/ramblings: I’m not a Tyler Perry fan. But then again, I am
60 Minutes had a piece on Tyler Perry last Sunday that I can’t seem to get out of my head. I’m no big Tyler Perry fan, I only sat through “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” recently because I was researching some crew that worked on it, and I can’t say it was my cup of tea. But still, it’s a movie that I will probably never forget. And that puts it above most of the films, TV shows or web content that I consume.
- Tyler Perry most definitely has a style (even though it may not be my favorite)
- Tyler Perry most definitely has an audience (even though it might not be me)
How many filmmakers can actually say they’ve achieved a style and an audience? And how many filmmakers can actually say they’ve created a model around their particular vision, which guarantees them steady work and in which they are in complete control? It’s because of this that I am a huge Tyler Perry fan.
I think Perry represents an ideal very much fitting the times. When production seems stagnant and industry veterans have trouble enough finding work, what is a young filmmaker’s place? To keep doing his damnedest to break-in the system? Or to break-out?
Tyler Perry, the guy who wrote, produced and put on prosthetic breasts to star in “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” and the string of films and TV shows that followed, is my filmmaking hero.
