When Was The Last Time You Saw A Movie About Black Heterosexual Love?
I know some people think I am a grumpy bastard. I just think I am a man that questions things in pop culture. Last week, I was on the TTC subway and I saw a poster for the movie “Dear John.” Obviously, I am not the target demographic audience for “Dear John”. I am not straight and I am not female.
The movie, “Dear John”, just snapped Avatar’s seven week streak at number one at the box office. Thank goodness Avatar is no longer number one!
The heterosexual romantic drama “Dear John”, grossed an impressed $32.4 million dollars. The lead actors are rising stars Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum. “Dear John” is a movie about young white heterosexual love. White people deserve the right to see white heterosexual love reflected on the silver screen.
The reviews for “Dear John” are mostly negative. According to some critics, Nicolas Sparks books are pretentious tear jerkers.
Sparks is a very famous author he has written numerous best selling books such as “The Note Book”, “A Walk To Remember”, “Message In A Bottle.”
The “Note Book”, is Sparks most successful novel that became a box office movie hit.
Although, I am not a fan of Sparks work I have to commend the man. Sparks knows his audience, they have a craving, a hunger, to read depressing romantic stories about white heterosexual love.
It is obvious that Sparks has an excellent track record he knows his audience.
The art of writing isn’t really about art anymore, it is about generating profit for publishing companies.
Sparks has targeted his writing to a specific demographic audience and he is now a multi millionaire.
However, there is a paucity of movies about the romantic experiences of marginalized groups on the silver screen. I wish there was a balance.
We live in a patriarchal, anti gay, anti feminist, heterosexist culture where compulsory heterosexuality is the only palatable sexual orientation. I am sure straight people will enjoy “Dear John.”
Maybe, some gay people will like “Dear John” as well? Who knows?
However, I am a gay person, and I do question things. I would love to see a movie about two lesbians falling in love or two gay men falling in love. However, although homosexuality is more palatable, it is still not the norm.
Meanwhile, I started to think to myself “when was the last time I saw a movie about black heterosexual love?”
My mind was blank, because I honestly can’t remember the last time I saw black straight romance on the sliver screen.
Maybe, I will ask Vanessa for some advice?Vanessa is a very established writer she got published in O Magazine twice!
Vanessa is in a Masters of Films Studies at York University. Maybe I will ask her for some advice? Vanessa knows a lot about the film industry.
I am not straight but I want to see movies with black heterosexual people falling in love.
I would love to see a movie with Halle Berry and Will Smith as a romantic couple together. I think that would be lovely.
I yearn to see a positive movie about black heterosexual love. Am I asking for too much? Am I just a big dreamer?I am tired of Tyler Perry he can’t save the day for black folks.
What do you guys think? Have you ever had this kind of thought before?
Gayblackcanada 
First of all, you’re not a “grumpy bastard”. You are just very vocal on a variety of issues.
In recent years, movies about black heterosexual love (BHL) have been few and far between with the exception of movies by Tyler Perry, whom I can’t get enough of. Sorry Orville, I know you’re getting tired of Mr Perry.
Beyoncé & Idris Elba were the stars of “Obsessed”, but that was a thriller rather than a romance. Maybe they could work together again in something more romantic.
It would be nice to see Angela Bassett alongside Laurence Fishburne or Denzel Washington again. Also, Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs looked good together in “Brown Sugar”.
My favourite movies about BHL are “Brown Sugar”, “Diary of a Mad Black Woman”, “The Best Man” and “Last Holiday”, though these films were made in the early part of the last decade.
Movies or drama series about black gay love is another issue. I miss “Noah’s Arc” so much. I’m from England but I do have season 2 on DVD. I haven’t seen the movie version yet, but I hope to see it one day soon. I also want to get hold of “Finding Me” and “Dirty Laundry”.
Hi Ashley, I think Tyler Perry has a purpose in black cinema. I understand Perry isn’t meant to represent the black entire race since he is an individual. However, I think some of Tyler’s films are whack.
I live in the Toronto area and I love Noah’s Arc! In fact, I bought the movie “Jumping The Broom” on DVD last year at HMV. I am planning to purchase seasons I and II of Noah’s Arc.