Notes From D.R. | Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene

Madea’s Family Reunion debuts at #1 with an estimated $30 million take—despite the fact that one of the film’s subplots involves Blair Underwood as a physically abusive boyfriend. Am I the only one who thinks this is more than a little distasteful? I normally don’t have a problem with actors playing against type (a la Denzel Washington in Training Day), but isn’t there something manifestly wrong with an actor of Underwood’s talent essentially perpetuating the stereotype of the black-man-as-partner-abusing-lout? You’d figure that two decades after the makers of The Color Purple caught tremendous heat for depicting Danny Glover’s character as an abusive brute, Underwood and Reunion writer/director/producer/co-star Tyler Perry would have thought twice about depicting Underwood’s character in this fashion. I can’t imagine why Underwood and Perry would want to dredge up such a hateful stereotype (unless, of course, they figured that such a stereotype would appeal to the movie’s black female target audience).