Meet the Browns

Synopsis

Down on her luck Brenda (Angela Basset) is a single mom who is struggling to make ends meet. She finds out that her father, whom she never met, has past on. She decides to travel to Georgia with her children for the funeral and to meet her countrified family, the Browns for the first time. She ends up getting more than just a new family when she goes. This romantic comedy is an adaptation from Tyler Perry’s play Meet the Browns.

Review

Tyler Perry reached for his typical formula he has on file for this movie. Ahhhhhh...the ingredients for the TP medley are:

• One cup of distressed woman
• 3/4 cups of a bad, low down man
• A gallon of a crazy over the top family
• 3 table spoons of drug dealers
• A shot of an old woman kicking Christian knowledge
• One cup of a knight in shining armor to the rescue

Mix it all together and POOF, the melodrama Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns. I’ve always enjoyed Tyler's movies, but I couldn’t get into this one until half way through. I really tried. It didn’t possess that zsa zsa zsu I am use to seeing in his works. I could kind of tell from the previews that the movie looked suspect. But, as always, Tyler had me choked up, chuckling, and thinking about life. So, I was entertained in an around about way. Kind of a blahzee type of feeling.

The Browns dives in head first with Brenda (Basset) at rock bottom. Her job is shipped to Mexico and her employer didn't tell anyone, she has no money, and has three different kids by three different men. She’s not getting child support and her ex is a cad. Her electricity gets cut off. She doesn’t have the money to pay for child care. She and her kids go to bed hungry. She makes sure to keep her son out of the dope game, but he wants to provide for his family. Her mother was a hooker. She finds out her father, she never knew just died. All of this is unloaded on us in the first Act. You would think with all this drama I would be all into this movie. Nope. Why?

This film does not compare to Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? I could not grip onto the fact that Basset’s character Brenda was in such dire straights. She looked way too pretty and put together. I mean her body was toned like she has been lifting weights for years. Her hair and make up was done immaculately. She did not look like a woman who was hungry, down and out, with no electricity. Where's the Shaneenee stress braids? Where's her hair looking like it needs a touchup? Reread the previous paragraph and tell me if that were your situation, you too would look like you were ready to sit in the Murcielago in a T.I. video?

....You're lying!

I suppose this is what some may call grace under pressure. Okay, I will go with it. But my arm can’t be twisted with trying to pass Miss Basset off as a ‘young mother.’ This is mentioned in the film. Basset looks great…but she was born in August 1958 and they are trying to pass ole’ girl off as a young mother. Paleaze. Alaska became a state in the year she was born. How many of you young moms remember when President Eisnehower made Alaska a state? Raise your hand. Exactly.

Anyhoo, her son Michael (Lance Gross, House of Payne) is a loving son who takes on the role as the patriarch. His story reminds me of a very dear friend of mine who went through sort of the same situation growing up. Not enough food on the table. The pressure of wanting to take care of his mother and young sisters. It’s a shame to be thrown into an adult responsibility because a guy who just was a sperm donor doesn’t want to man up and take responsibility. Michael brings some touching scenes. One is when he stresses to his mother she doesn't need to beg his father for money. He will take care of her. Wooo, did I get choked up.

Micahel is also a great basketball player and has sparked some interests in talent scouts—especially Henry...insert Rick Fox (Ex NBA star turned, actor?). Henry is the sweet and caring man that just comes in the mix at the right time. This man is down for a woman with three kids by three different men with nothing going for her. Henry, unexplainably because he is fine, single and wealthy—does NOT care—he is feeling Brenda, and has a special interest in her son’s hoop potential. But of course, Brenda gets to acting stupid just like the woman in Tyler's movie Diary of a Mad Black Woman. So predictable and typical of his movies.

With all this drama, Brenda, with kids in tow, roll on down to Georgia to meet the dramatic Browns and go to her dad's funeral. Feels like another family reunion about to take place. There's non-dressing Leroy Brown (David Mann, A few Tyler Perry Plays), who is a perfect genetic splicing of Fred Sanford and Farnsworth Bentley. He can't speak the English language properly to save his life. Instead of saying gynecologist, this fool says gonorrhecologist. He annoyed me to no end. I just wanted to jump in the screen and slap him. On stage his character works much better. It didn't translate well at all on screen.

Let's move onto loud mouth negative Vera (Jennifer Lewis, The Brothers). Just loud and ignorant. I would have liked to see more lines and scenes with her son Will (Lamman Rucker) because he was great in Married? There are other family members, but they didn't add much to the story and aren't worth mentioning. Oh, and if you’re looking for Madea in this film because you may see her in the trailer or something, she makes a crazy appearance for about 3 to 5 minutes. I'm not even sure what she did...but Madea is going to jail...no pun intended.

The Browns is my least favorite movie Tyler has created. Too predictable and too many coincidences that seemed fake and forced. But Tyler's popular play fan base won't fail him. The seats will be filled just like in my theater and the laughter will reverberate from wall to wall. Finally, I’ve noticed—and I've sort of mentioned it in previous reviews—Tyler movie’s are like teflon to the critics opinions, even if they're not great. I believe all critics know this and that is why he always has way less reviews posted on Rotten Tomatoes than other movies. Or perhaps they’re not giving him the attention he deserves when he makes great movies like Married?

Meet the Browns doesn’t really earn that attention.

My Rating ~ 2 Reels

Audience Rating (What's Yours?)