Beauty in Black

I hesitated watching Beauty in Black due to Tyler Perry's inconsistency in making great content but wanted to give it a fair chance by watching it end to end. So, I did.

It was full of intrigue, debauchery, violence, twists, and turns. If one attempted to create a melodrama that combined elements of Empire (at its height), P-Valley, and Dynasty (at its height), the outcome would be Beauty in Black. The acting cast is solid with plausible performances throughout the series.

I struggled with 2 disappointments: the over-use of the N-word exchanged repeatedly between the Black characters AND the perpetuation of negative Black stereotypes. Tyler P has a great deal of influence and power in Hollywood. It would be refreshing to see him amplify images and voices consistently that are positive for the Black community. People (inside and outside of the Black community) take their cues from this content and may place more weight on the accuracy of its portrayals because a Black filmmaker is behind the camera. He can do better.

That said, if one wants a soapy, rollercoaster ride of melodrama, then I would recommend Beauty in Black.

The acting was bad enough to make me notice the wooden delivery. It was Temu Sopranos with the messy family and violence...but none of the chemistry, fluid dialogue or gripping storyline. None of the characters are likeable and I spent the whole show waiting for Kimmie to grow some balls...

Everyone sucks at communication...Kimmie and the old man...just never talk about important details...like he never tells her that he followed through on a promise he made...and she spends half of the show mad at him for not following through...and the other half accusing him of being a human trafficking ring leader but they never just sit and talk about it in full sentences...

Kimmie: "I know who you is!" 😠 Old Man: "What you mean?" 🤔 Kimmie: "Nothing." 😒

They'd have no plot if it wasn't for this type of incompetence and poor dialogue.

If I could rate it with zero, I would, given how bad the series is. Terrible acting, poor dialogue, everything done in a completely amateurish way. If my wife hadn't been watching with me, I would have stopped right away... watching this series is pure masochism. It's awful and bad at the same time. Maybe the storyline could work on its own, but the whole package-bad acting, poorly cast roles, fake scenes-is terrible. For example, in one scene, a character calls someone who's driving around the city, then immediately calls another who's sitting and having coffee in broad daylight... such oversights, it's a disaster.

There doesn't seem to be a clear vision for this series. A lot of unnecessary characters, no character development from the people that actually matter, and the plot took a turn for the worst. I'm not sure if the intention was to have a season 2 but I don't think that's a good idea. Also there were scenes being edited in real time as I'm watching in regards to lighting fixes like oh we were rushing to put this out. Mind you this was produced by a billion dollar company and this was served. The only good things coming from this was probably TS Madison and Big Tee (from Baddies), I didn't know they could act and I was fairly entertained.

Tyler Perry has done it again. Another misogynistic view of Black women, another terrible series with bad acting and belittling story lines. Is it just greed? Is Tyler Perry trying to show the Hollywood elite that he has something meaningful to say? If so he has failed miserably. I must say that I used to look forward to new entertainment from Mr. Perry. Lately I just get more and more disappointed. The profanity, the nudity, the misogyny from the very beginning. I tried because it seemed it may get a little interesting. However,I just couldn't keep watching. Come on Mr. Perry, I know you can do better. We are so much more than pimps, strippers, hustlers, criminals and bad actors. Tell the stories of the Black folks I know, the nurses, the doctors, the honest entrepreneurs, the hardworking fathers and mothers who do all they can to protect and uplift their families. Their stories need to be told and can be interesting as well.