DIARY OF AN TIRED BLACK FILM

I didn’t see it, and I don’t want to. All I have to say on the matter is, damn, I know we can do better than this. In a decade it will be 100 years since The Birth of A Nation, and since before that hateful movie Black folks have been fighting to get truer images of ourselves on the silver screen, as well as in all of society.

It’s bad enough that Diary of A Mad Black Woman, from which writer/director Tyler Perry adapted from his series of “urban” stage plays, has been made as a feature film. But, the director himself dresses up as the family matriarch who dispenses her home-spun wise-ass-ism’s, complete with fat suit and white wig. What does this say about how we as black folks view our elderly, especially our elderly women who are often the backbone of our families, black or white or whatever race. Are they manly? Are they aberrations?

The two remakes of The Nutty Professor had Eddie Murphy portray Grandma Klump as an overbearing, oversexed, octogenarian. Big Momma’s House had Martin Lawrence dress up as the family matriarch as well, to catch a crook who was preying on co-star Nia Long. Yes, I know they are all comedies, but damn it, I’ll stay serious because I’m sick of this.

And insult to injury, it debuted as the #1 film this week.

I better hurry up and get my films produced.