I absolutely loathe Tyler Perry movies. I think they’re horrible, poorly plotted and executed movies – like each and every one of them is just bad. If there was a way to give half stars, every Tyler Perry movie I’ve ever seen would get no stars. Despite the fact that I don’t like his movies, it doesn’t take away that he’s the highest grossing filmmaker in Hollywood right now and laughing all the way to the bank. I can’t take that away from him.
“Tyler Perry’s Temptation” is an awful, awful film and while it is easy to mock and dismiss, it is also kind of a shame to behold.” – Peter Sobczynski (This was taken from RogerEbert.com, RIP to a great one.)
I went to see Temptation, and it wasn’t because I wanted to see the new Tyler Perry movie, or knew many of you would be going to see it, or thought that maybe Tyler had finally found his way out of buffoonery into legitimacy. None of that had anything to do with it. I went to see the movie because Jurnee Smollett was in the movie. I have been following that woman since she was on Full House! I feel like we grew up together and if you follow me on Twitter, you would have seen when I posted a picture of her Wikipedia page showing that we share the same birthday. That’s literally the only reason why I went to see the movie. I didn’t tell anyone I was going, didn’t ask anyone to go with me, I just gathered myself… picked out one of my free movie passes and walked over to the theater.
I should add here that I knew Kim Kardashian and Vanessa Williams (Let’s go Cuse!) were in the movie and I didn’t care all that much. I already knew Vanessa would have some cheesy accent in the movie. As for Kim, I like Kim where she is right now… I found her character quite hilarious. She tried so hard to be serious, probably because on her TV show she tries to appear to be aloof and flighty. She came across much like a grade school teacher who tries to be a disciplinarian with students. Those teachers tried to seem mean, but we knew they were saps because they taught children for a living.
Synopsis: An ambitious married woman’s temptation by a handsome billionaire leads to betrayal, recklessness, and forever alters the course of her life. (It’s also set in Washington, DC.)
A few things stood out to me about this movie:
1. Tyler has issues with women.
I’m so sick and tired of each one of these movies Tyler makes featuring some woman who is lost in the world until some God fearing, blue collar Black man can be her savior. It’s getting old at this point. The women are always put in positions of weakness with the only logical solution being for them to need the assistance of a man to find answers.
2. Tyler needs a lesson about rape.
It’s funny how we just had a five week long conversation about “rape culture” and then Tyler makes a movie where a woman is clearly raped and no one says anything about it. It was a very key part of the movie and Tyler just skipped right on over it and so did we. It’s obvious that the only people held accountable for promoting “rape culture” are people in Hip Hop and/or politics.
3. Tyler completely missed the ball on sending messages surrounding HIV.
I didn’t really realize this until a little later, but why did the woman in the end seem like she was doomed to a life of solitude and misery because she was HIV positive? Tyler’s got to do better than that. In fact, he’s got to know better than that. That’s not cool in 2013, it’s actually never been cool, but seriously wtf?
4. Tyler has issues with people who aren’t Christians or Christians who make mistakes.
Then there’s always that leitmotif in all of Tyler’s movies that if you don’t do exactly as “the Church” says, you’ll end up having a horrible life. I’m clear to say “the Church” and not God because I don’t believe in a God who thinks the way Tyler thinks. Tyler takes Judith (Jurnee Smollett) into the depths of “sin,” I imagine that to mean for Tyler; adultery, homosexuality, and substance abuse. In the end, she’s never really saved, only alive. You’re left thinking that the punishment for her sins is being infected with HIV, a limp and a life of solitude. Simply put, that’s not God, that’s Tyler’s twisted imagination about what happens to people when they lose sight of “the Church.” Then… they wonder why so many people stop going every Sunday – God don’t like ugly.
5. Tyler has to go… like seriously, stop it.
It’s time for him to have two seats down. I think he had a run, he made us laugh, he may have made some of y’all feel warm and fuzzy inside at times, but it’s over for that guy. He’s gone from bad to “Jesus Christ, I can’t believe I just spent two hours in this movie theater.” At the end of the movie, everyone in the theater was dead silent with shocked looks on their faces before saying, “what the hell just happened?” I can’t lie, I was so shocked and appalled that I busted out laughing and said, “Get me out of this place… this is absurd!” I imagine anyone else who saw the movie felt the same way. I haven’t met one person, even the Tyler Perry stans, who loved the movie.
Even if Tyler Perry, doesn’t go away and people continue to support his movies, plays, products, whatever the hell else the man insists on doing to capitalize on Black dollars in this economy (because white people do not go see that trash). I won’t be around to participate. I’m done with him and I suggest you all do the same. Good riddance.
Dr. J
PS – Jurnee Smollett is still queen.
I enjoyed the movie but I wasnt blown away. The only reason I went to see it was because there was nothing else to do. I normally like Tyler Perrys movies but this one is not worth me watching again. Im not a big fan of anyone but Lance did have me drooling just a little bit hehe. And it was nice to see Kim K. different outfits which were fab!
My recent post “It’s Not the Size of the Boat, but the Motion of the Ocean”
I agree with you 100%, including Jurnee being the only reason I went to see the film. I wanted to support her but I think I'll stick to reruns of Eve's Bayou instead.____The rape scene, the "affliction", the super-nice but dull husband, the mysterious Brandy character. All of it was bad.
I agree with every one of your points. I don't even have a favorite one. I wholeheartedly agree with all of them, but I will add #6.
#6 The story was just bad.
It isn't like he had bad actors (with the exception of Kim), it was just a bad movie. All that damn moralizing. Also, everything is super black and white, good and evil. There are no gray areas. It is just too simplistic, and life is hardly ever that simple. I guessed the major plot twist within the first 15 minutes or so of the movie. I just really need hiim to do better.
Where I watched the movie, everyone seemed to love it. I've heard nothing but rave reviews all over my FB timeline. Crazy.
I also like Jurnee. She is very pretty and she can act. I hope her career continues moving up.
I have been saying this for YEARS. He seriously hates women. People tend to write me off as a crazy feminist, but it’s good to see someone else tell the truth. Also, not sure if you saw good deeds. Pretty much, it sends the message that if men look outside their relationship they find happiness and love. On the other hand, if women do, they find HIV and abuse.
PS can he write a movie where women don’t get slapped and the movie is not set up to make viewers feel as if she deserved it?
He hates black men too.If you ever notice black men are always portrayed as abusive controlling, misogynists in all of his movies unless the main black male character is HIM (Alex Cross,Good Deeds etc.).
Just because he shows how some woman get the short end of the stick most times, does not mean that he hates women. I feel sorry for you, I really do. Sh**t can happen to men too, esp STD's since they get around more. In Temptation he was saying that the grass is not always greener on the other side. The 80-20 rule works both ways. Stay open minded and learn what you can and add it to your life. People may not want to admit it, but the things he puts in his movies are very real and there are more women out there than we think that have gone through these things. Like I said in my post, I was one of them and watching his movies helped me to love myself again and helped me to gain back the confidence that was taken from me when I was raped.
I totally agree with this analysis. I usually don't watch TP movies because they are always over-the-top with bad story lines, and constant ever-existing church themes. He just needs to STOP! The only reason I went to see it was I had heard some positive feedback on this movie. I was extremely disappointed and felt like I had just watched a typical PREDICTABLE Lifetime movie. Although I want to support black filmmakers, I’m officially done with TP. Stick a fork in me.
As a person born with Cerebral Palsy with a resulting limp, Tyler equating Jurnee's disability with a life of solitude and misery as you described is so disappointing. It is also horrible that she received her disability due to sin. I can't tell you how devastating it is to have people walk up to me trying to heal me of my disability and to tell me to "sin no more."
Wow. That put's it in a context I never could've/would've thought of.
My recent post IAmRichJones: 5 Reasons Why Tyler Perry's 'Temptation' is Just Bad http://t.co/nvG4vRdwz6 via @singleblackmale
I finally, FINALLY got out of Tyler-Perry-Prison. I was "forced" to go by my significant other until Why Did I Get Married 2. Worst movie ever.
I say that to beg you all to do the same. It's really great. Wildflower mentioned going because there was nothing else to do. I hope to convince the world that a Tyler Perry movie still counts as nothing to do! I go to movies to be entertained. Why do I want to deal with TP's inability to cope with gender, abuse, or write a good script?
Anyway, it sounds like this movie was more of the same. Glad to know I'm not missing anything. I'll be interested to see if anyone comes to his/the movie's defense.
Why did i get married 2 was SO SO SO horrible i wanted my money back!!!
But the 1st was good though!
EVERYTHING on this list. I know, if I'm going to sit through a Netflix of a Tyler Perry movie (because there is NO way I'd go to a theater) I'm going to see a weak woman who needs a good man/an angry woman mad at another man who needs a good man, someone who has or has a fear of contracting HIV, Thandie Newton doing her "urban girl" accent (not guaranteed in every film, a rape or assault of a woman, and non-Christian shaming.
No thanks, Mr. Perry. No thanks.
I agree with all of this 100% Especially the rape scene and the perpetuation of these myths surrounding HIV.
I’m glad I’m not the only one that notice the airplane scene was RAPE in progress. Also why was she so once the movie ended? It couldn’t have been that much time tat passed between the affair and he ex husband getting remarried. She look 60, she was only 26 in the begging of the movie. I know he was trying to send a message but Brandy looked healthy and fine, I guess the cheating wife’s punishment was to be lonely.
Maybe the crowd in my movie theater was just ratchet lol but we had fun watching it. I think Tyle Perry has a target audience that believes whole heartily in his message. So the whole professional lost black woman who is saved by a blue collar man, who loves Jesus thing works for that group of people.
Idk what channels I’m watching (or not watching), but I swear before God that I did not see a single preview for this movie. The only reason I even knew it was out or in theaters was because of “black Twitter” largely dissing the movie. Regardless, I wouldn’t have gone to see it. I’m not a Tyler Perry fan for personal reasons and I’ve never shied away from that. I don’t particularly care for the man but like always, I respect everyone’s hustle and right to hustle especially if people buy the hustle. I’m the hate the game, not the player time. All this to say, your analysis doesn’t surprise me. The only T. Perry movie I’ve seen was the one with Idris Alba (Im too lazy to google the name) – and although it was an ok movie, the “theme” of the storyline was largely along the same lines of what you described here today. From my limited views of the trailers for his movies; they all seem to follow that pattern.
But hey, if it works it works. Tyler aint going anywhere anytime soon. I respect his right to make mediocre movies, plays, and whatever else just like he’d probably respect my right to abstain from mediocrity.
– sent from iPhone
Daddy's Girls <3
amen and amen to this WHOLE post.
Yep, pretty much. This movie made it very clear that Tyler has issues with women and Christianity on many levels. It was grossly one sided and left no room for shared responsibility for the problems that existed in the marriage. Yes, Judith chose to cheat and that is always wrong. But Tyler barely hinted at the issues in their marriage and just left Lance Gross looking like a fine simp who did what he should have done by his wife by doing very little at all. And I can't even begin to address all that is problematic about the scene on the plane.
Also, why did Judith have to be played by a completely different person in the end, how come Brandy didn't age, and who put that hair piece on Lance? It was all weird.
With all that, something about this movie was different for Tyler Perry, besides its dark and weird plot…I'm not sure if the budget was higher, but something was different. It was still clearly Tyler Perry, and arguably an even less desirable side of him, but he has a lane and he keeps "winning."
Also, why did the guy she cheated with have to be the devil incarnate? This is what I am saying. There is no gray area with him.
He is christian without jesus it is either black or white the grey is where the evil lies. Satan uses ppl to try to ruin your life. Satan was the most beutiful angel in heaven but with a wrong heart full of wickedness
He is putting black actors/ to work on the regular, some of then get no other calls to work
That’s where the dilemma with me and Tyler Perry starts. I mean I’m not always crazy about the subject matter, or direction of his films/tv show. But he puts a lot of black actors/ writers, and people who work on his set to work. It's like a love hate thing. Overall I think people would'nt dislike him so much if we had more powerful black directors like him that covered different subjects or didn’t follow his norm.
It's impossible to ignore the jobs Perry has created. But to what end?
One of the funniest jokes I ever read was from a white guy re: Tyler Perry. After noting how bad the writing, pacing, and entertainment value of the movies are, he brought up the point you two are making. Then said:
"Do you think white people are flocking to Rob Schneider movies because they feel like they have to support their own?"
I hate the thought of supporting bad movies – especially ones that so poorly portray women, sexual abuse, and values – just because we look alike. What do we owe him if his movies never improve?
True. I mean Tyler came from the bottom and made it to the top. The group that helped him get there might truly enjoy his work. I think sometimes (especially the so called black intellects) forget that blacks are not a monolithic group and that diversity in our media might mean there's a tyler perry, a spike lee ,a Ise Raye but their all getting the proper shine to grow and prosper.
White media has there foolish people, but just like reality shows for every Mob Wives, or Hollywood house wives, there’s a Everybody loves Raymond or how I met you mother. I went to see temptation because I actually enjoyed the family that preys and Mr. Deeds was cool; I was hoping that with the power Tyler Perry has now gained maybe he would broaden his writing spectrum. Guess I was wrong.
There definitely should be a difference in the types of Black media that is out there. And I'm definitely not objective when it comes to Tyler Perry, lol. It'd be just as bad, in a different way, if we only had Spike Lee flicks. He's very self-serious, which would probably wear thin if he made as many movies as TP. So I agree, diversity is good.
Maybe the difference is that the "Black sphere" is so much smaller (being that we're ~13% of the population) so each Black director's contribution is magnified. Where a Real Housewives/Honey Boo Boo only makes up a small corner of mainstream media, Perry's stuff seems like such a larger portion of "media for us."
At least we were able to spin something interesting out of this terrible sounding movie.
So true…especially your last paragraph. Excellent post, over all.
Drug dealers put people to work everyday. If the product is trash and spreads problems in the community it ain’t worth it.
IDK if it spreads problems in the community or if it’s simply him playing on what people in the community already think (not everyone in our community, but his fans).If that’s the case then we have a ton of rappers we need to get out of here along with Tyler Perry. Any way
What’s trash to one person is relatable, funny, and good to someone else. Magic didn’t get Tyler Perry to where he is now, the people did. Those people aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. So maybe we should do more to support (directs/producers) whose product is better that Tyler Perry’s. I mean I’m sure a number of people went out to see this movie, who aren’t fond of him, simply to come back to work, school , or the internet Monday morning, to complain about it. Money talks, if you really wan him out don’t support him with your money or publicity. IDC if your momma and grandmother are dying to see his new movie or play, tell them that’s not your taste and you will gladly take them somewhere else.
I agree. He is successful because there is a market for this type of thing. I hate feeling like I am being snobby about it, but I just wish there were other, better alternatives.
Agreed!
My recent post Where they do that at?
I hate to say it, but the Evil Genius Tyler Perry isn't going anywhere. I agree about every problematic thing pointed out in this article; I am no champion of Perry, but consider that
1) For every problem you mentioned from rapey seduction to Christian dogma, he has a constituency that sees no problem with that (if they see it at all). They just know that "the Enemy hates marriage and Jesus". To them, the movie might as well fell out of the sky as a final edit.
2) Everyday black folks' standards are, well, "different'' when it comes to movies. Enough of us who will spend money for movies will choose a Tyler Perry movie over an equally bad romcom with Isla Fisher
3) His evil genius banks on a church-going critic-proof audience AND the lack of any alternative movies in which black-on-both-sides-looking black women are the central characters.
Tyler Perry won't change (or go away) until we change.
You know, I actually really liked Why Did I Get Married and The Family That Preys…and I like to see Madea cut up. I'm not expecting an Oscar award winning movie every time I go to see a movie…so TP movies don't vex me as they seem to vex others.
BUT THIS?! Lawd…LOL!
I actually liked the build up to Jurnee's (I love her too) fall from grace, lol. But, everything after was just like huh, what, and why. The whole 2nd half of the movie was sloppy and…bad. Lance's simp behavior. All those muscles and he just gonna have yo drop his wife off at the door and not say a word??? FAKE!!!!! How about the fact that I KNEW Brandy's ex and Harlow were one in the same out the gate, lol. Jurnee, a black woman, sees yo push her Mom down and she don't kill him on the spot! FAKE! LOL!
I don't have to ever see this movie again.
Now, about the rape stuff.
I hear y'all, I do. But, she didn't look scared to give in TO ME. Maybe I need to see it again. No DEF most certainly means no. And that should've stopped it. Absolutely. He went to far with the pressure, sure did. But, then she went with it…and not reluctantly. She gave him a good "you're right, I want it" kiss and went with it.
Def the wrong message to send. "If I pressure her and resist her no, she will give in and eventually want to do it." That's NOT the message you want to send. That's def rape culture type thinking. But, imo, ultimately, she was NOT raped. Had she bit his lip, layed there and not moved, cried through it, not caressed his back, etc., I would've been 100% on board with the rape comments. Her anger in the car was guilt and confusion and blame.
I think the seen was rapey lol I mean he didn’t rape her but I think the scene was suppose to be passionate but just came off.. NOT that way.
He really did the fall from grace with her lol. She went from a small town, only had chex with one man, wearing her grandma's hand me down's young woman, to a designer clothes wearing, chex in the kitchen over by the stove, cursing , orgy partying, drinking Cocaine sniffing , Jezebel lol all in 1 hour. Then she was punished with AIDS and had to look 60 yrs old even though she was 30 tops at the end of the movie.
GIRL, LMBO!
She looked 60 and Lance and that HORRIBLE make-up job looked 80…with that young wife and kid, LMBO!
…a hot mess!
I am interested to hear one of you all speak to the elements of gender that Tyler Perry constantly disrespects in his movies. There is something to be said when a lot of the males he portray in his movie always end up sacrificing their masculinity in his movies. I thinks this has something to do with him identifying as a homosexual black male but who knows. In Temptation he portrays the husband as not man enough to be with her because he does not want to do things like have sex with her in the catch or protect her from the men making ignorant comments or "cat calls" to her. He also loves to enforce the idea of the Hypermasculine black man the one that is coveted by women. Very problematic things
FarFromBeingGod
lol that part made me mad. The Husband would have had to fight 3 (looked like thugs) in the middle of Dc at 11 pm, over a cat called that he tried to ignore. The “Other man” bullied some little skinny white guy on a bike in the middle of the afternoon after he apologized for running into her with the bike and now Judith thinks he’s some Hero smh.
The only movie of TP's I've seen is Why Did I get Married Too? Why Dwayne Johnson agreed to make a 30 second cameo in that just made no sense…and I hope that wasn't a precursor to him doing a future TP film…he should take a look at Angela Bassett's resume after doing 1 TP film
I just wonder what TP films would look like if he didn't have his hand in everything. For example: clearly he's not a formerly trained screenwriter. He probably doesn't even have a pro writer analyze his scripts before going into production. So I'm sure some of the dialogue or plot devices would be drastically different and better executed if he stopped writing them. The 1 thing I've learned from watching filmmakers' earlier works is when the story or characters are too close to home or too personal, the writing is very weak and 1 sided. From what people say, he continues to write from the POV of what he thinks is "right". That's obviously problematic because people are starting to see through "well, he's all we got" facade.
My recent post With Love, You Always Have a Choice: Love and The Commitment of Change (Part 2)
Ugh. My mom tried to make me go to see this movie and I was like oh heck no! She knows how I feel about TP aka toilet paper productions. As a writer, I just can't respect someone who clearly doesn't take the craft seriously and has no desire to improve. Sure, he's making money but at what cost? What does this mean for other African American writers, filmmakers, etc., who are expected to fit into the TP mold because it sells.
And noowwww Oprah is going to let him have TWO shows on OWN?!?! I just told my homegirl, she needs to pull his coattail on his bad storytelling because that's what "friends" should do. My friends wouldn't let me write a crappy story and put it out in the world. *Sigh*. I feel like this is the greatest trick the devil ever pulled or something. Or as my cousin once said, TP is really getting his reparations from TBS and Lionsgate.
My recent post Jesus Wept. And Beyonce said the B Word.
Interesting comments. All the tweets I've seen of people the first couple days it came out were all but positive. Folks really seemed to enjoy the movie. Then after a few more days it was more mixed…everything regresses back to the mean i suppose, lol.
I have yet to see the movie. I may see it, I'm not sure. I'm more or less ambivalent toward Tyler Perry to be honest. Some of his movies I saw I was entertained much and others not as much.
It's clear he has a target audience and a certain niche when it comes to his productions. Different strokes for different folks. I remember back in the 90's all my friends that watched Martin thought Seinfeld was wack….and vice versa. *shrugs* I guess i could understand if this was only Perry's 2nd or 3rd film….but good lord people, I'm pretty sure if you weren't feeling Perry before then I can't fathom why one would have even gone to see his latest film, lolol!
But this happens every single movie he puts out….never fails. It's really quite entertaining in itself to watch.
I guess people are hoping and wishing that maybe he will get better with time. He is proving us wrong each time.
Yeah, definitely think he needs a class or three. Spike Lee's ass annoys me to no end, but he has a film school education somewhere in there.
TP may also need to cut out the produced, written and directed by movies. Do one or two roles, and hire someone else for the others.
I wonder if he even outlines before he writes. Cause based on criticisms, he has no grasp on how to let the story have like a "slow burn". I mean if people can recite a portion or act from his movies damn near verbatim, my question then becomes, why do people keep giving him $8-10? You're essentially seeing the same movie over and over right? -_-
Spike and his long-winded expository scenes smh I couldn't even make it through Red Hook Summer
My recent post With Love, You Always Have a Choice: Love and The Commitment of Change (Part 2)
LOL hey, I just posted as an example. I have my beef with Spike as well.
The only reason i wanna see this movie is for Lance Gross! I love him i love him i love him!!!!
Just with the preview you can tell the movie is bad… Thanks yall now that i'm prepared i wont be disappointed :D!
I haven't seen the movie, but i totally agree. Perry's time has come and gone. I couldn't' stand the 'Madea (fill in the blank)" movies. —I, personally have issues with black men wearing a dress coonin' in Hollywood, but that's just me. I'd say one of the only good movies he's done were why did I get married part 1, part 2 was overdone. A family that preys was ok, I had my issues with that one as well. But at the end of the day tyler is going to have his many many millions and there's nothing we can do about it. I do think he should chill for a while and come up with some better story lines.
My recent post An Inside View Of A Tormented Soul
I felt the movie could have been better; however, I usually view Tyler Perry films.
As far as the assumption that he has a problem with women, Christians who make mistakes (isn’t that every follower of Christ), and non-Christians, uhmmmm… #1 from a marketing perspective his target audience was and probably a large portion still is the “black church”. Majority of the members in the “black church” are women, so I would think that his films usually have something that he may feel is something that the audience can relate to. #2 the rape scene should have occurred although for a character who had a temper she really didn’t blow up as she did in other scenes. Looking at the character Judith (who was an aspiring to be a marriage counselor, or something of the sort), she didn’t bother to sit and communicate her issues with her husband with her husband, she went to the wrong people (someone who talked down on her so that she could change her) and listened to the guy that wanted to be with her (who clearly had issues-warning signs ladies), allowed her boss to put her in a very unwise situation, committed adultery, and didn’t even use “protection”. She should have watched BET and MTV commercials (Trojan clearly knows who to advertise their product to)…
I agree. I thought for a woman of her intelligence who supposedly has a masters in psychology she should’ve seen the red flags that this guy was essentially throwing in her face. And she should’ve been communicating with her issues with her husband. If she had been someone involved in another profession this story would be a lot more beleivable. I personally have enjoyed quite a few of Tyler Perry’s films but reading some of your posts you all do have some valid points. I know he’s a christian and I’m always prepared for those overtones in his films but I do agree also that I’m tired of seeing the “woman who needs to be saved by a good man” scenario. And I also agree with everyones comments on the HIV subject. Just because she has it doesn’t mean she’s destined to a life of loneliness.How do we know that at the end of this film the protagonist hasn’t just decided to be on her own and work on herself and her life for awhile? For that matter how do we know she doesn’t have a man waiting for her at home?
Oops I meant, the rape scene should NOT have occurred. “who was aspiring to be” Called myself proof reading, blame it on the iPhone.
The movie is incredibly offensive in its implications about a disease that so many African Americans are living with and struggling to contain. Let's just tell every single HIV positive person in our community that their disease is a divine punishment for immorality… disgusting message to send, and it's that sort of attitude that sets our community back and makes a taboo out of something that should be confronted as a fact of life. You might say, "Oh it's just a stupid Tyler Perry movie" but I think the implications and the statements it makes are a lot more damaging, especially when you take into account that he's the most successful filmmaker of color in the US right now.
It sounds as if the assumption is that Tyler cares about the black community. I agree with the post. But let’s remember Tyler was homeless (mentally/emotionally predisposing him to greed). His parents abandoned him cut him off whatever<- there's his problems with men n women. The church saved him? But with all it's misrepresentation of the Bible<- there's his black/whiteness. It's no surprise he's an media in the closet type or whateva he is. And no not all Christians have an issue with people who sin. Judgemental people have that issue notated their beliefs. People who've no insight into their own issues carry that attitude. IJS. My opinion is very simplistic I kno but Tyler ain't goin no where as long as the powers that be continue to provide him a platform to continue to denigrate blacks and any other group that blindly support him simply based on "he's our people" when clearly he is not.
We can support him -& retrain him- by being more selective n just as critical as we are with others. BTW I loved both Martin and Seinfeld.
I feel that the movie was alright overall, but I must admitt the plane scene was kind of confussing. It seem to me that he was trying to rape Judith. Tyler Perry probably meant for it to seem like Judith didn’t want to do it because she was married but at the same time she did want to do it because she was feeling the guy. Tyler could have done better with that scene. I also feel that it was weird that Brandy still looked young and the others were real old at the end of the movie. In my opinion the message of the movie was if you are married or in a relationship not to cheat because bad things could happen that you will regret, like catching HIV. Also that the grass is not always green on the other side.
Finally! Someone who thinks Tyler's Perry movie are H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E!! I was starting to think I was the only one!
I didn't care for Temptation either. When it ended I told my mom that I couldn't wait to see 42 The Jackie Robinson movie.
I consider myself just as critical of media as anyone else, but what ive learned is that in America there is a market for everything. So i wont echo many of the sentiments in the comment section. I do want to point out that a lot of what we critique is a matter of perspective. I didnt particularly care for Elise Neal's portrayal in "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" but i understand how most women will relate to the character. Im always amazed how we want to be selectively objective about certain portrayls in media, when women are getting abused, cheated on, etc., they are victims, however when they are cheating, abusing,etc., then we want to be critical of the portrayl. I dont have an issue with any particular group, but i do understand that there are elements of any subculture that give the whole a bad name, so when it is portrayed in media, i tend not to get too bent about it because i recognize that there is an element of truth no matter how hokey, ill-concieved, or poorly executed it is.
well, all yall haters need to shut up because Tyler Perry is doing his thing….. and by the way, the movie was the bomb!!! you guys need to look at the whole picture of the movie and stop naggin at little pieces of the movie.
I agree with Wanda, stop hating, It’s reality in a movie.
Maybe it could have been done a little better, with a bigger budget, but overall I thought the movie was good. It left many with much to think about, because we glamorize deviant behavior in this society and we act as if there are no consequences to our actions, well there is….So live with it and stop throwing up a smoke screen to make certain behaviors seen normal. Thank God all of us don't run around sleeping with everybody that looks good, and act as if money were a god. We got too many haters in our society as it is…when will we learn to show love and respect to our fellow human beings, and stop pretending as if we really care about people. I for one am sick of all this pretense…if you hate, just say it, let people know how you really feel. Have you ever wondered why you got so many fake friends? This only applies to the people who know they fit the profile.
Quit hatting On the Boss of the highest grossing filmmaker in Hollywood……. If you don't got nothing nice to say then you shouldnt say nothing at all. Oh yeah it's not his fault he taking y'all MONEY to the bank and making new movies for y'all haters. Yall mad because he came up with creations that made millions something yall will NEVER see. GO MADEA aka Tyler Perry cant wait to see the next play and movie.
And this is what happens when you let yourself get addicted to the white liberal agenda over your own interests.
You'll diss a successful blackman making movies for his own people because white liberals hate Christians.
Hopefully they'll let you move into the house now.
The movie was really bad but I don't think that was the surprise. Most women probably went to see it for Lance Gross which Tyler Perry knows and most men probably got dragged there by a girl for a date or something. My issue is that Tyler Perry seems to have some deep seeded issue with women. SPOILER ALERT: So in the end she gets HIV and loses her husband of like a decade? Over one affair? What type of husband would leave her after that. And did anyone notice that if she had just used a condom the whole climax of the movie would have been eliminated? I didn't know if it was just a story about condom usage or if it was just another hateful movie about what happens when women don't do what there supposed to do..I'm guessing the latter. Also the writing is equivalent to that of a highschool play write…and I'm being generous.
You really don't get it at all. So ru saying ppl use condoms 100% of the time, then why is there a such thing as stds in the first place. How do u get her husband left her? I beleave she let him go because when u truely love someone u r out to do what's best. for them. She didn't want to give him hiv and to stop him from having kids. She done the unselfish thing and had him move on. This is what's really goin on out there n the real sinnful evil world that most r blind to.
I think Tyler Perry has a character for every one in the black community. He has the God-fearing one, the faithful one, the cheater, the drug addict, the baby mother, the irresponsible one, the level headed one and many more. His characters are relatable if you've been surrounded by those people and lets face it, everyone in the black community knows a few of those characters. Tyler Perry always has a message in his movies. He doesn't just make a movie to make you empty your pockets but to have new more positive perspective on life.
I do see your points he has repeated himself in his movies. I didn’t enjoy the ending either I would have liked to seen more. But as for the sin aspect I believe he is seeing it as we see it GOD doesn’t punish us. We are punished by the decisions we make. If we dont follow his word we will find this life hard. She had an affair w a man the was permisquise. She lost her husband and contracted HIV because of her choices. I however would have liked to have seen more of her redemption. Like they would have stayed together.
Me as well would of liked to of seen more of her redemption and for them to get back together but real life don't always work that way. I looked at it as he would take her back but she didn't want to be selfish and give him hiv and keep him from having kids very noble caring act to let someone go for there good instead of our own.
is that the reason why the movie not out in redbox or Netflix because I would love to watch and see what you people talking about.
The ending was hilarious, I'm still laughing and I know it's wrong. He jacked the ending from The Last American Virgin but put it in the perspective of the heartbreaker (Judith). The movie was bad but it still kept me interested the whole time.
Loved this movie, it was great, it is just showing what is going on with marriage right now, people cheating and having a destructive lifestyle. It just doesn't have a happy ending but not everything has a happy ending.
How about you just support him (Tyler perry) just because he is a black man doing something. Whether his movies good or not he is making a difference in Hollywood and paving a way for future movie moguls. Why can’t we just support for that alone leaving the negativity out the window.
I for one agree with most that it appears Mr. Perry seems to dislike women based on the storyline he creates for these actresses. Perhaps he is a Mysoginist. In any event I think people are too focus on the movie itself rather than the message. Infidelity is the # 1 relationship killer in this generation. We need a wake up call and this movie sends a scary message, the outcome and the repercussions of such acts that can affect both MEN and WOMEN. Makes you think twice on stepping out on your partner. Good job Mr. Perry!
Actually your wrong the exact opposite of what this movie says is true. Adultery is the number one killer of marriage and breaks up marriages WHEN AND IF THE PARTNER WHO INNIATES THE DIVORCE IS THE OTHER SPOUSE WHO DIDNT DO THE CHEATING. WHats the difference? Investigation Discovery says everything. The ID station which has true crime stories in it about folks who get killed because of adultery says that in general if your dating a man or woman whos married they wont leave their spouse for you. If the other spouse finds out about it yea they get divorced but truthfully the woman is this who went right out and divorced her husband while he hung on, is in correct it matters because by doing this they made the man the big hero in the movie while truthfully its a lie. He would've been the one to go out and divorce her he would've been the big hero either that or she would've hid it and he would've found out statistics prove it they don't leave their spouse to stay with their adulterous partner. It just proves TP wanted to twist up the movie to make the man look good and the woman bad because hes twisted.
You is hating cuz u cant do it
Im a rape survivor and I felt violated by this movie. I felt like by having the woman be seduce dinto adultery by a man who raped her hes saying women like rape and should expect it. what kin d of message does this send? Hes the worst kind of sexist.Please please sign this petition to get him off of Oprah thankyou. http://www.change.org/petitions/oprah-winfrey-net…
All ya all must not know much about god, the bible, relationships, marriage and true christianity. The movie was black and white no grey the lord don't do grey that's where evil lurks. The rape scence is right on… if u r around temptation long enough u will fall n to it, so it was a short view of what happens, u fight temptation for a while then u give n ….the plane ride there she doesn't drink the plane ride home she gives in. You ppl don't understand true struggles n christians lives and morals that if let go can lead into a lifetime of sin and suffering the stuff in the movie only touches the tip of it I ve been there I know.
I don't understand your points. Maybe your perception of the movie was different than mine but, I thought it was a movie about consequences. Your points really are bias and don't really make sense to me. I've seen the movie several times and she was never raped. You misinterpreted the whole scene because, in fact had she been raped she wouldn't have went back to him or left her husband for him. In the scene, she resist because she felt it was her marital duty. After that, she consensually had sex with that man several times. I felt that Tyler Perry was trying to be as real as he could with the HIV situation. Both Journee and Brandy had CONSENSUAL sex, UNPROTECTED with him. They were bound to get infected. However, your point about being damned and punished with the disease is one sided because if you had the disease, you would opt to remain single because of the potential of infecting somebody else because ultimately it was their choice to have sex with a man. Nobody force Judith to do the things she did. This movie was solely based on repercussions from doing the wrong thing. Action and Reaction. Having an opinion of the movie is one thing but making things up to solidify your point is crazy. Also, as a side note. Think about where Tyler Perry is from and analyze the plot. Judith came from a small town in the South and moved to a big city. If you are from the South, like I am. That represents something. The South being safe,stagnant, predictable.The city being vast, terrifying, dangerous. I understand your point of view but its not the only one that is valid. To be honest, I was speechless after the movie ended too, because of how real it was.All of what happened in this movie could very well have happened to anybody, in the real world.
Wow! This reminds me of how some actors and writers can get away with portraying things in a way that will make you think and others like Tyler Perry get crudely ridiculed at every point. He said it was his love of women that prompted him to perform as Madea and one might conclude he portrays black women in such ways so as to make the black women think about consequences. Society is so forgiving to some and very critical to others. I suppose Hollywood is too. Is this why you call it bafoonery? Funny how white acters can be bafoons and get praised for it. Mrs Doughtfire? Oh well. Things will always be this way. Just like hip hop. No one coming from a different place could understand it either. Film is no different. Society is too corrupt to think differently. So is Hollywood ! Same old boring views and opinions. Oh well I’m sure Mr Perry has seen the ugly head rear itself before. God continue to Bless and Keep you Mr Perry. To me how refreshing to make society think on morals instead of some people are worthy to suggest morals and others are to be condemned for it. Wow!
That film was waste of my money, if in first place the man went to save his wife from the guy. Why did he leave her? Because of HIV? That’s a sad story for 2013. I am not sure how I feel about Tyler Perry now after this Film
Seriously I nevr go waste my money on a TP film.
Especially with that flake Kim k in it. Trying to act lol
I disagree with almost all of your points
-Point 1: Most directors make the movies where the man is the problem, but the men aren't always the problem sometimes woman should take the responsibility that they are the problem in the relationship and Tyler Perry just show that some woman are the problem. A woman being saved by a man sounds a lot like most movies made. It gives hope to woman in certain situations woman who don't understand.
-Point 2: The sex scene wasn't rape because her character had finally willed to have sex with that man, if should would have kept saying no and kept trying to push him off then it would have been rape, but she laid there and enjoyed the sex than man gave her. If it were a rape movie don't just point out Tyler Perry's movies, there are a lot of movies with rape in them
-Point 3: It is not a directors job to send out messages about AIDS or HIV, that is a parents job and if the people are grown then they should know already not to just have sex with just anyone especially if they know that the someone is already having sex with different people. Tyler Perry found a good point to the movie and he made that point.
-Point 4: Tyler Perry is not saying that if you don't go to church or serve god you will have a horrible life, every person that doesn't believe in god thinks that every christian is trying to say that, but its not. Im not going to get into great detail because you don't believe in God. I am a christian myself and Iv have experienced many things and I know what I believe.
-Point 5: I loved the point of this movie, not so much that actor or actresses like Kim K she did terrible, but it had a great point. The lack of communication in couples is very damaging thats what it taught me, ever since I have watched the movie I have learned to communicate with my husband making our relationship better than ever, I didn't want to end up like Judith. Watch the movie more careful and pay attention to the point its making
We need to be celebrating and supporting our tremendously talented African American film makers like Lee Daniels, Steve McQueen, young Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) and others. Theses are true artists who understnad how to make great films.
Mr. Perry, prolific though he may be, has not come close to making a good film. Perry produces ghetto plays for the "silver screen."
YA some hating ass motherfuckers, at the end of the day he making more money than any of ya fucking fucktards. so just shut the fuck up and suck tyler perrys dick
So, if you criticize Tyler Perry's work you are a "hating ass MF?
Thoughtful analysis from the aptly-named "bitchgirl". No surprise that you are a fan.
Jerome, you're right, we shouldn't dismiss people who criticize Perry, but I read the author's judgements of the film and the comments and I failed to see "thoughtful analysis!" I thought the review was silly: he attacks Perry for being moral and Christian with a point of view but he also morally judges and says nothing about Perry's cinematic challenges or achievements. His nonsense about all of Perry's movies presenting a "weak" woman shows us how little he knows and how he depends upon stereotypes to attack Perry. The Family That Preys Together is a brilliant film and it shows how this visionary brother is growing and learning and developing. The movie Meet Mr. Brown also shows not a "weak" woman but a woman who was struggling in life and for love and finds it as a "happy ending" but that doesn't lessen the film. This guy would be saying the same thing if the movie ended badly. That's Perry esthetic and artistic choice not the viewer. If you like the films fine but if you don't, please don't waste our time with YOUR OPINIONS AND JUDGEMENTS. Don't like his choices, make your own movies. What is extraordinary about his man is that he didn't go to Cinema School; didn't go to college, didn't get his high school diploma until he was in his twenties. His is the most successful trial and error in learning a profession that I know. Colored Girls…was another excellent, powerful movie that do not depend on the "weak" woman syndrome. These were women in various stages of their lives and they tried to cope with life. Daddy Little girls was a feel good movie that showed that a strong woman needs love like everybody else. Same with the brilliant I Could Do Bad By Myself. That movie inspired a lot of people and the actors along with the direction were genuinely excellent.
It's true that the movie Marriage 2 was mediocre but the first one was a genuine exploration of marriage and its discontents. Also, he had misses like every director. I thought Temptation was a provocative movie because first it did unflinchingly deal with the choices that people make to put themselves into harm's way and it's stupid to suggest that Perry's viewing audience did not know that the scene on the airplane wasn't a prelude to rape or sexual assault. Give me a break: make rational sense and talk about exactly what he lacks cinematically. You did not do that. All you did was hustle your weak, cliche opinions about his opinions except he is doing it and you're not. Again, make your own movies or art work and put it out there and see what we think. As a writer, you're "weak."
LEAVE TYLER PERRY ALONE!!!!!! All of his movies, plays, and tv shows are awesome. He is taking what he saw as he was growing up to educate woman. There are a lot of us (black and white women) that have gone through some or most of the things in his movies. And most of these comments show that people don't critically think anymore! Anyone who is HIV positive can still have a wonderful life and can still have a relationship. But there are some people who have HIV that feel on one would want them and Tyler Perry showed that in Temptation. I thank Tyler Perry for bringing these things to light and that help us to cope. I was raped and beaten years back. Like the young lady in "For colored women", it was a friend. He knew I had no interest in him outside of being friends. I never lead him on and we were always in a group when we hung out. Just because you may not be able to relate, others of us can and it's helpful. Maybe you all should read his book! THANK YOU TYLER PERRY AND KEEP DOING YOUR THING!!!!!!!
I’ve. Noticed that someone always has AIDS or gets. Sick or be on drugs in his movies they are always. Depressing not really a big fan of his movie’s
Y’all keep saying always like Tyler Perry is a bad guy… In fact, with all of your opinions, they just sound like you have only seen a couple of movies by him. I grew up watching him and despite this movie, a lot of his movies and plays deliver a powerful and uplifting message. Most give comedy and keep you wondering what’s going to happen, or even to just make a story that makes you think “What if? or “Wowww”. But overall his stories are great, I would say. I must also add that him as Madea shows great strength for those whom say that he makes all women weak… They some of you even comment on him with religion or culture. One, he’s Black and most of his actors are too and he develops a great bond with them and two, not all of his movies are on religion neither.
This is an annoying post. Pick one…do you dislike Tyler Perry as a person or just his movies which are based on a true reality in African American communities?
The actors are usually ALL African American and do an amazing job. It is a MOVIE not a slap in the face to the people and should be treated as such.
Movie is entertainment so chill out.
What a treat to watch a movie with different actors & plots from what is repeated and been watching for the past 20 yrs!! I mean, how many Batman movies can we watch?
And Thank you Tyler Perry for bringing the reality of the African American community to the screen!! Finally!!
The author I am responding to sounds ridiculous and uneducated.