Am I missing something? I love Tyler Perry. Although "faith-based message" movies would not make either my list or Mr Puff's, if we were asked to compile our respective "Top 1500 Movie Genres" for a countdown show, I've seen every single one of Tyler's adapted-from-stage formula comedies, and laughed at every one - and endured being laughed at myself, at least in some circles, when I have referred to him using all kinds of superlatives.
And you can go ahead and get tuned up to join that circle and laugh at me too, and that will not change the fact watching his Madea is one of the finest comedy experiences cranked out by Western culture in the late 20th-early 21st century, nor that his original cluster of players, with David Mann and his beloved Miss Tamela, are one of the best comedy ensembles assembled by anybody for any purpose, pretty much ever.
Sure, I am just as tempted as the next person to opine that if he would only shift just a smoosh closer to the "secular" realm, he would be virtually universally acclaimed as the genius I insist that he is anyway, but holding off on that until MY imdb listing is populated by a comparable number of feature films that actually got funding, one way or another, and made it to the screen just seems like the right thing to do.
Much in the same way, I guess, as it seems to Tyler that making those "faith-based message" formula comedies seems like the right thing to do.
I even saw, and liked, Diary of a Mad Black Woman.
So why didn't I see "Why Did I Get Married?"? Well, because it smelled like a stinker. Even the most genius auteur is going to have a stinker here or there. It didn't diminish my admiration or change my opinion of Tyler. I just preferred to wait until what I think may have been the second screen adaptation of Meet The Browns came out, and the fact that he chose Sofia Vergara - even before I saw her work in the film, gave me a whole new level of respect for her.
If Tyler picked her to be in one of his movies, I mused, there must be a whole lot more "there" there than I had given her credit for, and I was not disappointed.
But I digress. Why is there a "Why Did I Get Married II" in the first place?
Tyler could have used that time to make "Madea Gets an Internship at Teen Vogue," or "Madea Has Sextuplets," even (O be still my trembling heart at the very thought!) "Madea Goes To Bollywood."
Did it get some huge mess o' critical acclaim that I just missed?
Are all these people saying they like "Why Did I Get Married II" to blame for the unfortunate circumstance that I am not gushing and squeeing over the unforgettable expression Madea, resplendent in a glittering golden sari, brings to the lilting breeze of Ilaiyaraaja's latest masterpiece? (with Miss Lata Mangeshkar as playback singer, naturally)
Fess up. Is this your fault? Is this because everybody but me just loved "Why Did I Get Married Original Recipe?"
How is such a thing possible? I didn't think Madea was even in it.
And you can go ahead and get tuned up to join that circle and laugh at me too, and that will not change the fact watching his Madea is one of the finest comedy experiences cranked out by Western culture in the late 20th-early 21st century, nor that his original cluster of players, with David Mann and his beloved Miss Tamela, are one of the best comedy ensembles assembled by anybody for any purpose, pretty much ever.
Sure, I am just as tempted as the next person to opine that if he would only shift just a smoosh closer to the "secular" realm, he would be virtually universally acclaimed as the genius I insist that he is anyway, but holding off on that until MY imdb listing is populated by a comparable number of feature films that actually got funding, one way or another, and made it to the screen just seems like the right thing to do.
Much in the same way, I guess, as it seems to Tyler that making those "faith-based message" formula comedies seems like the right thing to do.
I even saw, and liked, Diary of a Mad Black Woman.
So why didn't I see "Why Did I Get Married?"? Well, because it smelled like a stinker. Even the most genius auteur is going to have a stinker here or there. It didn't diminish my admiration or change my opinion of Tyler. I just preferred to wait until what I think may have been the second screen adaptation of Meet The Browns came out, and the fact that he chose Sofia Vergara - even before I saw her work in the film, gave me a whole new level of respect for her.
If Tyler picked her to be in one of his movies, I mused, there must be a whole lot more "there" there than I had given her credit for, and I was not disappointed.
But I digress. Why is there a "Why Did I Get Married II" in the first place?
Tyler could have used that time to make "Madea Gets an Internship at Teen Vogue," or "Madea Has Sextuplets," even (O be still my trembling heart at the very thought!) "Madea Goes To Bollywood."
Did it get some huge mess o' critical acclaim that I just missed?
Are all these people saying they like "Why Did I Get Married II" to blame for the unfortunate circumstance that I am not gushing and squeeing over the unforgettable expression Madea, resplendent in a glittering golden sari, brings to the lilting breeze of Ilaiyaraaja's latest masterpiece? (with Miss Lata Mangeshkar as playback singer, naturally)
Fess up. Is this your fault? Is this because everybody but me just loved "Why Did I Get Married Original Recipe?"
How is such a thing possible? I didn't think Madea was even in it.