I am a fan of Tyler Perry's movies, so I knew it would be a good movie...but I was wrong. The movie was GREAT.
The movie was nothing short of amazing in my opinion, from the story line (which was indeed dramatic, as only Tyler Perry can do), to the acting these actresses did. Every performance was absolutely on point, nothing negative can be said about the acting (except Tessa's poetry part while she was warming up for ballet class, was I the only one confused?). I'm going to raise all kinds of hell if none of these women get nominated for Oscars for this movie.
The only negative thing I can say about the movie (aside from the fact that you leave the theater depressed and emotionally drained) was the random placement of the poetry from the original play (For Colored Girls who Considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf)...which just came out of nowhere most of the time (except for Loretta Divine's part). But I can say that the poetry was fitting for the situation....it wasn't just thrown in there, it was well thought out and relevant. All in all, I would definitely recommend the movie.
The problem that I am hearing, though, is the fact that many are saying the movie makes black men look bad. I won't throw in any spoilers...but the men in the movie actually were negative roles, aside from one. Many (blacks) are saying that Tyler Perry movies show black men in a negative light (even though they fail to mention that in almost EVERY TP movie, there is a positive example of a strong, black man....ex: Daddy's Little Girls, Madea's Family Reunion, The Family That Preys, Diary of a Mad Black Women.....).
I think (especially in the African American community), that we don't like to “expose” what really goes on within our community (among others). The same thing happened when Chris Rock came out with Good Hair. He had a lot of criticism, especially from black women, because many felt stereotyped, and I even heard some women say that he gave away some “secrets” that should have stayed in the African American community. I feel that we need to come to terms with being comfortable and secure with who we are as a people, as a whole. When we embrace the TRUTH (negative or positive), then we should have no problem when light is shed on it. Quick question though: Wasn't there already negative views on black men before For Colored Girls, or even the original play that was written in the 70's??? Just asking.
Now don't get me wrong, I understand all black males are not like the ones portrayed in the movie (because I am a black man myself), but can we admit that there ARE definitely some who ARE. How many deadbeat fathers do you know, who happen to be black? How many cheating men you know that happen to be black? How many “women beaters” do you know, who just happen to be...black. The problem is we are trying to point the finger at TP for exposing the truth, rather than accepting it and trying to do better. Every situation that happened to these women in the movie is situations that happen in everyday life, no matter your color or background. This is not something he made up sitting in Tyler Perry Studios bored one day.
How about this though: Did you even read the book or see the play? If you have, you'd already (half way) know what to expect. TP just kicked it up a notch. {s/n: TP means Tyler Perry....that was for those of you who may not catch on as quickly} {s/n: s/n means side note}. The women in the original stage play was mistreated by men....and FYI, Tyler Perry has no writing credits in the original.
Now, we also need to understand that the movie is called, For COLORED GIRLS!! This may be a stretch, but...MOST of the colored (black) women I know who are going through some type of mess or drama, its usually because of a man. Imma keep it 100. A lot of the mess in a black woman's life is because of a man...so don't go into the theater and get brand new. It would be inaccurate to have a movie called For Colored Girls and have them dealing with issues like what outfit should they wear to the wedding, how should they spend their 2 million dollar inheritance, or should they get a SUV or a drop top. NOPE. The real issues were addressed....women who can't pick the right man (and keep taking him back over and over again...after he mistreats you), drugs, STD's, infidelity, rape, murder, TEENAGE PREGNANCY, abortions, unprotected sex, premarital sex...does that sound about right? All of that was touched upon in this movie. I'm not saying this does not happen in any other race, because it does, but we are talking about the black community as of this moment, and trust me, ALL of that is relevant in the African American community.
So why are we mad at TP?? For making a movie about what happens every single day in America?
On top of all this “makes us look bad” nonsense, we forgot that this is CINEMA. It's a movie! The funny part about all of this is that we talk this, “it makes blacks and black men look bad” talk, and we laugh at all these other movies that enforce negative stereotypes like Friday, Baby Boy, Don't be a Menace...(not throwin shade, because those are my movies)...Dave Chappelle...the list goes on and on. Comedy or not...if you are going to take a stand against the negative portrayal of blacks, do it all the way and not just when it exposes you for the mess you are doing...Oops.
I really believe that most (not all), but most that have an issue with this movie are the guys who do what was done in the movie, or the girls who pick them.
I always say, “Don't enforce the stereotypes that you are against.” If you think that TP stereotyped black men, look at the things in the movie that these men did, and think...”Have I done that???” (cheating counts too)....if the answer is yes, then do me a favor and HAVE A SEAT.
Posted by
CalvinEF
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