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Spoiled Meet

TYLER PERRY’S MEET THE BROWNS Directed by Tyler Perry. 104 minutes. Opens Friday (March 21). Rating: NN


Meet Brenda (Angela Bassett), a broke single mother of three who has been disappointed by the men in her life. Brenda would buckle under the grind if it weren’t for…

Meet Cheryl (Sofia Vergara), a shimmying pot-smoking arsenic-tongued mamacita who’ll sling bricks (literally) on her homegirl’s behalf. This duo’s struggle seems promising, but…

Meet writer/director Tyler Perry, who quickly abandons both his initial theme and Chicago locale to return to his goofy comfort zone in the South. Instead of having Brenda strive against poverty with Cheryl, he cops out by introducing good fortune by mail. A letter informs Brenda that her estranged father has passed away and she has an extended family (with a possible inheritance) to gain in Georgia.

Brenda’s new family, the Browns, are a colourful batch of Southern minstrel-like figures developed from the recurring Leroy Brown (David Mann) character in Perry’s other movies.

The Browns are loud and motiveless caricatures who preach the Gospel and holler at intolerable sound levels but nonetheless garner laughs when they banter about pimps and “nasty hos” at the dinner table.

Given Perry’s insatiable appetite for abrupt plot diversions, there are plenty more characters to meet along the way. He’s not so much telling a story as daring us to find one amidst this mess.

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