Last night “60 Minutes” aired an segment on Tyler Perry and his success to date in the film industry. It was an interview I happened to catch by chance, but found myself recording and re-watching several times before I’d finally gone to bed. Say what you will-o-may about his work, but Tyler Perry is a force to be reckoned with in the world of entertainment. In the last 5 years alone, he has grossed millions with his many “Madea” movies and subsequent television spin-offs. He has built his empire on the foundation of relating to African Americans (specifically women) in a way that Hollywood has heretofore blatantly ignored. While I may not be the biggest Tyler Perry movie fan, I am a big fan of Tyler Perry; and as an aspiring entertainment mogul myself, I consider him to be one of my greatest role models. What enthralled me so about this particular interview- as short as it may have been- was listening to Tyler address what many African Americans (including myself) have often said about his work. As an example, Perry was read a quote recently given by Spike Lee:

“I think there’s a lot of stuff out today that is coonery and buffoonery. I see ads for ‘Meet the Browns’ and ‘House of Payne’ and I’m scratchin’ my head. We got a Black President and we’re going back. The image is troubling and it hearkens back to ‘Amos & Andy.’”

I, admittedly, have held this same opinion for a while. I commend Perry for his success and I have gone and supported a few Madea movies in the past, but I’ve struggled desperately to make it through to the end of any of them given their overwhelming stereotypical nature. It’s not that I don’t find Madea & Co. entertaining- they can be downright hilariously foolish at times- but, seriously, for the most part, that’s all we ever are when it comes to black faces on the silver screen. When you go to see a “Black film,” nine times out of ten you expect to laugh your ass off and gag at the many “it’s funny cuz it’s true” stereotypes that parade around on screen. It is for this reason that many Black Americans do not support Perry’s movies. In the interview, Tyler replied to Spike Lee’s comment, and I’m assuming the voice of the opposition in general, by saying:

“Let me tell you what Madea, Brown… all these characters are are bait. Disarming, charming, make-you laugh bait. So, I can slap Madea in something and talk about God, love, faith, forgiveness, family…any of those things. That pisses me off…it really does…because it’s attitudes like that that make Hollywood think that these people do not exist; and that’s why there’s no material speaking to them, speaking to us.”

When I heard him say that I had to let my guard down a little bit (not all the way, though). Both Spike and Tyler make very good points. With Tyler’s response, I thought about baby steps and bridges. One thing Perry does well in his movies is combine the slap-stick nature of his Madea character with an inspiring message of love, family, and believing in God- even if he does have to pull in Cicely Tyson and Maya Angelou to do so. He is, or is at least attempting to bridge the gap between buffoonery and maturity. We have to crawl before we can walk; and while yes, most of us are trying to hurry up and run over to the land of mature Black cinema, Hollywood doesn’t yet recognize that we can be serious and still relevant on our own. They are still blind to the many faces of Black America and so are increasingly hesitant to push the envelope. It’s going to take a lot of work to accomplish that. Luckily, it seems that Perry has been thinking ahead, as the highly anticipated movie “Precious-” complete with a star-studded cast and a powerful modern take on the Black experience- is about to hit theaters next month. The movie, executive produced by Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey, has already garnered rave reviews, and could quite feasibly open the door for many other mature-natured Black films to be featured in Hollywood.

I greatly appreciate Tyler for what he has done and is continuing to accomplish in the areas of Black film and television. He has taken very large steps in opening doors for our community of entertainers and for the race at large. With “Precious” on the horizon, and his very own 31-acre television production studio already in use, I hope that he broadens the scope of the movies he releases. As they say, “With great wealth comes great responsibility.” I’m not holding him responsible for the future of Black cinema, but I am acknowledging the opportunity he has to put us on the map, for real! FUBU ain’t got nothin’ on what Tyler Perry could do and represent for Black America. It’s a very exciting time to be Black right about now, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Tyler does next.

Oh, and Mr. Perry: If you’re need a writer, actor, producer, etc.- I’m available!