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OPINION: Of course, Tyler Perry doesn’t need my help coming up with new movie ideas, but in case he’s looking for inspiration, I came up with some ideas!
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
On Feb. 23, Tyler Perry is releasing a new film on Netflix called “Mea Culpa.” Trust me, the irony of that title is as delicious to me as it is to you. With that said, the FIRST thought I had when I saw the title of this film was that the name of the main character, played by Kelly Rowland, would be Mea. And wouldn’t you know it, I was right. Tyler Perry is nothing if not predictable when it comes to his film conventions. When he released “A Fall From Grace” in 2020, the name of the main character was — you guessed it — Grace. “Good Deeds” starred Tyler Perry as Wesley Deeds. Obviously, he doesn’t do this every time, but he loves a fun play on words. Take “The Family That Preys” for instance about families that prey on each other and who need prayer. That Tyler, what a card.
Here’s the thing, I might joke about such things (and all of his movies, really) but I’ll be right there on Feb. 23 watching this movie as soon as I’m able to pull it up on streaming. The trailer for it looks good; the film stars Rowland as a lawyer who takes up the case of an artist played by Trevante Rhodes. If you watched the legal jurisprudence of “A Fall From Grace” with a side-eye then you are probably as dubious about the legal proceedings we will see in this movie as I am, but it’s fine — the shenanigans are what we’re here for. And baby, we’re here for it; since the trailer for the film dropped on Wednesday, it’s racked up over 3 million views and counting. Tyler Perry stays winning.
TheGrio Staff
Rev. Dr. Alisha Lola Jones and Rev. Calvin Taylor Skinner
Associated Press
Associated Press
Gerren Keith Gaynor
Associated Press
TheGrio Staff
Since I’m rooting for everybody Black; I love to see Tyler Perry win so I thought I might toss a few more film suggestions his way with fun “play on words” titles in case he’s hunting. Do I expect him to take any of these seriously? Of course not. Based on his own historical writing practices and work ethic, he’s probably already written three full-length films in the times it’s taken you to read this far. But there’s no harm in me offering up some suggestions, is there? I think not.
A film about a custody battle for Liberty Bell, a precocious 5-year-old Black girl who is an UNO prodigy. She was named Liberty because of her father’s affinity for history and Juneteenth. Her parents divorce because of financial issues before her mother discovers Liberty’s UNO skills; Liberty’s draw-two and draw-four stacking speed and precision become the subject of news reports the world over. Her parents then fight for custody only to realize that they can find liberation for all of humanity if they join forces. Think “Searching for Bobby Fischer” meets “Black Panther.” (I have no idea how that would work.)
A psychological thriller about a young girl named “Blessing” who went missing, but she really didn’t. She put on a mask and walked the streets of, I don’t know, Topeka, alone at night, keeping up with the news clippings about people trying to find her. When people get close to finding her, she goes into their homes and kills them, but one detective, Norwood Jones, refuses to give up on the case even though everybody who tries to find her ends up dead. Eventually, Blessing comes clean to him after she tries to kill him with a loaf of bread and cyanide-laced cheese at a local diner. I really don’t know where this one is going. I think the family will be reunited one day. Tyler, we can workshop this one. I know you love the title.
Obviously, this stars a woman named Gabrielle who can’t find love or is searching for love in all the wrong places. She’s almost ready to give up until she ends up meeting the man of her dreams, a rich, super-educated nuclear physicist and pediatrician who loves kids and volunteering. But he harbors a deep, dark secret: He’s obsessed with wrapping paper, and one night, while they’re asleep, he wraps Gabrielle up and puts a bow on her. He keeps her bound (I like where this is going) until her brother, Jesse, comes in and kills him, finding his sister, wrapped up in Christmas wrapping paper and taking her safety. Gabrielle never meets another suitor on BlackFolksHang.com again, because she doesn’t have to: Rick Fox moves into the house next door and they get married.
A young woman is obsessed with her ex-lover, Michael Moon, and makes his life hell. It’s like “Obsessed” meets “Acrimony.” Michael is a very nice guy who just wants to live his life, and he moves 3,000 miles away, but she finds him anyway while he’s at a drug store buying cold medicine. There will be a lot of running and staring into the stars in this film. I’m not sure who will die, but I think Michael must die. Maybe they die together. I don’t know but I’m feeling really excited about this one.
Holla at me, TP!
Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest), but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said: “Unknown” (Blackest).
Make sure you check out the Dear Culture podcast every Thursday on theGrio’s Black Podcast Network, where I’ll be hosting some of the Blackest conversations known to humankind. You might not leave the convo with an afro, but you’ll definitely be looking for your Afro Sheen! Listen to Dear Culture on TheGrio’s app; download it here.
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