If you’ve been to see a film at the movie theater recently, you’re probably still pondering a better use of the $14 you spent on the ticket. This past weekend I saw “The Perfect Guy” with similarly skeptical friends who critically analyzed the entire thing along with me.
DISCLAIMER: Spoilers ahead.
This time around I was less regretful of the price I paid and more critical of the overplayed tropes of black characters that were represented in the film. Now, this wasn’t the usual Mammy or Uncle Tom type of caricature. The film was directed by a white male, produced and written by men of color. The portrayal of women of color in the film, then, is simply not based in reality.
Instead, the movie depicts the main character, Leah, as an overworked “career woman” who is seemingly forced to choose between two men in her life. The film is a thriller as we learn that one of the men isn’t who he, at first, appears to be. Throughout the film, it seems as if Leah is making good, logical decisions that don’t always make you want to yell at the screen. These choices include walking away at the right time, involving the police, and asking her sassy black friend for advice. When forced to take extreme measures thanks to the ineptitude of the police force, she arms herself and tries to outsmart her stalker. She “wins” in the end by eventually killing the man who has become obsessed with her by shooting him dead with a shotgun in her house.
The part of the plot that was overly hyped in the previews was the reintroduction of Leah’s ex boyfriend. When her current partner begins stalking her, she reaches out to the other man. For some reason, he seems to be the most well equipped for the job at outsmarting a cyber expert who creates security systems for a living.
Of course you want to root for Leah and you want her to come out making the right decision. Unfortunately, the movie seems to give her no real options to do this. She is cornered into a box of always depending on a male figure, whether it’s the ex or the investigator, to aid her in risky situations. Overall, Leah’s character lacks depth and I would’ve loved to see her take on a truly independent role in which she evolves into a stronger character. I left thinking, “perhaps she should’ve tried singledom for awhile.”
“The Perfect Guy,” while boasting an all black cast, just doesn’t deliver on so many aspects. The story line lacks imagination and the ending is predictable. The misogynistic undertones in the way the men treat Leah (as an object) make the movie painful to watch at times.
A great start to avoiding these pitfalls would be to include people of color in the writing and production phases of movies being created in Hollywood. Diverse representation in every aspect of the film making process can help to illuminate the issue of stereotyping more.
Without black female film makers, these awful movies will continue to make millions on the backs of those who have been waiting to see all black casts in Hollywood. We support these films hesitantly because we want blacks to do well, but we HAVE to do better.
Musings of a Burgeoning Brooklynite 