(ThyBlackMan.com) Tonight is movie night across Black America. When work is over Black men and women will come together in their respective groups of boys and sista friends and head to the theatre for opening night of Think Like a Man based on comedian Steve Harvey’s best selling book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. I have not read the book. I do not plan to read the book. Not even for intellectual blogging purposes. But I will see the movie as I suspect many Black men and women will do this weekend even if they’re not abreast of the latest advice from the love guru.
This weekend’s showing at the box office is what Black people do best. Show up to support our own who received what seems to be a break of a lifetime even if we don’t necessarily support the project or its message. Despite the bad reviews we flocked to Red Tails in droves. Tyler Perry’s blockbuster success is thanks in part to this principle. The Black community will take any 
representation of itself; true or false, heavily stereotyped or not, filled with foolishness and debauchery, or intellectually subtle yet artistically genius. The reason: we just want to see ourselves even if we slam ourselves later.
I don’t know if Think Like a Man will be good or bad. I hope for the former over the latter because I really do want to enjoy it. However, no matter the review or personal opinion it will be highly successful for two reasons.
- The movie is based on a book that ignited a firestorm of critique on the Black community especially its women and their relationships and put Nightline on the map for the non news-nerds among us.
- It’s a Black film which Black people are starved for
The reasons Think Like a Man will be successful are the same reasons why Basketball Wives, Real Housewives of Atlanta and Love & Hip-Hop continue to be successful. They fill a void. It doesn’t matter the latter shows are detrimental to the images of Black women and Black relationships. It doesn’t matter these shows negatively influence young people. It doesn’t matter the reality is so much worse than the fiction. All that matters is we’re represented and the storyline is good, entertaining or contains enough labels, luxury, and ‘bow throwing to keep us glued to what we should never accept or promote.
This week two men out of Nashville, Tennessee filed a discrimination lawsuit against ABC’s The Bachelor. The show in 16 seasons has never had a Black bachelor. In seven seasons of the spin off The Bachelorette there has never been a Black woman to hold the title role. One of the men who auditioned for the show, Nathaniel Claybrook, told WKRN — the ABC affiliate in Nashville — during his interview the producers of The Bachelor rushed him through. The other man suing the show, Christopher Johnson said:
The reasons Think Like a Man will be successful are the same reasons why Basketball Wives, Real Housewives of Atlanta and Love & Hip-Hop continue to be successful. They fill a void. It doesn’t matter the latter shows are detrimental to the images of Black women and Black relationships. It doesn’t matter these shows negatively influence young people. It doesn’t matter the reality is so much worse than the fiction. All that matters is we’re represented and the storyline is good, entertaining or contains enough labels, luxury, and ‘bow throwing to keep us glued to what we should never accept or promote.
This week two men out of Nashville, Tennessee filed a discrimination lawsuit against ABC’s The Bachelor. The show in 16 seasons has never had a Black bachelor. In seven seasons of the spin off The Bachelorette there has never been a Black woman to hold the title role. One of the men who auditioned for the show, Nathaniel Claybrook, told WKRN — the ABC affiliate in Nashville — during his interview the producers of The Bachelor rushed him through. The other man suing the show, Christopher Johnson said:
“In order for it to be 23 seasons, 16 on “[The] Bachelor,” seven on “[The] Bachelorette” we haven’t had that opportunity, because in my opinion all of the shows that people of color do have, it’s always argumentative or something that sheds a bad light. We never get a show that explains and shows that we also do have love and affection toward one another.”
Johnson’s statement is like so many others in the Black community, craving to see Black people do something other than fight and argue on TV. The few 2011-2012 shows with lead characters or main characters or even present characters of color have failed. My fingers are crossed for Scandal. Add to this fact shows set in diverse multi-cultural cities are white washed more than rotten wood fences and we have a television culture reflecting the other as zoo animals and the majority as everything and anything they can dream up; ousted Queens who birth dragons (Game of Thrones) strong women battling cancer (The Big C), lawyers, mediators, doctors and special victim’s investigators.
The latest show to add to this controversy over lack of television and movie diversity is HBO’s Girls. The apparent prequel to Sex and the City but with a different group of women; twenty-somethings, running around New York in heels and making fools of themselves in relationships at work and with men. Such stories in life are not race specific. But on TV only the glamorous and pale can become actual entrepreneurs, writers, doctors, lawyers, housewives etc, while the darker set pretend to be WAGs when they’re really more of the former, used-to-be ex, or just straight jump off of (insert famous man’s name here).
The one Black scripted television show that gave all the glam of Sex and the City combined with the ridiculousness of hyper-stereotyped Black culture mixed with a little relatability has yet to come back for a second season. VH1? Single Ladies? What’s good?
While the VH1 scripted phenom remains missing in action many of the 25-54 African-American set tune into BET Tuesday nights to be continuously disappointed by The Game. (Is it just me or does the show just end abruptly week after week.) Let’s Stay Together is good, Reed Between the Lines will need more depth for its second season and as for the new premiere’s this fall, I’m not too stoked about Being Mary Jane. For one I’m tired of Gabrielle Union playing the same role with a different name. I love her hustle but in the end the single girl making it in the big world she’s done over and over again. Including this weekend in Think Like a Man.
I’ll go see the movie. Support characters and plots that are trite. I will laugh. I will talk about it with my friends. Then I will wait with baited breath for part two of the Real Housewives of Atlanta: Reunion and to see if Evelyn actually made it to Jennifer when she lept off the table in the Basketball Wives cliffhanger. I will also pray to see more of Geena Davis in the season two premiere of Suits, I will pray hard Taraji P. Henson’s character is expanded more in Person of Interest. I will continue to support the dramatic predictability of Scandal and will wish upon a Disney fairytale star a movie studio exec realizes Black people do more than fight and play good sidekicks. We live in every major city in America including New York; as in Manhattan proper and not just the surrounding boroughs.
Are you looking forward to Think Like a Man, Being Mary Jane, or any other TV show, movie or premiere with actors of color?
Staff Writer; Nikesha Leeper
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