Chris Brown gets temperatures rising, even in ways he doesn’t intend.
His expansion of his acting resume with a recently announced role in the film adaptation of Steve Harvey’s bestseller, Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man has indeed caused some tempers to flare – most notably that of Essence dating guru Demetria L. Lucas, who recently became a relationship author herself.
In her “Real Talk: Chris Brown Ready to ‘Think Like a Man’” Essence.com post, Lucas blasted the decision, even calling out Tim Story, Think Like A Man’s director.
“I totally understand why his bankable-again name would flutter across a director’s mind for a project,” she wrote. “But I don’t get why he would be offered a role in Think Like a Man, a big-screen extension of a brand about helping women find a mate who honors, respects, and appreciates them. Chris Brown is still seen as one of the last people who represents that ideal.”
Given the dearth of Hollywood films featuring a predominantly black cast, Think Like A Man is a big deal. The stars include ”>Kevin Hart, Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson, Gabrielle Union, Morris Chestnut, Meagan Good, and Brown’s Takers co-star Michael Ealy, among many others. Even Jerry Ferrara; “Turtle” of Entourage fame, has a reported role. So there’s little doubt why Brown would be ecstatic about being cast.
According to a press release posted on Blackfilm.com: “In the film, four interconnected and diverse friends have their love lives shaken up after the women they are pursuing buy Steve Harvey’s book and start taking his advice to heart. When the band of brothers find out that they have been betrayed by one of their own, they conspire to use the book’s teachings to turn the tables.”
It’s assumed that Brown might be among the “band of brothers” but so far there have been no reports confirming that.
However, Lucas points out in her post that it’s not so much what the film is about, but what it represents, that has her and others heated.
Yes, Chris Brown’s well-known abuse of former girlfriend Rihanna doesn’t place him at the top of the “mate who honors, respects, and appreciates” women list. But while Harvey, the force behind Think Like A Man, to recent knowledge, hasn’t been accused of intimate partner violence, his track record with women, by his own admission, hasn’t always been stellar, and that complicates the questions surrounding Brown’s appearance in the film.
Harvey, as is well-known, has been married three times and divorced twice. Earlier this year, YouTube videos made by his ex-wife, Mary Shackelford, alleging that Harvey mistreated her emotionally and stepped out on her repeatedly, attracted enough attention for Harvey to publicly address the matter.
Yet black women, as evidenced by his January 2011 Essence cover, have embraced his advice.
No doubt their support of Harvey is largely motivated by the statistics we can’t seem to escape. The “single ladies” phenomenon among black women is so pervasive, they’ve been a topic of discussion on a Russian television show. Forget unemployment; judging by many of the headlines targeting black women, finding a man — preferably a black one — is the most pressing concern of black women and the black community. It’s such a priority that Harvey has ridden the wave to mainstream acceptability, even garnering appearances on Good Morning America.
His popularity and support has been so widespread that, even after Mary Shackelford dramatically brought up the elephant in the room known as Harvey’s past, Essence had his back and ran a supportive post by contributor S. Tia Brown.
“Personally, I thank Steve Harvey (and his writer Denene Millner) for attacking a major problem in our community,” Brown wrote. “It doesn’t matter whether he’s had a perfect past, has a degree in psychology or that he is a comedian. What he does have is balls… to tell the truth. Apparently now they’re worth their weight in gold.”
If Harvey can be forgiven for his shortcomings, can Chris Brown be too?
Brown hasn’t helped his cause, as evidenced by his flare-up after an appearance on Good Morning America, but he served his time and is very much a work in progress. Actually, being part of the cast of Think Like A Man may actually help public perceptions of his developing sense of manhood.
But the real issue isn’t whether Brown is an appropriate choice or not, based on his personal life. Shouldn’t we separate his craft from his personal shortcomings? When it comes to our entertainers or our politicians and activists, the truth is many have fallen short. (Does the fact that Miles Davis admitted to — even bragged about — slapping Cicely Tyson in his autobiography Miles keep him from being hailed as one of music’s greatest contributors?) If we went around examining everyone’s dirty laundry, the truth of the matter is few of them, or us, would measure up.
The real issue is whether Brown has the acting skills for the job, and on that front, Lucas herself has indicated he does. “Brown is a competent actor, as demonstrated in This Christmas (my favorite holiday movie) and the action-flick Takers,” she writes.
Yet still, Lucas claims that “It will be near impossible for women to take Brown seriously in whatever role he plays in this film and to disassociate him from his complicated previous relationship.”
So far, though, that hasn’t been the case. The public, as proven by his chart-topping album F.A.M.E. and numerous high-profile appearances, is looking more to Brown’s talents than his personal turmoil.
So while the misgivings about Chris Brown being cast in this role from his critics are understandable, he is still imperfectly human.
Apparently, Steve Harvey and the other producers of Think Like A Man are giving him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe his critics should too.