1. THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
‘MEET THE BROWNS’ FALLS SHORT OF SIDE-
SPLITTING
IT HAS ITS MOMENTS, BUT SOME ARE TOO FAR-
FETCHED EVEN FOR TYLER PERRY
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Section: FAITH
Edition: ONE-THREE
Page: 6E
Type: REVIEW
KIMBERLY SUMMERS, Special Correspondent
Column: KIMBERLY SUMMERS - TEEN SCREENS
Illustration: PHOTO
Caption: ALFEO DIXON - LIONS GATE ENTERTAINMENT PHOTO VIA BLOOMBERG
NEWS. Tyler Perry revisits familiar characters and themes in his latest film "Meet the Browns."
I'm usually fond of Tyler Perry productions. But to my dismay, "Meet the Browns" seemed like a
bad rendition of "Meet the Fockers." Don't get me wrong: It was funny, but I was expecting nonstop
"I can't breathe" laughter. I doubt that a giggle qualifies.
This melodrama introduces us to Brenda (Angela Bassett), a single mother raising three children in
inner-city Chicago. Oldest child Michael (Lance Gross) looks old enough to be her beau, which puts
the believability of the movie and the judgment of people in the casting department in question.
Eventually, this all makes sense, as a majority of Perry's characters can be recognized from his TV
show "House of Payne" and a plethora of hilarious plays, from which he has snagged a couple of
lines.
In the midst of losing her job, Brenda receives bus tickets to Georgia for her estranged father's
funeral. She decides to take the trip to the Deep South (big surprise) and meets the family she never
knew and basketball scout Harry (Rick Fox). Here she finds love and is eventually sucked into the
ineffable world of the fun-loving Browns.
There's Leroy Brown (David Mann), with skin-tight, rainbow-bright clothes that could be confused
with a clown's, and Vera (Jenifer Lewis), who's so crude and raw that she says what we're afraid
even to think. Leroy and Vera are arguably the only assets that make the movie funny.
Bassett and Fox play nicely alongside one another, but again casting blundered. A 5-foot-4 Bassett
looks minuscule standing next to the 6-foot-7 Fox. No fear! Give her four-inch heels, and the
problem's solved, right?
Wrong! I guess no one in wardrobe thought a woman struggling to pay for utilities and still
managing to wear pumps isn't a problem. Apparently, the near flawless makeup she flaunts in every
scene isn't, either. Then again, the unrealistic theatrical subplots don't help much either.
Perry's dramas have always been over the top, with everything snowballing toward the climax and

2. fixed in a few minutes.
Let's compare and contrast here. A young woman is left by her ignorant ex, she struggles to make
ends meet, the family she hasn't seen for a while (or ever) helps out. Suddenly a man helps her and
sweeps her off her feet. Sounds just like "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," and it's now evident why
Perry's movies take a mere 28 to 30 days to make.
But where's Madea's grand entrance? She was so randomly, quickly inserted you could miss her by
blinking. The one scene with Madea in the trailer is the only time we see her in the film.
I usually whoop with laughter at Perry's movies, but I had to wait until the end to get a good laugh
at deleted scenes. The film has early momentum but unravels and becomes monotonous, compared
to his previous movies.
When meeting the Browns, don't overstay your welcome - the results won't be too funny.
"Meet the Browns" is rated PG-13 for drug content, language including sexual references, thematic
elements and brief violence.