Rave: Tyler Perry

I rented two movies this weekend, one was a Meet the Browns, a Tyler Perry film, and the other was Smart People. I enjoyed both, because they were the sort of movie I like, about people and relationships and familes. I was really struck by the differences in the two side-by-side, though; Meet the Browns was about a woman living in the Chicago projects who is trying to support a family (when she suddenly finds out about another side of her family), while Smart People is about a college professor trying to become more human and less academic machine after the death of his wife. A lot of movies I watch are more like the second movie, about kids of professors and doctors and whatnot trying to discover their true selves and break their narcissistic habits. That can be really compelling, but it was refreshing to watch a (well-made) movie about people who are dealing with more immediate problems - Angela Bassett's character's family has to figure out how to get food and money to turn their lights back on. The characters were really flawed (and sometimes over-the top for laugh) - Bassett's character had three kids from three husbands, her uncle was effeminate and none-too-bright, her cousin was a drama queen, but they are portrayed with a great deal of compassion, and even though they are a little ridiculous, they also have dignity. They reminded me a lot more of the people I know.