Maxine's Baby: The Tyler Perry Story

Greetings again from the darkness. For those who have scoffed at the "Madea" movies, or the periodic screen appearances of Tyler Perry in supporting roles, this documentary from Gelila Bekele (she and Perry share a child) and Armani Ortiz will open your eyes to the money-making machine and unstoppable force that is Tyler Perry. Clearly more of a tribute to his accomplishments than a deep dive into the man, his business, and his life, the film leaves us with full respect for what he has accomplished, as well as an understanding of an industry mogul who maintains complete control of his projects.

The opening credits play like a four-minute trailer for the movie we are about to watch, and that's likely for the benefit of those who haven't been paying attention to Perry's ongoing success and his building of a media empire over the last two decades. Time is spent on his childhood in New Orleans, where sadly, he was so severely mistreated by his father that he later changed his name from Emmett Perry Jr to Tyler, in order to create the emotional distance he needed.

His close friend Oprah Winfrey states that Perry "turned pain into power", and most of the film details how he went from self-financing a small theater production to constructing the sprawling Tyler Perry Studios on a 330-acre site in Atlanta that was originally the Confederate Army base, Fort McPherson. In fact, the 2019 grand opening of the studios is used as a bit of defining structure throughout, although it times, bouncing back and forth gives a sense of redundancy.

The studios are quite impressive, as is the fact that Perry accomplished this outside of the traditional Hollywood system. And other than the remarkable 'rags-to-riches' story, it's Perry's ability to blaze his own unconventional trail that garners the most respect. He recognized the underserved and underestimated Black audience and committed to providing material for "his audience". Beginning with his first movie, DIARY OF A MAD HOUSEWIFE (2005), Perry worked his plan. While the critics bashed, the film cashed. Lionsgate President Michael Paseornek took notice, and again, Perry bucked the system by demanding creative control, ownership of his work, and establishing new parameters for TV series and syndication.

Perry's work ethic is dwelled upon here, as is his love for his mother Willie Maxine Perry, who shows up in some clips and photos. Cousin Lucky Johnson offers the most insightful personal observations of what Perry's traumatic childhood was like, lending credence to the remarkable success. Perry's determination is beyond reproach, as is his mental toughness and ability to stick to his focus on control and ownership. The music/score of the film is frequently intrusive and overbearing, often distracting from the story, and the film is probably 20 to 30 minutes longer than it should be. However, taking a love-fest approach makes sense in this case, as Tyler Perry has progressed from dreamer to achiever, and the lessons are crystal clear.

Releases on Prime Video on November 17, 2023.

A current documentary airing on Amazon Prime regarding our favorite Madea performer, one Tyler Perry. Tracing his hard scrabble roots in New Orleans where he was in an abusive home (getting beaten by his father on the regular) but after finding a calling somewhat in the church where he could exercise his comedic muscles much to the chagrin of his pastor, he then wrote a stage play where he used his own money to stage it to widespread ignorance since practically no one showed up to see it. W/this outcome, Perry still maintained to push forward but not until he decided to put the show on in Atlanta did he finally gain traction w/the people which would become his bread & butter; a large black audience who would occasionally go to mainstream theatrical productions but found in Perry's a safe space for the type of characters they were more familiar & comfortable with. From this success, he decided to mount the same play but now as a film w/him playing his signature character, Madea, which struck a chord w/the viewing public creating a financial windfall for the production which Perry would replicate w/many of his subsequent releases. With the money coming in, Perry decided to flex his finances & build studios in vacant buildings finding it was not enough so setting his sights on an abandoned army base, the die was cast w/Perry buying the property thereby opening up the first black owned film studio complex (even naming some of the buildings after some current & past luminaries like Halle Berry, Spike Lee, Denzel Washington, Sidney Poitier, Oprah Winfrey, et al). Not shying away from the criticism that's dogged his career of his creations pandering to the lowest common denominator (something I myself have said when asked), Perry has embraced what his critics call his shortcomings & used them as strengths. A good doc to be sure but still feeling a bit like it was made inhouse where the Kool-aid was not only served but drank on repeat.

I never knew Tayler's journey and it was so moving to hear it. Going from such struggle in New Orleans growing up to owning his very own studio.

It's always incredible to see the journey of ordinary people who go on to achieve such great things.

I will almost certainly watch this again and with friends. His love for his mother reminds me of mine and the name of the show is just perfect.

Don't usually write reviews for shows/ movies but this one I had to. This has made my Sunday and I would encourage everyone to go and watch it .

I hope to one day visit the studio in Atlanta to see physically the great things that can be achieved.

Maxine's Baby: The Tyler Perry Story is a beautiful movie. This documentary is so inspiring with lessons on the importance of forgiveness, faith and perseverance. And I learned so much about Tyler Perry!

The movie reveals the childhood trauma that Tyler Perry went through and shows how he became the most successful African American filmmaker we all know. It's also a tribute to his late mother, Maxine, hence the title of the movie.

According to co-directors Gelila Bekele and Armani Ortiz, this movie took ten years to make. I had no idea what Tyler went through as a child because he had a pretty private life, so it was incredible to learn more about him and see how strong he is. We already know about his success, but in this documentary, we get to see all the challenges he faced. It highlights many aspects of his life like his faith, his abusive father, his previous studios, the start of his famous character Madea and the impact he had on the movie industry. Something else that is interesting that I learned about from this film is that Tyler Perry's newest studio is on an old confederate army base in Atlanta, which really makes this movie come full circle. The beauty of this rich documentary is that it provides so many different points of views from so many different people and perspectives. We hear from his supporters, his haters, his family, and his friends, such as Oprah Winfrey, Ozzie Areu, Gayle King and Ari Emanuel. In addition to hearing from all of these people, the movie also uncovers never-before-seen videos of Maxine Perry, Tyler's mom, which is really special since she has passed away and she's the movie's namesake.

The film's message is all about forgiveness. Even after all the abuse, Tyler was able to forgive and move on from his trauma, which really allowed him to grow. Be aware that this movie deals with abuse, has a few graphic images and also some profanity.

I give Maxine's Baby: The Tyler Perry Story 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. It releases on Prime Video on November 17, 2023. By Katherine S., KIDS FIRST!

My wife and I recently watched Maxine's Baby: The Tyler Perry Story (2023) on Prime. The storyline delves into Tyler Perry's upbringing, family dynamics, and inner struggles, showcasing how he used these experiences to fuel his success, work ethic, and determination.

Co-directed by Gelila Bekele (Tyler Perry's child's mother) and Armani Ortiz (Ruthless), the film provides a profound exploration of Tyler Perry's family dynamic and how he coped with it. The message that "you aren't the only one out there, and you can be successful too" resonates well. While I appreciated the journey of his artistry and success, I wished they had delved more into his partnerships and investments, exploring the artistry behind business collaborations. It could have been interesting to learn more about his collaboration with Opera.

In conclusion, the human aspects of this documentary are a solid 10/10, and I'm grateful Perry shared his story. I would rate this documentary a 9/10 and highly recommend it.