Madea:
A Strange Black Woman
By Bruce Collier
Tyler Perry's
Madea Goes to Jail is based on a stage play, also written by Perry.
He directed and co-produced the film adaptation, something he
has in common with playwright David Mamet. Perry also plays three
roles, one a woman, which effectively ends the Mamet comparison.
The title
character is Atlanta matriarch Mabel "Madea" Simmons,
for whom the phrase "strong black woman" might have
been coined. If you have never seen a Madea film—there are
several, all based on plays—they generally have two parallel
plots, one comic and one dramatic. The comedy comes from Madea,
a formidable, truculent character who looks after her invalid
brother Joe (also Perry). Madea avoids church ("I'll go when
they get a smoking section," she promises), packs a pistol
in her purse, and spends her life settling large and small scores
with people who cross her, a long list. The comedy is broad and
physical.
The somewhat
soap-operatic drama is supplied by Joshua (Derek Luke) and Candy
(Keshia Knight Pulliam). Joshua is a district attorney, engaged
to marry another district attorney. Candy is a former college
friend turned hooker. Joshua's attempts to help Candy complicate
life with his ambitious fiancee, who uses her position to remove
the threat. Meantime, Madea's belligerent behavior finally earns
her a stretch in the slammer, and thus the stories converge.
If this were
a book it would be relegated to the "Inspirational"
section of the bookstore. An unapologetic Christian, Perry laces
all of his movies with a message combining faith, redemption and
self-reliance. There's also some commentary on the subtle prejudices
within Atlanta's working and middle class black communities. "You
can't help those people," says Joshua's fiancee (an upper
class black woman), referring to Candy's "ghetto black"
background. The film's resolution is a page from the Gospel According
to Frank Capra.
Perry has
identified and built up such an audience for his plays and films
that they are virtually critic-proof. You either like Perry or
you don't, but you cannot deny that he does things his way, an
increasing rarity among filmmakers.
WORSHIP AT THE ALTAR OF MAHER
Fans of the long-running HBO series Real Time with Bill
Maher are familiar with Maher’s disdainful attitude about
life and the afterlife. He expresses it frequently on subjects
ranging from politics to Paris Hilton. However, in Religulous—the
documentary-style film which he co-wrote, produced and starred
in, now on DVD—Maher’s eagerness to convince viewers
of the validity of his non-beliefs mirrors the religious fervor
of the believers he interviews. Oh, the irony of it all.
The film has
some very funny moments, but early on we realize that Maher isn’t
searching for real answers to his questions but rather setting
up situations where everyone but him looks bad. On his HBO show,
Maher matches wits with powerful, articulate people—many
who have opposite political perspectives from him and who make
a living expressing their opinions. That’s not the case
in Religulous, and it’s hard not to feel bad for the people
interviewed (skewered?) by him.
In the film,
Maher interviews mostly marginal religious figures, questioning
the beliefs and tenets of their respective religions. And I do
mean marginal. Why would Maher choose a guy who plays Jesus at
the “Holy Land Experience” park in Orlando as a defender
of the Bible? What kind of insight does he expect from an actor
working from a script based on the Bible in the city of faux experiences?
And then there’s the radical Catholic priest who characterizes
doctrines regarding hell and the circumstances surrounding Jesus’
birth as “nonsense and nice stories,” Wonder how he’s
faring since Religulous was released?
It turns out
that director Larry Charles (Borat, Curb Your Enthusiasm) used
the fake working title A Spiritual Journey to secure interviews.
The subjects had no idea Maher was involved until he arrived at
their office. At one point in Religulous, Maher says, “Faith
means making a virtue out of not thinking. It's nothing to brag
about.” Neither is this movie.
- Lisa Worsham
MORE DVDS-OSCAR WINNERS, LOSERS
Changeling.
There are two kinds of movie lovers—those who say Clint
Eastwood is our greatest living director and those who don’t
know what the hell they’re talking about. As a mother who
takes on the corrupt LAPD circa 1928 after her son goes missing,
Angelina Jolie finally makes herself useful. In the supplemental
material, Jolie swears she will only make films if Eastwood is
helming. I hope Mrs. Pitt keeps her word—it will give her
more time to save the world.
Man
on Wire. The Academy Award winner for Best Documentary
catches up with Philippe Petit, the guy who walked the high wire
between the Twin Towers in 1974. Don’t miss the animated
children’s book adaptation of Petit’s gasp-inducing
story in the DVD’s bonus materials.
Nights
in Rodanthe. As tearjerkers go, it’s not bad
thanks to the enduring charisma of its stars, Diane Lane and Richard
Gere. Their previous collaboration, Unfaithful, had more
going for it in the hot sex category, but at least this one has
an ending.
Righteous
Kill. In The Godfather Part II, Robert
DeNiro and Al Pacino had no scenes together. In 1995’s Heat,
they shared just two scenes, both of them great. Here they have
a lot of scenes together, and they’re nearly all godawful.
The two Academy Award winners are almost always watchable, but
a three-year-old could figure this one out halfway through. -
Christopher Manson
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