These are some intense words, people. Not only that, but it’s a pretty heated subject in general, but we’re glad it’s at least being talked about.
Spike Lee has very little to no respect for Tyler Perry‘s movies. While they’re usually not flops in terms of money made, they aren’t always the most critically acclaimed.
And there really isn’t anything too wrong with that. There have been times where we’ve absolutely loved a move despite reviews.
Spike Lee, however, thinks that Tyler Perry’s movies are setting back the black community, and aren’t really helping anyone by being made:
“Each artist should be allowed to pursue their artistic endeavors, but I still think there is a lot of stuff out today that is coonery and buffoonery,” he said in ’09. “I know it’s making a lot of money and breaking records, but we can do better. … I am a huge basketball fan, and when I watch the games on TNT, I see these two ads for these two shows (Tyler Perry’s ‘Meet the Browns’ and ‘House of Payne’), and I am scratching my head. We got a black president, and we going back to Mantan Moreland and Sleep ‘n’ Eat?”
That, folks, is not holding back.
Perry has responded a few times, mainly with toned down defenses of his work on his website, without getting very specific as to what they’re directed to.
That’s not the case when Perry recently got very specific, and very open during a press conference for his new Medea movie:
“I’m so sick of hearing about damn Spike Lee. Spike can go straight to hell! You can print that. I am sick of him talking about me, I am sick of him saying, ‘this is a coon, this is a buffoon.’ I am sick of him talking about black people going to see movies. This is what he said: ‘you vote by what you see,’ as if black people don’t know what they want to see.
“Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois went through the exact same thing; Langston Hughes said that Zora Neale Hurston, the woman who wrote ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God,’ was a new version of the ‘darkie’ because she spoke in a southern dialect and a Southern tone,” Perry offered. “And I’m sick of it from us; we don’t have to worry about anybody else trying to destroy us and take shots because we do it to ourselves.”
While we do see your point, Tyler, about how the community shouldn’t be attacking itself, but we’re not sure the Medea movies should be compared to literary classics like Their Eyes Were Watching God. You’re absolutely right to describe your work as both spiritually uplifting and fun, which to us is a very different ballpark from Zora Neale Hurston’s beautifully written tragedy.
That doesn’t make your movies any less enjoyable and popular, Tyler! We’re glad that you stand by what you do. You bring entertainment to millions of people!
We don’t think Perry and Lee will ever see eye to eye, sadly, but they could agree to keep the personal attacks down to a minimum, that’s for sure!
How does all this make U guys feel? Do U agree with one more than the other??
[Image via WENN.]
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