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Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns

Madea's back, but only for a moment

By Geoff Berkshire

Metromix
March 20, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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Chicago single mother Brenda (Angela Bassett) is struggling just to get by when she learns that her father—a man she never actually met—has passed away. She decides to travel to Atlanta with her three children and gets to know her eccentric extended family, while also growing closer to an amateur basketball scout (Rick Fox) who is interested in her son's (Lance Gross) skills on the court and her skills in more romantic arenas.

Big question: Does collaborating with Oscar nominated actress Angela Bassett raise Tyler Perry's filmmaking game?

Skip it: Perry gives Bassett the opportunity to sink her teeth into the kind of leading role she hasn't had in years, but it's not a perfect fit. She's too immaculately made up, carefully toned and unmistakably refined to be credible as a woman barely surviving paycheck to paycheck. It doesn’t help that all the best material goes to the supporting cast, including Sofia Vergara as a fiery Latina pothead and Irma P. Hall as a gruff but compassionate daycare provider, while Bassett frets about drug dealers and deadbeat dads.

Catch it: Perry's fans will be happy to know that his popular characters Madea and her brother Joe make an appearance for the first time since "Madea's Family Reunion." But their brief screen time seems to serve as little more than set-up for his planned project "Madea Goes to Jail."

Bottom line: “Meet the Browns” follows the patented Perry formula of broad comedy, romance, family bonding, melodrama and Christian inspiration—this one just adds basketball and a dose of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" to the mix. Perry’s tonal shifts are a little smoother than they have been in the past, but this cheerfully dim-witted film is ultimately a step backwards from its predecessor, the ensemble-driven “Why Did I Get Married?”

Bonus: Like many of Perry’s films, “Meet the Browns” began as one of his popular plays. Co-stars Tamela Mann and unforgettably over-the-top David Mann originated their characters, Cora and Leroy Brown, on stage.