Maxine's Baby: The Tyler Perry Story

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.

The anticipation for Amazon's 'Maxine's Baby: The Tyler Perry Story' led me to expect a detailed exploration of Tyler Perry's upbringing, family dynamics, and his journey in Hollywood.

However, the documentary falls short of expectations, offering only a few scenes where Perry discusses his early days in theatre and television production.

The narrative lacks vulnerability, with Perry speaking sparingly about his abusive childhood.

The film raises the intriguing question of how Perry's life would unfold without the pain that shaped him, yet it provides scant information on this crucial aspect.

Many stories are introduced but left unexplored, creating more questions than answers. The documentary feels controlled, with a sense that certain narratives are carefully curated.

Despite occasional church services and choirs, there's a lack of substantial content that viewers would eagerly want to know.

Perry's criticism of the traditional Hollywood system's wastefulness lacks conviction, and the documentary leaves unanswered questions about his creative process.

The excessive focus on race, coupled with repetitive language, detracts from the overall impact.

The documentary's repetitive nature, constant praise, and lack of in-depth exploration make it fall short of delivering the comprehensive and detailed account expected from such a prominent filmmaker's story.

Let me explain,

Tyler being a major filmmaker, I expected a better documentary.

The documentary predominantly showcases scenes of Perry opening studios, attending premieres, and making appearances on talk shows with figures like Oprah.

The content seems shallow, lacking the detailed insights that viewers were hoping for. Perry, dressed impeccably in suits, offers little personal disclosure, leaving the audience wanting more substance and context.

The documentary heavily emphasizes Perry's spirituality and frequently delves into discussions about race, highlighting his triumphs as a black man overcoming challenges in the industry.

While the theme is undoubtedly crucial, the documentary fails to provide sufficient depth and context, rendering it forgettable and disappointing. Perry's appearances on various talk shows appear to offer more engaging insights than this documentary.

One positive aspect is Perry's evident appreciation for his mother and aunt, providing some touching moments.

Overall, while there may be some takeaway from the documentary, it offers disappointingly little in terms of a comprehensive and detailed exploration of Tyler Perry's life and career.

"Maxine's Baby: The Tyler Perry Story" is a great "rags to riches" success story, but only a cursory analysis of Perry's body of work. Co-directed by. Gelila Bekele, Perry's ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child, the film rarely scratches below the surface of his life and career. People who are familiar with Tyler Perry probably already know about his difficult childhood and how he clawed his way into an industry that didn't really want him. Throughout the film, there are ample self-congratulatory comments by either Perry or his supporters that present opinions as fact and therefore not worthy of discussion. For example, the fact that several of his films opened at number one at the box office is synonymous with quality and/or commercial success, when in fact that is not always the case. Many films that open at number one are both critical and commercial failures, while films that never hit number one can often be huge successes. The little time spent on Perry's critics is limited to familiar soundbites that largely dismiss them as either elites, "haters" or "dream killers." At the same time, Perry's criticism of others is given a forum where his opinions are presented as fact with no interest in presenting an opposing point of view. In short, "Maxine's Baby," will probably appeal to his fans and maybe a few others that appreciate his business sense, but does little win over the unconverted.

The seasons of his life, childhood, teen years. Early adult hood were beautifully reproduced and garnered an immense amount of depth to assist in understanding the man - Tyler Perry. This documentary also allows the viewer to share his life's challenges, losses and failures and how he achieved mass success both career wise and financial successes. It extremely emotional documentary for me to digest. What I most appreciated about this documentary was it also showed the parasitic criticism of so many people who failed to understand that Tyler Perry is more than an a self centered business icon but a man with a plan that exceeds any criticism. He is portrayed as of of a man of vision that has catapulted him into national and international success. Just looking at the timeline and tracking his success (to this point). -- An American Story of the Fulfillment of Dreams. And philosophical lessons for many to learn. There is a Part Two to this story yet to be written and you can feel the power of commitment to the development of more and more groundbreaking achievement.

Baby first of all let me say I don't play bout my Uncle Tyla. Second, I loved the documentary. I truly did. I just finished watching it for the second time. I've seen the critical reviews and I kind of agree with their points about the biopic not going into too much depth. With that being said, oh well! Tyler Perry aint gotta go into depth, he don't owe us that. Today's climate makes people feel entitled to an explanation on people's lives. If someone close to someone dies, social media demands a long drawn out post and obvious sadness to validate that person's grief. I did find out a few things I didn't know. I remember him loosely describing the inspiration behind the Madea character but this story gave me a full understanding of how that character came about. It culminated beautifully to explain exactly where his pain came from and exactly how and why he manifested it the way he did. Of all that Tyler Perry has gave in inspiration, a voice to our community, opportunity, film making, a platform, his studio, to name a few. He don't owe us a thing else. He's well deserving of everything great that has come his way and everything that's left to come. I've not seen every show but I've always loved and respected him for doing them because I understood his vision and, like him, could see the bigger picture. This documentary, like a lot of his other work may not be to everyone's satisfaction or expectations but his fans will continue to support him and I don't think he mad at that. I liked it so much I made this account to write a review. Don't play with my uncle tyla! :)