TYLER PERRY'S LATEST film, "Why Did I Get Married Too," earned a whopping $30 million last weekend. That's big — especially since it came in at No. 2. ("Clash of the Titans," with a blockbuster $61 million, was No. 1.)
Perry gets no respect from critics — but I don't think he cares. He knows his audience and his audience loves him. So why bother with critics?
A black filmmaker/actor, Perry aims his low-budget comedy-dramas directly at the African-American audience, which has rewarded him by making those movies box-office hits, even in the face of Big Hollywood Product.
But, as I wrote in a column devoted to Perry last fall, to say he makes "black films" really undersells the universality of his work. True, there are black-centric moments, but his movies are primarily about human frailties and the land mines that surround relationships. Anyone and everyone can relate to that.
In general, Perry's pictures also seem more rooted and real than something like, say, the wildly contrived machinations of "Valentine's Day," which feels as if it came off the Hollywood assembly line sandwiched between "When in Rome" and "The Bounty Hunter."
Not that Perry's films are perfect; his worst tendencies relate to pacing, editing and stretching 90 minutes of material to two hours or more.
But he also uses themes, subplots and ideas that you'll never see in Hollywood movies.
One subplot in "Why Did I Get Married Too" deals with one of the married characters having an "emotional affair," a flirtatious but non-sexual relationship with a co-worker. As the film depicts, it's something that can be just as damaging to a marriage as a sexual affair — but do you really think a Hollywood movie would have left out the sex?
This sounds weird, I know, but it's a daring idea in the 21st century to leave out the sex. Emotional affairs are not uncommon in the real world, but I don't think I've ever seen one in a modern movie.
And I'm sure I haven't seen one in a modern Hollywood movie, where sex seems to inform everything.
Also, Perry casually uses plus-size actresses in his cast without treating them any different than anyone else; none of the other characters even makes mention of it. They are also portrayed as being just as lovely, attractive and appealing as any thin-model Hollywood stereotype.
If you wonder why this is a big deal, think about it. When was the last time you saw a heavy-set woman in a major movie without someone making a remark about her size?
Actually, it's the same with men. A hefty man in a major movie is usually shown constantly snacking or in some other way is made the butt of a lame joke related to his size.
It's sad to say that this is a rare thing in the 21st century, but Perry is one of the few filmmakers who treats people of different shapes and sizes just as indiscriminately as he treats people of various races.
According to online statistics, the majority of Perry's audience is 50 percent black women older than 35, and his films are best attended in the South and certain urban centers around the country.
That would seem to be borne out by my experience. My wife and I saw "Why Did I Get Married Too" in a small theater in the bustling but relatively small town of St. George, Utah, last weekend.
This was the prime-time evening show and there were just 10 people sitting in small clusters around the auditorium: two young black women, who appeared to be 19 or 20; three other black women, probably in their 30s; an Asian woman with her white husband, in their 50s or early 60s; a 40ish white woman sitting alone; and my wife and I, 60-something whites.
But maybe Perry's audience is widening. He achieved a pair of high watermarks with two movies last year: "Madea Goes to Jail" became his highest grossing effort, earning $90.5 million at the end of its run, and "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" earned his best reviews.
"Why Did I Get Married Too" isn't quite as assured as "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," which I consider his personal best so far — but Perry continues to do things in his movies that no one else will do, and for that alone his films deserve a wider audience.
e-mail: hicks@desnews.com