NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
There is always at least one actor, musician, entertainer, or sports figure that we always give a chance to. And maybe more than one chance. For me, that person is Tyler Perry.
Throughout his career, I’ve watched, cheered, criticized, referred, laughed, and even ignored his work. But one thing that has always been consistent, I gave him a chance. Well, those times have changed a bit. Perry is still Perry and that alone may be his biggest hurdle for me to get over.
With his new film, The Six Triple Eight, Perry is stepping into a territory where he cannot fail. It’s not that he can’t, it’s that he can’t afford to. This is the film that needs to succeed in a big way.
While not being shown in a ton of theaters, it needs to hit Netflix like a Tsunami and stay in the Top 10 for weeks. Let’s be real here. The black community will tune in just like we have for all his projects but he can’t continue to rest on that support anymore. As much as we watch and support his projects, they are becoming mirror images of each other.
The jokes are getting boring, the storylines are hella predictable, and the acting, well, everything needs to be fine-tuned. The industry looks at Perry and he’s put in a box. He makes shows/movies that cater to a certain crowd. However, I do believe that behind the camera is where his real talent lies. If this movie is a success, that will open more doors for him.
While he does run his studio, how much of Hollywood is Tyler Perry looking to take over? That’s a major question. I believe he no longer cares what the heads of the bigger studios think. But at the same time, having a movie get high praise, that changes a lot. Not saying he should sell out. No way. What he has accomplished is the main reason we still support him.
What I’m looking for from him is that growth. His core audience is no longer searching for the Madea’s, we’re looking for substance. We have grown up with him. Some of our core values have changed with time. The same bunch that was running to theaters to see his plays or running to the big screens to see those movies, well, life has thrown some of us curveballs, and now we’re looking at him to give us some hope. We want him to win the Oscar for Best Director or Best Movie. But to do that, he needs to show growth.
This new film is centered around the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion in which 855 African-American women were stationed in Germany to sort through three years of backlogged mail during World War II. This has nothing to do with Madea, Calvin, Zatima, Zac, or The Madam. This is a true story and there is no time for those drawn-out, non-funny jokes or men mistreating women through the eyes of Tyler Perry.
There is no way that he should or could add anything extra to this movie. Just do what happened and exactly how it happened. There is information out there for him to go on and not screw this up. There is no need for him to sit in his office and think of ways to make the audience laugh. No need for a 6’5 man dressed in a church gown to show up in Germany toting a rifle.
Many will look at this and scoff. I can understand the hesitation to agree with me. Tyler Perry is an icon. But where does it say that icons can’t be criticized? I admit, I do hold Mr. Perry to a higher standard than I do most writers, directors, and studio heads. Perry has put in the work and has done wonders. However, he needs to make something monumental.
The Six Triple Eight is his moment to shine. It’s his moment to put the critics to shame. It’s his moment to tell a part of history that was ignored. It’s his moment to show who he is outside of the jokes and questionable storylines.
His movies with Netflix have garnered mixed reviews with A Jazzman’s Blues, A Medea Homecoming, A Fall From Grace, and most recently, Mea Culpa. It was more of the same but you can see a bit of growth there. Now, The Six Triple Eight has to be the one that hits. A tornado of sorts that provides him with another deal with Netflix.
