Spike Lee and Tyler Perry are completely different in terms of film making and their resume of work. Tyler Perry is entertaining and creates movies with a message under the surface, disguised in comedy. Spike Lee smacks you in the face with a message before the opening credits are done. Perry brings his message by way of a 70 year old grandmother and Spike brings his via his trademarked crane chair shot.
I hear both of these film makers and their views.
Should we push for more out of our limited black film makers by way of positive images? Yep. Does Perry’s movies reach a HUGE audience? ABSOLUTELY! Do we know someone like Madea? Uh huh. But before you come at Spike like he doesn’t know anything, you might want to check his film credits. Don’t brush the guy off as jealous or someone that doesn’t know much (insert Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X as examples). I think Spike just has a different view on how he sees the role of a black film maker (since they are so far and few in between). The same issues are in music, when an older generation that laid down the groundwork decides to say something, people just look at them with the side eye and think they can’t have an opinion. I think Spike earned his right to one.
Was Spike off base? I’ll let you decide. Should he have reached out to Perry in a less public way if he disagreed with his movies? Yes. I mean, after all these are two professional men. More boring than an R&B beef (and blogger beef too) is a beef between two black film-makers. Hug it out and let’s move along.
UPDATE: I feel like some folks might miss this in the comment section, so I decided to bring it up into the piece. The comment makes some VERY valid points…
Kacee Says:
Let me just say that while I deeply respect and am proud of what Tyler Perry has been able to accomplish (what other black films are opening no. 1?) However, I do feel that he has a responsibility to produce positive images of African Americans. Hollywood has spent plenty of time distorting the images of the black family (TCS a notable exception) that I just feel that when given the awesome opportunity that Tyler Perry has, he could’ve maybe done something greater with it.There are only a handful of black shows on TV right now and House of Payne is one of them. That is a great platform to entertain and show what black life is really about in a more multi-dimensional aspect. So why when given that chance did he make the character Janene a crack head who burned down her house getting high? A situation that would require the willing suspension of any racial pride for me to think was even a little bit funny.
In defense of Spike, he has studied filmmaking and understands the history of blacks in cinema and television. I dare say it, but my feeling is that many of Mr. Perry’s supporters who want to rush to jump all over Spike–do not understand that background and probably don’t know who Amos and Andy or Steppin Fetchit were.
Black movies don’t all have to be one thing. They can be serious, funny, dramatic, sexy, dark, loving, imaginative, and entertaining. There is room at the table for both of these filmmakers. But to whom much is given, much is required and both of these men have to consider how Black people are being represented in their work.
I’m just sayin….
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Q (@ThroatChopU) is firm believer that if it's funny, he's going to laugh and then blog about it. He writes about pop culture, politics, music and provides a bit of social commentary. Never holding his tongue and always keeping it real. Check out his work over at www.throatchopu.tumblr.com or www.themadbloggers.comYou can read more of his work at http://throatchopuniversity.com.
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Did dude just say there’s no material speaking to people like Madea? Sorry Tyler don’t make me take it back to Flip Wilson and forward right on up to you. Madea is a popular character…not a unique one. Hell she even has a white counterpart…Mama’s Family anyone?
Being a film school graduate, this discussion is an important one. Spike Lee is my favorite director, so I am somewhat biased. I appreciate his aproach to story, visual style, and sound design. Tyler Perry is more of a conundrum to me. In one sense what he’s doing employing so many African-Americans through his studio, as well as his contributions to the Arts is commendable. The problem arises with the sterotypical delivery of his product (movies, tv shows, plays). I personally think that you shouldn’t put any restrictions on art. I try to appreciate Tyler Perry in that sense, but it’s catch 22 to me. These 2 brothers are probably the most well known African-American Directors, but let’s also support other talented African American directors as well like Antoine Fuqua, Kasi Lemmons, Lee Daniels, F. Gary Gray, and so many more.
Spike Lee’s famous shot is dolly shot not a crane btw.
I think that both filmmakers are very talented in there own rights, but it’s funny that this is conversation is very similiar to one that was held years ago when everyone said that the Cosby Show was not an accurate or realistic portrait of the Black Family. While Tyler comes from the Gospel theater circuit so I would agree that his message is pretty standard. Redemption, forgiveness, love, family togetherness etc.. For someone looking in this could lead to some scathing generalizations. On the other hand Spike’s movies usually have a socially conscious message, that for some people can also be pretty alarming and give reason to pause. I think that Tyler has a better marketing plan and that is what has made him so successful in such a short period of time. I agree that he can do some more serious things but what he is doing is working for him and all the actors and actresses he has on payroll. I think “Precious” will show a more serious side in his abilities to direct something that wasn’t his own mind child. Again I am not taking either’s side but I think that they should partner up and Tyler can learn alot about depth from Spike and Spike can learn alot about how to sell his work from Tyler, still without selling out.
@Anthony, Tyler Perry didn’t direct Precious–Lee Daniels did.
I’d also add that Spike Lee is actually quite special in regards to what he is. Check out the list of films he has produced and/or directed. Considering some of the messages he’s pushed…he’s lasted longer then conscious hip-hop artists and he can still make a film with a major film studio and get it promoted.
@Amadeo, You said it. Spike Lee, yes he has been and still is very successful, but he still needs to have a major film studio to back his projects. Tyler Perry on the other hand, has created his own major film studio, that I think will continue to be successful in many years to come.
I agree that Spike Lee has his film credits and has spent a number of years putting out movie after movie with their own messages telling us all to “wake up” to what is around us. He went to Morehouse College a prestigious HBCU. He has paid his dues; however, his films have had their fair share of Amos and Andy characters. He, Lee, as played drug addicts in a few of his own productions, ‘Crooklyn’ and ‘Jungle Fever’, for instance. Samuel L. Jackson, a highly respected actor which can be attributed to Spike Lee’s films, did the “shuffle” or “dance” in ‘Jungle Fever’, which is what Perry is being criticized for. In ‘School Days’, Lee emphasized the stereotypical portrayal of HBCUs. The film exploited the negative perceptions of what the HBCU experience is truly like with the “Jigaboos” and “Wanna-bees” that was represented by the darker and lighter students in the film. As a student of an HBCU I can personally say that I have never experienced anything like what he depicted in that movie. I don’t see how Lee can criticize Tyler Perry for something that he has been doing in his film for years!!! Not to mention, the profanity and the usage of the N-word in his films. I cannot recall a Tyler Perry film that has even included the N-word in the dialogue between characters. Madea and Mr. Brown are just the comedic characters to fill the seats, but Perry has repeatedly included God’s word and Gospel in almost if not every film and play that he has produced. Kacee wrote that Tyler Perry could be doing something more with this gift that he has been given and that he could have left out the character, Janene, from the House of Payne. Plenty of people have family members that are on or have been on drugs whether they be black, yellow, white or what have you. Look at what Tyler Perry has done, he has created his own studio and sets, his own movie theater, he has employed over 400 people, and has immortalized in his studios the great Black actors and actresses that have paved the way for him and others, and the list goes on and on. What has Spike Lee done when it comes to the money and the real behind the scenes of making the movies? Tyler Perry may have not been in the game for as many years as Spike Lee but he has made awesome strides in the industry and has shown that you do not have to rely on hollywood to attain your goals in film or stage.
I highly respect both directors and have enjoyed each of their bodies or work, but I do not feel that is right for Spike Lee to judge Tyler Perry as he is evolving and MAKING HIS OWN WAY in the industry.
@Princess, I think you really missed the point of School Daze. The whole point was to get beyond those two points of view/stereo-types…hence the “wake up” scene. You also can’t justify Perry’s crackhead character and knock Lee’s (the crackhead was the one dancing BTW). This feels like nitpicking…but Lee was just a working man drinking a 40 at a crime scene in Crooklyn.
@Amadeo, Nope, Princess was right about Spike in Crooklyn (its one of my favorite movies, lol)…Spike played a character that would sit on a stoop and get high from “huffing” fumes (I think that’s what its called).
Anyway, I think understand where both men are coming from and I enjoy their works. I don’t see why they need to be “beefing” at each other…
@Tiffany, I remember now…I’m thinking about the semi-sequel…Clockers.
@Tiffany, oh and thank you Tiffany for the above correction. I knew it had something to do with drugs. lol
@Amadeo, No, I understand the point of Spike Lee’s School Daze. He does want to get past the stereotypes, THAT’S THE MESSAGE, hence why I put “WAKE UP” in my comment before
, but he had to exploit them to such an extreme extent to do so. That was my point. And also, Jackson played the crackhead that was doing the dance in Jungle Fever when he was talking to his father portrayed by Ozzie Davis.
Perry does the same things in his movies, he has these characters that he uses to pull the audience in, Madea and Mr. Brown, to deliver his true message through gospel music and preaching in the church scenes. Perry’s movie are beginning to take on more of darker theatrics and his characters are becoming more complex and he does not always rely on Madea and Brown, which can be seen in the film, Why Did I Get Married. Lee on the other hand would use more extreme characters, often crackheads or stereotypical characters, to also portray a more extreme message. Therefore, I don’t understand how Lee can openly criticize Perry for doing the same thing he has done for years, but in a less drastic medium through his characters.
I also think it has to do with the backgrounds of both men, Perry grew up in the south, therefore he may have grown up around more colorful characters and had personal experiences with people like Mr. Brown and he had elders like Madea in his life. Lee on the other hand was born in Atlanta, but he was moved to Brooklyn as a small child. Maybe he was exposed more to the characters that he would often include in his movies as well. I am not sure, I am speculating if this could be the reason why both men used these type of supporting characters in their films.
@Princess, Lee didn’t always use dramatic characters to make his main point. In do the right thing the person who sets it off is basically a screw-up who ends up regretting it later. There were lots of other colorful characters around him. In fact that’s normally the method. Spike has been doing it for YEARS. However when you put their films up side by side Lee’s are just stronger. Alot of people reference the money Perry is making = popularity. We could say the same thing about alot of Hip-Hop…that doesn’t make it good. However the main premise of this is easily supportable. People criticize films and their makers all the time. So Perry is not immune…as Lee has never been immune. I don’t think Spike has ever “exploited” characters. One film using two stereotypes to get to a point isn’t exploiting. The argument can be made that Perry is exploiting themes and formats.
@Princess, I’m so sick and tired of everyone running and hiding behind “don’t judge me” Can people no longer have opinions?
*Please don’t misread my tone. I’m not saying I’m sick and tired of the above poster (that would be silly!) but I’m just sayin*
@JG*, JG, people can have their own opinions, but don’t put someone else down that is following in your foot steps and also, please don’t be hypocritical. Lee is a great director and I love his movies like School Daze and Do The Right Thing, don’t get it twisted with what I said, but I know how to analyze something. And I know that what Lee said seems kind of hypocritical especially given the films that he has produced in the past. I am not going to misread your tone, but don’t misread my comment. I am not saying that Lee can’t comment on a fellow director’s style, but what he said seemed critical and insulting to what Perry has achieved, which is what I personally disagree with. That is my opinion.
@Princess, Tyler Perry does not even possess 1/10 of the visual, directing and writing talent that Spike Lee does. While yes he is entertaining, one must understand that his movies are very predictable and lack any depth. I am a Christain and I see the religious point of his movies, but give me something extra. I love some slapstick movies, it doesn’t always have to be “power to the people”, but when you have the power to impact people’s lives, dont’ short change them. Spike Lee’s movies are powerful because they address social topics and issues that are indicative of time in history. What Jungle Fever did for the Crack epidemic, for both whites and blacks, is what Alex Haley’s Roots did for bringing the truth of slavery to both whites and blacks. Now I say we can always see how the other half lives, but when you constatly write, produce, and promote the same type of movie, it’s like come on??? For real??? And yes he does employ many blacks, but many of them will never be picked up for more challenging roles. One, because he won’t make them and secondly if one of their movies is on their resume, as a director, I’m like “yea you’re so, so, but I need someone with greater depth.” I believe we can have both, but Spike is better than Tyler. How about we portray where blacks are now. Yes, we’re not all in the hood, but some of us are in board room. A message that is lost.
With that pic at the top alone, you can see that Tyler and Spike are two different people. Those pics speak to their personalities. Spike is Hollywood… but he’s not Hollywood.
Spike had an opinion and he gave it. Could he have say Perry down and told him himself quietly, well in the name of having “hood” yea* he could have. But he didn’t. So what. Beyond the images I just think Tyler Perry is a subpar writer and pretty much a representative of what we see today in other areas of entertainment. Every one of his movies with Madea in it are predictable. Overall all of his movies are predictable. The writing is bleh, and when people mention how much God they see in the films I always have to wonder if EVERYONE that watches his films get that. The movies are watered down versions of their play counterparts when it comes to the Gospel.
I’m just not that big of a fan. I laughed at maybe the first two Madea movies, liked Why did I get married, and really aint been back since.
Spike on the other hand, I own a large part of his work.
To each his own.
This dialogue is great!
Well you know, everybody was feeling him in the beginning when he came out w/Diary of a Mad Black Woman & Madea’s Family Reunion. Even before then, his theatrical plays gained wide approval. So I mean to question his ethics based on his success has to be put on pause. Why I say this is because you know how tv, music, and movies are; once you not feeling the actor or musician anymore, there is a disconnect. So I look at it like non of us can hate, fuck it he got his money.. as much as I talk I wish I would have thought of that shit; getting that “fuck-you money”. Like me, I’m not feeling Perry anymore… I don’t understand “The House of Payne” & “Meet the Browns”… I don’t see the humor in that shit at all and in his movies why it always got to be the nigga that fucks up? Bitches out here whilin out too!! Maybe the old folks get his humor in the sitcoms, but I don’t; and if that is the case just don’t watch his shit, don’t go see the movies or watch his shows. You got to remember this guy now has Oprah backing him, so its a rap; he’s untouchable….. unless he just fucks up his money. For comparison, its the same way I feel about 50… when that nigga 1st came out with “Get Rich or Die Tryin” & “The Massacre” and even Banks album “The hunger for More”…. what I’m trying to say is that everything 50 had his hand on 2005 and prior I was feeling that shit…. anything after I just stopped listening. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I haven’t heard anything good from him since “I’ll whip yo head boy”…. So I hope Before I Self Destruct lives up to the hype. So my conclusion is….. if you not feeling him, just don’t see his shit, I know I won’t.