( eFluxMedia )- New movie "Tyler Perry's Meet The Browns" reveals a lot of juicy hints from the very title, at least when it comes to connoisseurs.
As theatergoers and moviegoers already know, Tyler Perry is an always surprising playwright, actor and director that breaks all the imposed rules at Hollywood, leaving the impression that he is all on his own. But the result of his individualist creativity is most of the times one of a kind.
So, from the movie's title we get some clues on what we should expect from it: something different from the typical movies, an initiation into a new social world where the traits of the characters value more than a dozen action scenes.
"Meet The Browns" depicts the story of Brenda (Angela Bassett), a single mom of a son and two daughters, battling alone with financial difficulties. As if her initial situation was not precarious enough, she is given the sack from the factory she was working at, as it was closing down. As her financial situation is getting desperate, some bus tickets and an invitation to the funeral of her father, whom she never met, alleviate the aftermath of the tragic condition.
With nothing to lose, she takes her three children and heads for rural Georgia where she meets her new family, of whose existence she had no idea. The Browns meet her with hospitality; and the audience will be eager to discover every member of the family, as social portraits are what Perry enjoys. Eccentricity is not left out from the characters' traits. Brenda's best friend, Cheryl (Sofia Vergara) is a Latin bombshell who constitutes a continuous source of amusement. Leroy (David Mann) is equally strident due to his high-pitched voice and his vivid clothes. Vera (Jenifer Lewis) is hostile, but deeply mournful at the funeral.
Brenda, played by a talented Angela Bassett, depicts Perry's favorite type of character: the good-looking woman who has to deal with life troubles alone, as the men that have come and gone in and out of her life proved unworthy.
Perry likes exceptions, too, and her son is an extremely polite and caring adolescent, who considers giving up basketball to start dealing drugs, for the sake of the family. Brenda receives the necessary support to prevent him from taking that up from handsome Harry, a basketball coach (played by Rick Fox, retired from the Los Angeles Lakers).
The movie guests also a surprising cameo, Tyler Perry's alter ego, grandma Madea. The brief appearance is somehow gratuitous and unrelated to the main plot, and it was regarded as a publicity stunt for Tyler Perry's announced "Madea Goes to Jail," which according to his website, is scheduled to be released later this year.
Overall, "Meet The Browns" is a touching movie about human emotions, about the cruel reality of life, but also a meditation about hope and the real family values.
Movie Type: Comedy and Adaptation
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for drug content, language including sexual references, thematic elements and brief violence.
Directed By: Tyler Perry
Cast: Tyler Perry, Angela Bassett, Jenifer Lewis, Tamela J. Mann, Chloe Bailey
Released: March 21st, 2008 (wide)