Being Mary Jane Season 1 Premiere

BET's Being Mary Jane had its season premiere last night at 10pm EST. The brainchild of Mara Brock Akil and directed by her husband Salim Akil, the show has been highly anticipated since its made-for-TV movie came out last summer and introduced audiences to Miss Mary Jane Paul (Gabrielle Union).

I was more than ready to watch this premiere despite some warning signals that went off in my head due to the movie. I want more black women on screen. The caveat is that I want them in roles that don't fall into the same recycled stereotypes that leave audiences, both black and white, with generalizations about an entire group of people. "Poor successful black women who can't find a man and will never have a family," is not exactly what I deem helpful. Is this a legitimate worry for some black women? Of course. Do I think that these portrayals sometimes exacerbate the worry. Yes, I very much do. But, I guess in the show's defense they did tell us that they weren't attempting to generalize (see the first minute of the movie).

I was entertained by what I saw. I am not denying that. However, I felt that I was watching some kind of mutant version of what I am calling the "Olivia Pope Complex." Mary Jane, like Olivia Pope, is very successful and on top of her game. If there's a scandal call Olivia, if there's a hurricane call Mary Jane. Both women have morals. Olivia has to make things right and Mary Jane voices her opinion without fear when she feels that something is wrong. They both even have Cryuses in their lives. Olivia's is actually named Cyrus. Mary Jane calls her's "Kara" aka her producer who might have just had the SNC audience watch the demise of an elderly couple in hopes of an Emmy nomination. Finally, both women are both sleeping with married men. Sure Olivia aimed all the way high and decided to sleep with the President of the United States, but Mary Jane didn't make too shabby a choice either. Affair anyone?

Some viewers probably feel that Mary Jane's life situations are more realistic than Olivia's and maybe this makes her an easier character with which to connect. But honestly, how many women in the audience are driving Porsches, living on small compounds and anchoring a news show? I guess we could ask Tamron Hall if she feels like the portrayal is accurate... I like seeing powerful black female characters. I'm just not sure if their given weakness in this instance bothers me on principle or because it feeds and further fuels a fear that is not the monster that it has been made out to be. I'm leaning towards the latter.

On a different note, I do appreciate the beautifully filmed sex scenes in the show. Too often sex scenes with black women are reminiscent of scenes from Baby Boy and only aid in further their gross hypersexualization. One would think black women incapable of "making love" from most portrayals. Gorgeous lighting and highlighting the beauty of the black female body is something that needs to be done more often.

My feelings toward the show at the moment can be verbalized as "ehhhhhh IIIIII mmmmm," which is about a step or two before a "no." I'm going to continue watching. I want to see where Mara Brock Akil is going with this character. I'm about 80% sure that it won't make me happy, but there's still a 20% that I could be wrong. I'll just have to watch and see.

Check out the season premiere if you haven't seen it and make sure to tune in to the next episode so you can form a more rounded opinion for yourself.

BET's Being Mary Jane

BET's future series Being Mary Jane premiered with an extended pilot/movie last night at 10:30. I wanted to watch 1) because I can't complain about the lack of movies featuring black actors/actresses if I don't support some of them (emphasis on the word "some") and 2) I like Gabrielle Union (if you haven't checked her out on Shaq's comedy shack channel on YouTube you should).

The movie opens with the "42% of black women aren't married" statistic. I found this unnecessary. We (read: black women) know the statistic. It's tattooed on our foreheads thanks to the American media's new, and I would dare say targeted, obsession with single middle-and-upper-class black women. The film also lets us know that Mary Jane's story is not supposed to reflect the experience of all black women, which was also unnecessary. I knew that as soon as we got the shot of her house, but it didn't affect how much I liked her. We got a successful black female character from the middle-class who pushed herself even further. No need to cue Drake's "Started from the Bottom." She started from the middle and she's continued to move on up.

Mary Jane Paul (real name Paulette) is a TV show host who is pushing for the recognition of an injustice to black women at the hands of a magazine (I believe it was an article about black women being ugly or uglier or something to that effect. Oh, westernized standards of beauty that just won't quit!) for one of get segments. She receives no support, but that's the point. She wants to be an advocate for black women, but the network and their target audiences aren't interested in that. We like this. Fight for black women!

Now, from this point we start swerving into "let's see what they do with the series" land. Mary Jane's family is trifling, but she supports them because they are her family. We find out that her niece is pregnant again and that she will be one of the main sources of support. I was fed up with them about 20 minutes in (if not earlier). Why do these successful black female characters either have no family, a trifling familiy or only one supportive parent (despite having a two-parent home)? I want to see where this goes...

Now for the second "I need more time with this" issue: Mary Jane's love life. She finds out she's a mistress about 5 minutes in, breaks it of, tells the man's wife and by the end of the movie has stolen an ex's sperm because she wants a family. WHAT?!? ::mind blown:: There's desperation and then there's going from 0 to 60. Anti-feminists would gobble this up! "Woman's life ruined by ambition! Return to the kitchen and the bedroom!" Mary Jane get up! I don't know if they'll continue down this extreme desperation path, but I hope not. Why don't we work on getting her more than one female friend and one gay friend? The isolation alone has to be wearing on the woman.

All in all, I found the movie entertaining. Gabrielle Union is hilarious. Between her character's Post-it obsession and her "whore-bath" at her office, I was hooked in for at least 3 episodes. She has quirks and flaws and has a vibrator in her work desk drawer! How can you not be intrigued?!

I'm giving Being Mary Jane a go and I think you should too.

Black Films at Sundance 2013

I realized that none of the films I suggested you all look out for included black films. BET and the Root made sure to let us know what black films would be shown at the festival and here are a couple of the films and documentaries that I am personally interested in and may be of interest to you. I will finish up this post by talking about whether or not I am "more" excited about what might be considered the "white" films of Sundance or the "black" films of the festival and why.

Fruitvale

This Forest Whitaker-produced film stars Michael B. Jordan and Octavia Spencer and tells the story of Oscar Grant, the 22-year old Bay area resident who was killed by BART officers at the Fruitvale train station on New Year's Day 2009. I remember when this murder (yes, murder) took place and it still resonates. I want to see how writer and first-time director Ryan Coogler tackles this true story and conveys the ending of Grant's life.

Milkshake

Dark teen comedy. The examination of the tragic sex life of a kid who strives to be something he can't be: black. A black girlfriend who he keeps on the down-low. And the backdrop of the 1990s including the OJ Simpson trial and Marion Barry's re-election. The question is why wouldn't I want to see this film?

Vipaka

This film isn't actually at Sundance. It's at Slamdance, which is taking place in Park City, Utah right now as well. The thriller stars Forest Whitaker, Anthony Mackie, Mike Epps, Nicole Ari Parker and Sanaa Lathan. I'm excited to see a black thriller as opposed to the usual one black person who happens to be in a thriller or horror film who dies in the first 30 minutes. Thank you Forest, thank you.

Anita

This documentary is about Anita Hill, the black woman who addressed an all male, white senate committee and detailed sexual harassment by then Supreme Court Justice nominee Clarence Thomas. This documentary gives us a glimpse into the personal life of Anita Hill as well as the friends and family that stood by her through everything. This documentary is of personal interest to be because it touches on one of the most divise figures and events in Black America. Who to side with? Who to believe? And does it even matter were just some of the questions raised and this will hopefully give another perspective on the story.

The Stuart Hall Project

This documentary by John Akonfrah looks at the life and work of Jamaican-born cultural theorist Stuart Hall. Having lived in England since 1951, he is one of the Britain's foremost intellectuals and a staple in sociology and communication theory. I have an intellectual crush on the man (encoding/decoding = brilliant) and will be seeing this documentary.

Music lovers should look out for Twenty Feet from Stardom, which is a documentary about back-up singers and their lives so close to stardom, as well as Muscle Shoals, which is a documentary that takes a look at the amazing music created at FAME studios in the tiny town of Muscle Shoals, Alabama by artists like Mick Jagger, Etta James and Aretha Franklin.

Now for the matter of whether or not I am "more" excited about the black films at Sundance than the "white" films. I just love good stories and good storytelling. Of course I am happy to see so many films with predominantly black casts and black producers/directors at Sundance (not that many is not all that many, but I'm sure that there aren't that many films directed and/or produced by women either), but my hope is that one day there will just be films at Sundance. We are a long way from there however. Also, I long for the day major movie commentators and sites will include "black" films in their considerations of films on which to comment on and bring attention to before Sundance. We shall see! 

Also the Indiewire's review of the Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete is already out and this film starring Jennifer Hudson and scored by Alicia Keys didn't quite cut it in their opinion: http://www.indiewire.com/article/sundance-review-alicia-keys-scored-inevitable-defeat-of-mister-and-pete-loses-its-way.


For more information about black films at Sundance see the articles below:

"14 Black Films that Matter at Sundance," The Root, http://www.theroot.com/multimedia/14-films-matter-sundance

"African-American Films at 2013 Sundance Film Festival," BET.com, http://www.bet.com/celebrities/photos/2013/01/african-american-films-at-2013-sundance.html#!010413-celebs-sundance-inevitable-defeat-of-mister-and-pete-still