The backhand of backlash: Troubling the gender politics of domestic violence scenes in Tyler Perry’s the family that preys

Abstract

To speak of "the dark side of love" in Perry’s 2008 film, The Family that Preys, is to summon a destructive gender politics that promotes female complicity with restrictive hegemonic standards and, at times, domestic violence. This essay endeavors to expose the high stakes of the film’s misogynist narratives on black female viewers. By historicizing the discourse of black male dominance in African-American secular and clerical communities, this essay also aims to shed light on the insidious way in which Perry’s productions couch chauvinism in ostensible narratives of wholesome, (hetero) normative family values. Centered on an unscrupulous corporate finance executive, Andrea (Sanaa Lathan), whose self-serving greed and lust lead to the downward spiral of her marriage and high-profile career, Family endorses a negative image of Andrea as the "typical" overly aggressive, malecastrating, black career woman. Sporting her severely angled business suits and Cruella Deville-like bob, Andrea registers as unlikable from early on in the film when she demeans her mother and her husband, Chris (Rockmond Dunbar). Viewers are urged to see Chris as the ultimate victim of his wife’savaricious career ambition. Specifically, the film encourages viewers to endorse Chris’s violent attack on Andrea during a disturbing diner scene that reestablishes his dominance over her.