This is a blog about my teaching, research and service with some occasional personal comments thrown in. These are my notes on a variety of topics. If you want to follow my blog posts on a specific topic, then see the Table of Contents in the right-hand column. While I try to work in the realm of facts, logic and moral absolutes, if there are any opinions expressed here, they are my own. -WilliamHartPhD
It seems that Tyler Perry has finally matured as both an actor and as a media icon. I've never really been a big fan of his work as I've always felt that it "dumbed down" African American family life. Certainly, every family experiences moments of comic relief, but not to the extent that it dominates the development of the family structure. However, I have always respected his success, particularly since he found a formula that has worked and insulated a message within the tomfoolery.
What impresses me most about his transition from Madea to Alex Cross is that he seems to have come to the realization that it is time to move on to not only attracting large African American audiences, but also in crossing over into broader markets and more in-depth roles.
I do not believe everyone will accept him as a more serious actor, but he is a proven box office commodity and should have few problems attracting large crowds due to his core fan base. The question that I have is, with casting him as the James Patterson detective being a Hollywood decision, what was the motive in selecting him as opposed to maybe Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, or Will Smith?
Also, is this the beginning of a ne direction for Perry, or does his fate as a serious actor depend solely on box office receipts?
Unfortunately, most actors’ fates depend on box office receipts. I have seen some actors who used to be top marquee actors who are now starring on TV shows. They either got pigeonholed into certain types of movies, couldn't get other work, or their box office sales didn't support their salaries. It’s sad to see, but that’s the importance of choosing the right roles when an actor is beginning their careers. But look at how some actor’s like Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, and Will Smith were able to switch back and forth between movie genres. Why is that?
We discussed this in class on Monday. I'm glad that he switched to a more serious role. I think people were getting tired of the "Madea act". Some of my family recently went to one of his shows and they were complaining about how he wasn't that funny anymore and they were tired of him doing the same thing over and over again. They were saying that it was time for something new. So I'm glad to see him doing something new. However I must admit, it looks funny seeing him not as madea. You can tell that he is a very talented individual to be able to play both roles and do it so well.
And yet comedians on television sitcoms play the same characters over and over and are successful at it. Look at actors like Kelsey Grammar, or Tim Allen or Ray Ramono who play comedians every week (or did) and their shows remained successful?
I posted a comment about this, but I don't see it, so maybe it's somewhere else. So, I'll just repeat myself. What I was saying was that perception is everything because you get totally different information from each of the feature stories. In the first interview with Tyler Perry, you get the impression that it is a great movie, that everything went well, and that it is something he plans to continue doing. In the second interview with Patterson, you get the same feeling. He even talks about how Perry is a better fit for who he imagined Alex Cross to be when he wrote the books. Again, he talks as if the movie is a great success and that he plans to have a future working with Perry again on future projects. But when you read the review (and many, many similar reviews) you get the impression that the movie and the acting were not good at all. So who do you believe? Do you take into consideration each person's agenda and base you decision as to whether or not to see the movie on other people’s reviews or do you decide for yourself? I think I'd go see it anyway, to judge for myself. It’s in viewing items of this sort that we should begin to recognize the influence that media has on us.
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It seems that Tyler Perry has finally matured as both an actor and as a media icon. I've never really been a big fan of his work as I've always felt that it "dumbed down" African American family life. Certainly, every family experiences moments of comic relief, but not to the extent that it dominates the development of the family structure. However, I have always respected his success, particularly since he found a formula that has worked and insulated a message within the tomfoolery.
ReplyDeleteWhat impresses me most about his transition from Madea to Alex Cross is that he seems to have come to the realization that it is time to move on to not only attracting large African American audiences, but also in crossing over into broader markets and more in-depth roles.
I do not believe everyone will accept him as a more serious actor, but he is a proven box office commodity and should have few problems attracting large crowds due to his core fan base. The question that I have is, with casting him as the James Patterson detective being a Hollywood decision, what was the motive in selecting him as opposed to maybe Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, or Will Smith?
Also, is this the beginning of a ne direction for Perry, or does his fate as a serious actor depend solely on box office receipts?
Unfortunately, most actors’ fates depend on box office receipts. I have seen some actors who used to be top marquee actors who are now starring on TV shows. They either got pigeonholed into certain types of movies, couldn't get other work, or their box office sales didn't support their salaries. It’s sad to see, but that’s the importance of choosing the right roles when an actor is beginning their careers. But look at how some actor’s like Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, and Will Smith were able to switch back and forth between movie genres. Why is that?
DeleteWe discussed this in class on Monday. I'm glad that he switched to a more serious role. I think people were getting tired of the "Madea act". Some of my family recently went to one of his shows and they were complaining about how he wasn't that funny anymore and they were tired of him doing the same thing over and over again. They were saying that it was time for something new. So I'm glad to see him doing something new. However I must admit, it looks funny seeing him not as madea. You can tell that he is a very talented individual to be able to play both roles and do it so well.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet comedians on television sitcoms play the same characters over and over and are successful at it. Look at actors like Kelsey Grammar, or Tim Allen or Ray Ramono who play comedians every week (or did) and their shows remained successful?
DeleteI posted a comment about this, but I don't see it, so maybe it's somewhere else. So, I'll just repeat myself. What I was saying was that perception is everything because you get totally different information from each of the feature stories. In the first interview with Tyler Perry, you get the impression that it is a great movie, that everything went well, and that it is something he plans to continue doing. In the second interview with Patterson, you get the same feeling. He even talks about how Perry is a better fit for who he imagined Alex Cross to be when he wrote the books. Again, he talks as if the movie is a great success and that he plans to have a future working with Perry again on future projects. But when you read the review (and many, many similar reviews) you get the impression that the movie and the acting were not good at all. So who do you believe? Do you take into consideration each person's agenda and base you decision as to whether or not to see the movie on other people’s reviews or do you decide for yourself? I think I'd go see it anyway, to judge for myself. It’s in viewing items of this sort that we should begin to recognize the influence that media has on us.
ReplyDelete