I know one of the complaints leveled against Perry is the way he portrays middle class blacks (the bourgie among us).
Does Perry depict professional black people fairly?
I think he does. I'm not sure why middle class black people feel that they are beyond criticism or ridicule. There are idiots and a*holes in every demographic.
BlackHoney:
True. (Before I elaborate, I am making NO 'value judgements' here whatsoever. I am simply relating what I see in Perry's films to my own experience. I don't want to get folk's undies in a wad...).
I am definitely Black middle class (raised that way, college grad, homeowner, etc. Worked very hard to get there too & my family EXPECTED me to succeed) and no matter what others say, from his films I have seen, Perry shows the flaws in us too. Take Linda (the pretty DA), she had a lot going for her, but she became petty & bended the system for her own personal gain & personal dislikes of certain people. And her fiance called her on it at the climax. That scene made me smile. So Perry's depiction is pretty balanced. I have also seen this in other Perry films. Some are better than others, but this element is clearly there (if you watch closely between the comic bits.)
This-the BMC-is more or less the target demographic Tyler Perry's films are aimed at. And yes, there is a lot of 'internal class warefare' imbedded in his stories. I'm glad he dares to address this touchy subject. 'Black Bougieness'. You may not like HOW he does it, but at least he does. Hollywood continues to ignore this BMC audience for some really stupid reason. Perry is trying to tell stories all people can relate with-regardless of color. He wants to show not all Blacks are gangsta, ignorant, lazy. And we aren't. Not by a longshot. But the scandal hungry Media loves to play up those more negative types. I guess Hollywood figures all Black middle class folks are 'boring' because they are pursuing more mainstream goals. And much more low key in doing so. Instead, they gove us (as an example) "Housewives of Atlanta". Which is basically skanks with a few dollars. They LOOK the part of refinement (nice homes, clothes, hair, etc), but the ghetto always comes out. I don't relate with that crap whatsoever. Because once a skank, always a skank. And u cant tkae the hootchie out the skank. So, point is, shows like this do not accurately represent the BMC either.
I remember when "Boomerang" came out in 1992.Loved it, one of Eddie;s better films. White reviewers jumped all over it and often said they thought it was a total fantasy. Blacks just don't hold down white collar Corproate jobs, etc. Which is total BS. Screw the haters, Tyler. You were very savvy and smart enough to realize there was a huge gap in the marketplace that was not being addressed. Kudos to you, sir.
" I don't agree, but I do understand" - Chris Rock