Think Like A Man Is The Number One Movie In North America Why Is It Called An Urban Movie?

According to Deadline.com, Think Like A Man which is based on comedian Steve Harvey’s self help book grossed $33 million at the North American box office.  I have read numerous articles calling  the movie’s success a “surprise” which is insulting.  Anyone who watches Oprah would know Steve Harvey’s book was a huge best seller and appeared on the New York Times bestseller list a few years ago.

However, I am disturbed at the language used by the media calling Think Like A Man African American themed or an urban comedy.  I am aware Think Like A Man has a predominately black cast but the movie isn’t urban it is simply a romantic comedy. Think Like A Man is set in a city just like any other Hollywood movie but there is nothing urban about it.

I am not suggesting there isn’t black and white movies because obviously there is. However, African American films were created by filmmakers because mainstream Hollywood ignored the black audience. People want to see people that look like themselves represented on the silver screen.

There appears to be these racial barriers that still exist when the mainstream press utilize coded language to distinguish between movies with a black cast and a white cast. The word urban is obviously a code word meaning black.

It is disappointing in the year 2012 that the prejudice of the mainstream media about the success of a movie with a black cast.

Would the Hollywood Reporter or Variety call a Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy a white American themed movie? Of course not! The reason is a white movie is accepted as the mainstream and palatable to all. However, a movie with a black cast is considered a niche market. Think Like A Man‘s box office proves the movie obviously crossed over and reached a wide audience across racial lines.