Hot Picks
|
|
|
Tyler Perry: Man of Many Faces
USA 2021
produced by Dana Webber (executive), Brian Aebech (executive) for EntertainMe, Legacy Distribution
directed by Jordan Hill
starring interviewees Tyler Perry, Sanaa Lathan, Taraji P. Henson, Gabrielle Union, Bonnie Bentley, Patrice Lovely, Inanna Sarkis, narration by Diriki Mack
written by Jordan Hill, based on the life of Tyler Perry
documentary
review by Mike Haberfelner
|
|
By now, actor-writer-director-ptoducer Tyler Perry is a household name
at least in North America, but his origins were rather humble, having been
brought up in a dysfunctional family (to put it mildly), and having been
inspired to write when watching the Oprah Winfrey Show - a
sort-of omen since Perry and Oprah would work together on projects in
years to come. Also, the first musical he wrote and produced, I Know
I've Changed, initially bombed, and it took many re-works to turn it
into a success. More musical plays followed, and eventually Perry's big
screen debut with Diary of a Mad Black Woman, based on one of his
plays and also the first movie featuring his on-screen alter ego Madea.
The film was panned by the critics, but became a box office success,
mainly because it tapped into an audience sector by and large ignored by
the film industry, the older African American demographic. Madea became a
recurring character in Perry's movies (with the actor himself playing her
with relish, and the pattern would repeat itself pretty much every time,
critics loathed but audiences loved the movies. Perry would extend his
horizon though with writing for television, most notably his long-running
series House of Payne, appearing in other director's films,
also in dramatic roles, and even executive producing two time Oscar winner
Precious in 2009, a film Oprah Winfrey also had her hands in ... Now
due to his recurring topics (mostly revolving around Afro-American living
and also religious themes), Tyler Perry is a box office phenomenon rather
restricted to North America - which makes this documentary all the more
interesting for an European like me not really familiar with his work as
it sheds light on the man's backgrounds. It's a bit of a shame that the
film doesn't show more clips from his movies to familiarize one with
Perry's work, but even as it is, and despite the fact that the film is a
bit too celebratory about Tyler Perry and seems to black out all points of
criticism, it's a pretty informative introduction to the man and his work
for those uninitiated, while fans are pretty much bound to get a kick out
of this one.
|
|
|