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We can all learn something from their categorically unqualified love as well as their instantaneous readiness to give Brenda another chance at happiness, no matter what her past mistakes. Just as a dilapidated house in the film receives an extreme makeover, so too is it possible, the film argues, for a life and a soul to be reborn.

With such a muscular and imperative message, it's a shame then that Meet the Browns fails on so many levels.

Suppertime at the Brown family table

Populating his films with eccentrics and oddballs, Perry's films exist in a state of schizophrenic flux, simultaneously serious drama and absurd, cartoon comedy. Much of the comedy in this film so zany, excessive and over-the-top that is feels jarringly out of place. The humor in Meet the Browns doesn't simply lighten tense situations, it obliterates all thought of them. It is a levity that, while unarguably hilarious, acts as a disservice to the overall story.

Perry's films operate like fairy tales. Not the sort in which enchantment lies around every corner, but the sort of Disney-fied world in which every problem has a silver lining and each disaster always works out for the best. You can see every plot detail coming from a mile away because fairy tales always have happy endings. And while there is a degree of satisfaction that comes from such wish fulfillment, it is not remotely realistic.

It is difficult to criticize a filmmaker so unapologetically optimistic, but Perry does a disservice to his audience and his craft by painting in wide generalities and simplistic brushes, rarely pausing long enough to really dig deep into the issues he only gives surface treatment.

Tyler Perry is not trying to be Spike Lee; that much is obvious. If anything, Perry is trying to present a different (and more family friendly) perspective to some of the same issues raised by Lee and other African-American filmmakers. And in doing so, I think he has found a significant and even indispensable voice. But by refusing to really get his hands dirty, to wallow in the muck long enough to show the truth of the matter, his work appears shallow and uninformed, thus begging the question: Is his work honest?

>Talk About It

1. For Perry, God and family can help weather any storm. Can you recall some instances in your own life where your faith and family saw you through a particularly difficult time?
2. At one point in the film, a character extols, "God always makes a way." Do you believe that's true? How have you seen him work?
3. Brenda has obviously made more than one life-altering mistake in her life. Do you believe in second chances? Talk about a time when you had a second chance. How does forgiveness—from others and/or from God—factor into that?

The Family Corner

Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns is rated PG-13 (for drug content, language including sexual references, thematic elements and brief violence. Although there is drug content, it is always in an anti-drug context. There is one instance of gun violence that stems from this particular plot line. The language is, by and large, quite mild. Sexual references are mainly contextualized within the plight of single-mothers. The lead character's saucy Columbian best friend wears revealing clothing.

Photos © Copyright Lionsgate Entertainment

© Brandon Fibbs subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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