In his Tyler Perry documentary review, Kevin Bourne says Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story is inspirational fuel for people with a dream.
From down and out creative to the most successful African American filmmaker of all time. Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story tells the real life, rags to riches story of how Tyler Perry reinvented himself after a childhood full of physical and sexual abuse and a career as a struggling playwright, to rise to the top of the entertainment industry.
the film bucks the recent trend of celebrity docuseries, drawn out over a number of episodes, to provide a more concise look at the man. While fans have already heard the story of Perry’s rise through previous interviews. it is recounted in this film through the eyes of close friends and celebrities like Gayle King and Whoopi Goldberg who had a firsthand look at his success. Through interviews with close relatives, we also get a different perspective on his childhood in New Orleans, his estranged relationship with his father, and how his mother’s love fueled him to be the man the industry, who hasn’t valued Black content or the Black consumer, never saw coming.
The film emphasizes his faith, which is a big part of his life and career, through his former pastor, Bishop Paul S. Morton, his unmatched work ethic, as well as his impact on the Atlanta film industry through former mayor Kasim Reed who credits Perry with being the center of energy for the industry that went from being a $350 million business to a $9.5 billion business while he was in office.
“Every time you see that peach logo at the end of a movie, we outta tip our hats to Tyler.”
Even after rising to become the owner of the largest studio space in America, Perry’s struggles continued, not only through his mother’s passing, but through his detractors. The film is an unfortunate tale about the criticism that comes with success, oftentimes from your own people.
Although Perry has been an open book in the past, this is the most intimate look into the entertainment mogul’s life, even showing former partner, Gelila Bekele, and their son, albeit with a blurred face.
In the end, Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story is a highly inspirational look at the ups and downs faced by one of the most iconic creators of our time that will fuel and motivate any person daring to dream of doing the seemingly impossible.
Kevin Bourne is SHIFTER’s Toronto-based editor and Senior Entertainment Reporter focusing on Black music and film & TV. He was named one of 310 international voters for the 81st Golden Globe Awards by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and a Tomatometer-Approved Critic by Rotten Tomatoes.
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