Antoine Robinson

I am disappointed that Alice Walker’s deep and complex novel was turned into a feel good Tyler Perry play, glossing over a number of difficult moments from the novel with a song or totally omitting them altogether. They kept SOME iconic lines to appease those of us who know the original movie, then dropped the ball by basically eliminating the one scene that nearly EVERY man I know tears up on…”God is tryna tell you somethin’”. What’s disappointing for me is I believe this version was dumbed down because there’s a belief the Black audience is incapable of handling or understanding the tough issues Walker dealt with in her novel. They created a production the same way the rest of Hollywood does, box office return first, smart/responsible and GOOD second. Unfortunately, they won’t receive enough commentary like this to change. Everyone was clapping and cheering just like a Tyler Perry play. For Perry, that’s fine, because it’s his original work. This, however, is an interpretation of someone else’s work that I believe fell very short of delivering on the higher minded level Alice Walker’s novel deserves.