| REVIEW:
Meet The Browns
By
Kam Williams
Tyler
Perry has his finger on the pulse when it comes to entertaining
an African-American audience in an uplifting fashion which
resonates as real with that target demographic. And Meet the
Browns is no exception, this being the latest in a string
of the prolific playwright-turned-film director's screen adaptations
of a popular stage production.
His modern
morality plays invariably touch on timely themes of urgent
concern to the black community, though their messages might
generally be delivered in conjunction with healthy doses of
side-splitting humor. But where Perry himself has generally
played a lead role, bringing the comic relief by cross-dressing
as the sassy senior citizen Madea, this time, he merely makes
a cameo appearance in drag instead opting to introduce a few
new equally-colorful characters.
The picture
explores such universal themes as abandonment, trust, faith
and redemption on its way to resolving the challenges facing
Brenda (Angela Bassett), a single-mother of three who's been
struggling to provide for her family while living in the projects
on the south side of Chicago. At the point of departure, we
find her barely surviving paycheck-to-paycheck with no safety
net to fall back on, and having to choose between paying her
bills and putting food on the table.
We learn
that this sorry state of affairs is due to her being burdened
with raising her kids without child support from any of their
fathers. She soon bottoms-out when she loses her job the same
day she learns of the death in Georgia of the father she never
knew. Fortunately, she heeds the advice of her best friend
Cheryl (Sofia Vergara), a loudmouthed Latina who puts Brenda
and her brood on a bus in time to attend the funeral. Once
they arrive in the tiny Southern town, not only do they "Meet
the Browns," the long-lost, if flamboyant relatives they
never knew they had, but also a knight in shining armor in
Harry (Rick Fox), a basketball scout. Handsome Harry is a
Houdini who has the answer to their every problem, if only
the thrice-burnt Brenda will let her guard down long enough
to allow this good man to sign her high school phenom son
(Lance Gross) to a pro contract, to buy them a house and to
ask for her hand in marriage.
In the
interim, the movie devotes plenty of time to getting acquainted
with the Browns, as clownish a clan as you could hope to meet,
starting with Leroy, an egg-head with the most garish wardrobe
imaginable. Then there's his morbidly obese daughter Cora
(Tamela Mann), and the shrewish Vera (Jenifer Lewis), a witch
with nothing nice to say about anybody. Kudos to a supporting
cast which includes Margaret Avery, Frankie Faison, Lamman
Rucker and Irma P. Hall.
As the
plot winds its way inexorably towards its very predictable
payoff, it comes as no surprise that rather than hang around
her embarrassing kin, Brenda starts to entertain the advances
of her perfect gentleman suitor. Too laced with silly slapstick
to measure up to the best of Tyler Perry's previous offerings,
yet still hilarious in spots and ultimately satisfying enough
to be well worth watching.
Very
Good (3 stars)
PG-13 for profanity, violence, mature themes, sexual references
and drug use.
Running time: 100 minutes
Studio: Lions Gate Films
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