BEING USED AND DON'T REALIZE IT. IT'S SO MUCH DEEPER THAN YOU REALIZE. BUT LIKE THE OLD SAYING GOES A HARD HEAD MAKES A SOFT ASS. AND THE TIME IS NEAR WHERE YOU WILL SEE IF YOU DON'T STOP BEING WICKED AND STOP ALL THE HATE.

Lacrease Says:
September 23rd, 2008 at 03:28
No matter what YOU WRITE. TYLER PERRY IS HERE TO STAY.
SO GET DEAL WITH IT!!! * ROFL*

Roz Says:
September 24th, 2008 at 15:23
Tyler Perry has often stated that he went to Hollywood. Because his movies weren't mainstream enough that His movies would fail at the box office and his ratings would be poor. Hollywood is missing out on the fact that Tyler portrays the black family as it is. It is not glamourized by violence and negative lowlife action often portrayed in "Hollywood" films. Good films showing good loving or even normal relationships between black men and women and children are absent in Hollywood. I for one am tired of how mainstream media outlets have portrayed blacks in videos-- half-naked black women and gangsta style black male thugs toting guns--

We go to see Tyler's movies to support his work, his dream and yes, his dream is our dream. Hollywood hasn't learned this yet. I think there is a hint of jealousy and they wonder why they haven't been able to make anything to get into our pockets outside of sports, rap and violence.

I for one am sooooooo glad that Tyler is so beautifully portraying the way we are and not as Hollywood has TOLD us (stereotyping) who we are. If most critics had their way, what they see as improvement would only be to change the message to fit their own biased viewpoint-if you haven't experienced something then of course it does not resonate with you--thus you cannot accept or embrace the message.

Tyler continue doing what you do. We are proud of you and it doesn't matter what the critics say. Keep writing for us, your fans.

Lastly I say to the person who's been critical of you-- perhaps HE and HOLLYWOOD would like to sit up and take some lessons. Apparently you're doing something right. If it's not broke, don't fix it. We love it!

Dee Says:
October 8th, 2008 at 12:16
OKay, I've never typed anything on these websites but I was interested in Tyler Perrys biography after seeing his multi million dollar home he just built in Georgia. He must be doing something right is all I know. I was wondering if he was racist though. I noticed on the show I was watching last night that I didn't see hardly any white people at his celebration he hosted at his new home and that there are hardly ever any white people in his films. Now don't get me wrong, I love Tyler Perry and his films that I've seen but I just feel that maybe him and Oprah are to "Pro black" if you will. Please understand I am NOT racist. I have a bi-racial son and treat everyone with the same respect but I just feel like black people are still angry about slavery and that they are trying to punish us for it to this day. I have seen so many "black" shows lately and listened to "black" radio stations and they are always making fun of white people or making racial comments. When I listen to the "white" radio stations or watch a "white" show they never do anytyhing like that towards the African American people. You know why? Because someone will play that race card and have the NAACP all over their asses. How is this right? It pisses me off to no end!!!
I feel that African Americans have every bit the oppurtunities that white people do these days. Now what they choose to do with their lives and those oppurtunites is up to them but they are out there. I see and hear so many blacks saying "the white man" this and the "white man" that. What is up with that?!!!!!!
Any way!!! Tyler Perry does have GREAT talent and so do many many many other black actors and actresses in Hollywood! I love movies of all kinds and I say that Tyler has as much talent as any "white" write/actor out there!!!!! I hope he continues to do good work and that he gives back. I can't wait to see Madea Goes To Jail!!!!

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