Director: Salim Akil
Writers: Elizabeth Hunter (screenplay), Arlene Gibbs (screenplay)
Stars: Paula Patton, Laz Alonso and Angela Bassett
Since watching Just Wright, I have harbored hope that finally Tyler Perry could be beaten to his game. So I looked forward to Jumping The Broom. Unfortunately, by doing away with the edge we find in Tyler Perry’s stories, Salim Akil and producer T.D. Jakes eliminated any potential humor or heart a story that explores class relations amongst African Americans could possibly boast of.
Let’s face it. If Jumping The Broom is the step towards building a force that would eventually overthrow Tyler Perry’s regime, then I am doubly sorry. While producer T.D. Jakes (a pastor in a non-denominational megachurch in Texas and author of several “inspirational” writings) may want to circumvent Tyler Perry’s approach by creating something that is not ‘stereotypical’ and commercial at the same time, his good intentions just spiraled into a bad story and script, and an uneducated plot that invariably delved into an incoherent cacophony of class relations amongst black folk. This is where I start to wonder if cast and crew really understand the class struggle at hand in the American Eros-Agape relationship.
Perhaps some of the accusations that have been leveled against Tyler Perry so far are true and maybe well intended. However, a gross number of them have been disrespectful and ill-mannered such as calling his films ‘coonery and buffonery’. I can understand some of the frustration emanating from this, but, the issue remains a simple one in that, no one is doing any better than Tyler Perry – no one is telling a black story better than Tyler Perry right now. I am sorry to bust the bubble for many cinephiles out there who can’t stand Madea and the steoreotypes surrounding her. I can see that, though with some reservation.
But a movie like Jumping The Broom does not make the cut and quite simply and frankly, I will pick a Madea webisode any day over it. And here’s why. Tyler Perry at least draws on real world experiences within the African American community to motivate his message. His stories are a proclamation of a declaration about certain black experiences we are all conversant with, this is important – even though we may accept or disagree with them – or we may like Spike Lee to make some black movies. But this is entirely a matter of fraternity. Is Tyler Perry a savy director? Probably not the kind Spike Lee fans would adore. Then again Tyler Perry’s fans are equally apt to arguing his case.
On the other hand, producer T.D. Jakes, director Salim Akil and ‘the story’ lack the much needed infusion of real life. For example, how many black families in America speak French, bad French at that, as a native language? How many African American men are Vice-Presidents at Goldman Sachs? If he is so successful, how does marrying into a wealthy family an exploration of class relations in African American relationships? This is what Tyler Perry does clearly, perhaps not to everyone’s taste! And how many of such men would allow their only parent, mother, work in a shanty post office in the middle of Brooklyn in order to bake them their favorite childhood pie regularly?
While this may be some black folk experience in America, Jumping The Broom does not lure us into wanting anything to do with the characters. Who wants to empathize or even listen to a white family that outwardly boasts of their slave-wealth, let alone a black family that is nonchalant about it? Unless it’s a Western and they’re gonna get their asses kicked – hard and soon!
As if this was not disturbing enough – the ensuing ‘history’ lesson preached at the bridal dinner was unfounded and uncalled for -the sociological implications thereof are a matter worth discussing in a separate post. For now, it was seriously flawed and I hope it made the same sense to me as it did to everyone else. Alas, I implored, what kind of a RomCom is this? Give me a Tyler Perry flick.
But here’s the problem, especially for me. As much as I would like the few black movies around to astound me as the many white ones we can pick and choose from do, there are not enough black movies, and there are no filmmakers with ‘greater’ talent than Tyler Perry walking around. You may rant and pine, fume and seethe, but I saw Night Catches Us, I have seen many independent straight to DVD ones, and I saw 35 & Ticking – are you kidding?
While this gap exists, we should not be surprised at all when the Tyler Perrys and the T.D. Jakes step in. Peradventure, their already massive black following is the root of their success. Who knows? It’s probably the kind of exploitation of church going folk that we need to discuss sometime and at length.
But until we have seen what new black filmmakers can do and what the old ones are capable of, the verdict still remains that in the country of the blind the one-eyed is king. Otherwise, how else can a bad $6.6 million budget movie make $37 million at the theaters so easily?
Jason (Laz Alonso) is a successful vice-president at Goldman Sachs. His over-protective mother (Loretta Devine) is a Brooklyn postal worker and his smart-ass cousins (Michael Epps and DeRay Davis) pet him about his minority position in a world dominated by ‘white-men’. All of that changes when he announces that he’s marrying the beautiful and wealthy, Sabrina (Paula Patton), whose family lives on Martha’s Vineyard. Her family speak French, and claim a different ‘slave’ ancestry from that of the rest of black brethren – they owned slaves. Jason’s mother takes an immediate dislike to Sabrina’s snooty bourgeois mother (Angela Bassett). Not long, the groom’s group is being slighted and the bride’s brood is fuming over the urban influence of these soon-to-be-related outsiders.
Very interesting critique, while artistically some of Tyler choices make me cringe, as a black person I’ve never felt insulted by him. The black people that he knows, he knows them well…lol..that of course is not the entire African-American experience, but it is some people’s experience. Now that movie Jumping the Broom, my dad worked for the post office. I felt insulted before I even saw this “positive” movie. From my experience people who go to work everyday aren’t loud like that. I felt Chris Rock did a great portrayal of working class African-American life in that show, “Everybody Hates Chris.” Even that show 227 did a great job.
I want a variety of films and I would like some good films. Everyone is making horrible movies now. I can’t watch any current American films, they are all horrible.
“For example, how many black families in America speak French, bad French at that, as a native language?” <<—yeah, I mean come on, we have an African-American snobby upper class, so why did he make that up. That was just weird. If she was supposed to be Creole then…well in America Creoles don't look like Angela Bassett, so that just made no sense. To put the class ting in there and leave out the hueism…that was a bit cowardly.
Lol. But yeah, I was dozing off when suddenly I eavesdropped on some French. I opened my eyes only to see Angela Bassett and Paula Patton. It was interesting, for lack of a better word.
You right about the lack of good movies right now. That makes me wonder what the problem might be. People want to go the theaters! But there’s nothing. Really. Especially black movies.
I have been a fan of the independent black filmmaker for sometime, but I am getting frustrated there too. I feel like a lot of people are rushing their stories.
According to Russ Parr, director of ’35 & Ticking’, he wrote the script in 6 days! How is that possible? Even if you did – you shouldn’t – don’t say it loud, you know?
The sad things is the movies should be good, but it’s almost as if people don’t finish writing them. It’s like movies are supposed to be background noise to a party while people are playing on their Iphone. I’m not quite sure what is happening. I just know many bad films are being made and people are spending quite a lot of money to film these very bad movies. The only American films I can watch all the way though are documentaries. By the way did you see Radiant Child the Basquiat documentary that was good. I loved how they subtlety revealed he wasn’t quite the ghetto kid people were implying that he was. I figured out he didn’ t have to work because his father was probably sending him money. He was pretty smart, a bit too smart for his own good.
No, I haven’t yet seen Radiant Child. But now that I hear another ‘good thinz’ about it, am gonna see it 🙂 Let me know anytime you find some good things out there.
The thing about bad cinema can also be said about music. As long as people continue to support it, the inferior products will continue to be pumped out. As much as it assaults our sensibilities, a lot of people enjoy it. The best musicians & films right now, you’ve probably never heard of.
Lol. No doubt. The debate stretches to music too. It’s true the audience have more power than they probably realize. Thing is, the market is also controlling of what it releases/produces – I call it the ‘Double Jeopardy’. They feed us the bad stuff, we buy it/support it and they intend support the bad artist to keeping producing the bad stuff. How do you win this game?
I get what you call the Blue Line special. I haven’t paid retail in 10 years..haha…I win!
Honestly, I never know how to react to bad black movies (that was almost an oxymoron; double negative?). When a white director makes a bad movie, it’s just bad and not a reflection on the the entire movie genre. Why do I always cringe when a bad movie with black actors/director is made? But why are those just about the only ones that get air time? I’m convinced someone’s laughing out loud in some board room.
With Tyler, I dunno how to react. Lark put it best I think, the people Tyler knows, he knows well. It does make me wonder about his range. Can he not make movies with you know, different characters? But yeah, while I have heard of the Blue Line special (ahem), someone(s) is supporting these dumbass flicks. Makes me wonder if Idiocracy was not a documentary.
Soul Plane? Brother From Another Planet? Belly .. II?
I saw the film and thought it was a decent film with interesting class and cultural dynamics between the two films. I actually found your review of the movie quite disturbing in the fact that you viewed it as “unrealistic” in comparison to the people who inhabit Tyler Perry’s universe. There are many, many African-American men like the character Jason walking around. Matter of fact, Laz Alonzo mentioned in an interview that he related to the character because it mirrored his life EXACTLY. He had the same occupation as Jason before turning into Acting. Saying the only “Real” African-American is working class folks living in the hood with a single mother is preposterous. Matter of fact, saying that Tyler Perry is telling the BEST stories for African-Americans is very sad. African-Americans have always been a complex and multifaceted people from the beginning. Just because you don’t any people like the characters in the movie[I have a friend who comes from a similar background], does not mean they don’t exist.
Also, I would like to point something out about the Watsons that your seem to have missed in your review. There is a valid reason why the Watsons speak French. It was intentional. The writer of the movie has parents who came from the Island of St. Maartin in the Carribbean whose inhabitants speak Creole on the Dutch and French side of the country. In that country, speaking French is a sign of wealth and class. In other words, the Watsons originally came from the Caribbean who had ancestors that were likely free persons of color who were wealthy. They were Creoles.
So, the Watsons were not African-American. The use of French was just a way to further show their class and cultural distance from Jason’s family. By the way, My history is similar to the Watsons. My ancestors were free persons of color who owned slaves in Louisiana before the Civil War. So, I can relate. That history does exist.
If one was to go deep into the story and figure out why the writer make those stylistic choices, you would not misinterpret it and put Tyler Perry in the same breathe as this diverse and refreshing film.
There are over 2 million Americans who speak french at home. Over 450,000 of them are people of colour. There are several hundred Goldman VPs of colour in the US and even more associates and analysts. I know because I’m one of them. Most of my other black friends come from the same Wall St circles. I find it extremely disturbing that you think Tyler Perry movies are a realistic portrayal of black America but this movie isn’t. There is nothing in a Tyler Perry movie that I can remotely relate to but everything about this movie resonates. This movie is very accurate in its portrayal of the black upper class experience and how intraracial class war. I don’t know if you’re black or white but you really need to get out more.