d.) The Madea Movies, though very successful in the box office, are rife with harmful stereotypes that Tyler Perry uses as a medium to make some allegorical or moralistic story. The themes were popular with those who liked church or heavy moral tones in media, but to the vast majority, it was hard to stomach being beaten over the head with the same themes over and over again. This was made worse by the fact that many of the characters were, and still are, rehashes of the same stereotypes that the Black community has always been subject too. (Madea as a "m*mmy" type character or a "magical n*gro", Mr. Brown as a "co*n or an Uncle T*m, depending on the stakes of the film or what was needed plot-wise.) Because of the commercial success and the wide use of Black bodies on film, however, it was difficult to navigate what good and what harm Tyler Perry's movies had done for the Black community. It was also hard to escape the medium in general, as Tyler Perry’s movies were extremely popular in the early 2000’s; I think some of that has to do with the change in tone from the harder subject matter and tones of movies from the 90’s. Audiences had a chance to see softer subject matter with lighter tones and more of a chance to “feel good”, and they took it.
Pt 2: It was interesting to see the big boom in how many Black women roles and Black women-oriented shows and movies came out during the early 2000’s. I never noticed that these movies were geared toward a more woman- heavy audience as I grew up watching them with my mother. I just thought that things like Dreamgirls, Hairspray, and The Secret Life of Bees were just regular movies.