Meet the Browns (2008) User Reviews

HONESTLY, what was so bad about this film to get such a harsh rating?

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 6/10 · 7 April 2008]

My theater that I work at got Meet the Browns, I have never ever seen a Tyler Perry movie, so this would be my first. But I didn't see it opening weekend and it took me a while to decide to see the movie, because of one thing, the rating on IMDb. Usually most of the ratings on the movies are pretty accurate. But when I finally decided to just go ahead and watch the movie, I have to say that I am very much disgusted with the rating here. I just don't understand why people are being so harsh with this movie, I felt like it was just a decent and uplifting film. I agree the stereotypes are bit much, but I've seen oh so much worse. Angela Bassett, who must of made a deal with the devil to look that good at 50, pulls in a great and heart felt performance as a mom who is just trying to do right by her kids despite the hard times she's facing.

Brenda is a single mom in Chicago who is just struggling like crazy to take care of her three kids, trying to do the right thing, she looses her job, her electricity has been shut off, she's being judged by everyone, and the dad of her son just refuses to pay any child support what so ever. But when she finds out that her dad(who she never met) died, she and the kids go down to Georgia for the funeral, and she finds out that he gave her a house, which her family and a handsome family friend pull together to put her dreams back into place and to give her star basketball son a great future.

Meet the Browns is just generally a good film, there are things that are a little off key, but it's all good. This film made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me remember how lucky I am to have family and friends who love me and how I love them as well. The ending is just such a relief and makes you think about the good things in life that make it worth living. I would recommend Meet the Browns, it's a fun film that I'm sure will make you feel good, please ignore the harsh rating, this is a totally misjudged film.

6/10

Not up to par ... even for a Tyler Perry film ...

[EroticScreenwriter · 4/10 · 23 March 2008]

I was never "big" Tyler Perry fan, but at the same time, I've never been a "Tyler Perry Hater" either. I always give his films the benefit of the doubt, and I really enjoyed "Why Did I Get Married?" This movie though, "Meet The Browns," could have been an ABC Television Network After School Special. Everything about the storyline was cliché', formulaic, and predictable. The characters were CARICATURES of real people.

I laughed here and there in this movie, but overall, I was vastly disappointed in this effort. It's like Mr. Perry just "threw this movie together" without much thought.

A huge step back for Mr. Perry

[DunnDeeDaGreat · 4/10 · 21 March 2008]

After seeing last year's excellent Daddy's Little Girls and Why Did I Get Married I thought Tyler Perry had finally come into his own as a film maker. Granted Mr. Perry doesn't have the visual flair of Spike Lee,John Singleton or the underrated Ernest Dickerson but what he does have is heart. Sadly even an A-list actress couldn't save Meet The Browns from being a trite affair that may hugely disappoint Perry's fans. For starters Mr. Perry needs to fire the editor of this film. Maysie Hoy who edited Perry's two previous films comes of as a first timer here which is ironic because she's been doing movies since 1992 and has worked with talented directors such as Robert Altman (The Player)and Theodore Witcher (Love Jones). I counted at least three scenes which didn't transition well at all and did nothing to progress the story. As for the script it seems as Perry wrote this script on a whim; and the film was just made to cash in on his success because it lacks the heart of Daddy's Little Girls and Why Did I Get Married. As for the acting Margaret Avery who was excellent in The Color Purple & the recent Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins gives a paper thin performance as does Lamman Rucker who was excellent in Why Did I Get Married. As for Angela Bassest she's good as always and plays the mother role very well, I'm anxious to see what she bring Notorious next year. I would say two of the strongest performances in the film come from Lance Gross as Angela and much to my surprise Rick Fox as her would be suitor. The big question though is how well does David Mann's Leroy Brown translate to film ? In my opinion not as well as Madea and some of his jokes seemed forced and unneeded. As for the big screen return of Madea it's unwelcome at best and she hasn't been missed. Tyler Perry has the potential to be one of the strongest black filmmaker in Hollywood, he knows a good story, has a knack for finding talent hence Lammon Rucker and Lance Goss who will both go on to do great things. But with his latest Perry sticks to a formula that he successfully broke out with two back to back winning film released last year. Here's hoping his next film The Family That Preys gets him back on track.

Unfortunately, my first Tyler Perry movie

[RubyJuly1958 · 3/10 · 29 March 2008]

Pity my poor friend who spent all day telling me how hil-lar-ious Tyler Perry movies are, tsk-tsking all day that I had not ever seen one of his movies. Chuckling about how funny this was going to be and how i was going to run right out and rent all the others. Sadly, she spent the whole rest of the evening over coffee and cannoli reflecting on how great Tyler Perry's OTHER movies were. I forgive her - we're friends.

This movie was OK - it had its funny moments and good Lord don't we ALL have those family members? I don't care if you're black, Italian, Jewish or white-bread American - we've ALL got that same cast of characters sitting around our family table.

And OK, i understand that unless i saw the other movies i would not have a clue who Madea is or why she's being chased by the police. But that's OK - i can let an inside joke slide, especially considering the huge hoot and roar that accompanied her appearance.

Overall, i understand that this was not Tyler Perry's finest hour. But i sense that he has a LOT to say about families, standing proud, sticking with convictions when the rest of the world says "settle for less" and working hard to overcome circumstances. I will go out and rent his other movies, just to get a more fair picture of this filmmaker.

Ignore the low rating. This is one of Perry's most complete efforts. It'll uplift your spirits, and warm your heart

[callanvass · 4/10 · 9 October 2013]

This does have inconsistencies like a lot of Perry films, but this is one of Tyler Perry's best films. What I admired most about Meet the Browns is that it is genuine for the most part. Despite a shameless plug to promote Tyler Perry's next Madea film (Madea goes to Jail) with a chase sequence which spoofs O.J Simpson, and that it veers towards major melodrama in the second half (especially with Michael the son) I really enjoyed this movie. The problem in the past with Perry movies is that he fails to find the proper medium between melodramatic romance & comedy, but here he nailed it for the most part. Meet the Browns is all about family values, and being a good Mother. Angela Bassett is remarkably good as a struggling Mother, just looking to barely make it by every month, and make ends meet. Her relationship with her son Michael (Lance Gross) was real, and powerful. I really empathized with both of their plights. Sofía Vergara is a scene stealer every time she's on screen with her foul, bipolar character. She was a scream to watch, and provided many laughs for me. Jennifer Lewis (Vera) plays an insufferable drunk very well. Rick Fox is a tad bland at times as Bassett's love interest, but he does have a few great moments in the second half that really stood out. David Mann is OK as Mr. Brown, but he overdid it at times, and got on my nerves. I personally felt Sofia Vergara was much funnier. The ending was especially well done. It showed how karma is indeed legitimate. The Father (Phillip Edward Van Lear) Is a greedy gold digger, who gets what is coming to him by means of Karma at the end, after refusing to spend time with Michael, or pay the child support that is owed, despite making some pretty good coin as a construction worker. The message was delivered awesomely.

Final Thoughts: This movie proves dreams can come true, and you don't have to be religious to enjoy it either. It's just a very heartwarming film that will brighten up your day. If you're looking for a good Tyler Perry film, this is a great selection. I really can't fathom as to why this movie is rated so low

7.5/10

Disappointment for Tyler

[onlyonesimone · 1/10 · 22 March 2008]

I was SO upset when I saw this movie because it's like Tyler took three of his plays (Meet the Browns, What's Done in the Dark, and Madea Goes to Jail) and used the SAME LINES in most cases. It's like you knew where the story was gonna go in the first 15 minutes of the film. Angela Bassett wore the same 4.5" shoes throughout the whole movie because Rick Fox is so tall and she is only 5'4". I thought it was a bad casting choice to cast two people with such a HUGE height difference opposite each other. I think Tyler is fresh out of creative ideas because he has used ideas from all his plays in the three movies that he has done. So, I can't see his next movie being great. I am not knocking the black cinema hustle, because I am black, but he could have done better to represent black America and made more of an effort. I will say that David Mann certainly brought on the FUNNY (as he always does in the play), but the outtakes were so much funnier than the movie to me. So, stick around after it ends.

This is an underrated Tyler Perry movie that gets over criticized.

[kevin_robbins · 7/10 · 14 July 2022]

Meet the Browns (2008) is a movie I recently rewatched for the first time in a long time on Tubi. The storyline follows a single mother with three kids that recently lost her job. She gets an unexpected inheritance in the south and decides she may as well see what she received. Her and her children get to know an entire new side of their family and she may find love in the process.

This movie is directed by and stars Tyler Perry (I Can Do Bad All By Myself) and also stars Angela Bassett (Strange Days), David Mann (Madea Goes to Jail), Lance Gross (House of Payne), Rick Fox (He Got Game), Frankie Faison (Coming to America) and Margaret Avery (The Color Purple).

This is an underrated Tyler Perry movie that gets over criticized. The cast is outstanding and the chemistry is solid throughout. The characters are very fun and Mann delivers an entertaining performance. The dialogue is hilarious and there's some good zings. I really enjoyed the storyline being a healthy mix of romance and comedy. There's a dinner scene in here that's legendary. There's also uncertainty and doubt as the story unfolds and I enjoyed the unpredictable nature of the relationships.

Overall this is a worthwhile Tyler Perry picture that I would strongly recommend. I would score this a 6.5-7/10 and recommend seeing it once.

very disappointed

[kwhitfield-2 · 2/10 · 25 March 2008]

Tyler Perry is so talented. I was very disappointed with the casting of the movie. Frankie Faison, Margaret Avery, Jenifer Lewis and Angela Bassett are all well seasoned actors but their acting roles in this movie was that of an amateur. Their talents were not displayed at all. I was very disappointed in their lines, role, acting just everything. David and Tamela Mann were outstanding as always. They were the glue to hold the movie together. Jenifer Lewis was the worst. She did Vera no justice. The actress that played Vera in the play should have been cast for the movie. Actually all of the same actors should have been cast in the movies. I expected more from the movie.

Mostly pleasant divergent with a few frustrating missteps.

[theskulI42 · 6/10 · 28 July 2008]

Yes folks, Tyler Perry is back, with all the wifebeating, moralizing, home cookin' and inappropriate jokes about drugs and assault that his target audience (y'know, churchgoin' black folk) has come to expect and cherish (albeit with diminishing returns) from his films.

Surprisingly here, he had a solid cast and a decent enough script that it could have been just as touching and funny as Madea's Family Reunion unexpectedly was, if he could just avoid the maudlin twists of melodrama, the manufactured strife that continually frustrated the film's otherwise successful attempts at ingratiation. Just when everything is going good, when you're touched even as the manipulation shows its seams, the find finds something to bring you down, be it a dredging of past, a miscommunication or even a preposterously-timed shooting, there's just something that makes you go, "Why?" Leave it be, it's working." The acting is not impeccable (that there's not a lot of subtlety or nuance involved in the proceedings goes without saying), but it has a charming down-home vibe to it; these characters feel lived in, even if they're obvious constructs. Tyler Perry's doppleganger Madea is featured on the cover and the menu screen, but really, other than a character attesting to being her daughter, Madea gets a whopping *one scene*, and it's completely, 100% superfluous to the story (she's getting chased by the cops while her flamboyant ex-husband watches on the local news), and at that, feels hideously tacked on.

One point that intrigues me about the psyche of Tyler Perry, which, as stated in the Madea's review, is full-on for all to see, is his seeming distrust of full-blooded, dark-skinned black men. In all three films I've seen, the three major, romantically-involved, dark-skinned black male characters have been: a wifebeater, a wifebeater, and a man who threatens to beat his wife when she has the audacity to request long-overdue child support. While on the flipside, the women all find true love falling into the arms of genial, light-skinned black men of more caramel complexion, and I have to wonder if somewhere in his mind, there's some deep-seated rejection as the lighter skin is somehow "better", but he can't have her fall in love with a white man. Just something to think about.

The film, like all of Perry's, is easy to watch and never becomes a chore, but where Diary of a Mad Black Woman was an ungainly monster that gave you whiplash in its genre shifts, and where Madea's Family Reunion managed to put it all together, Meet the Browns is situated right in the middle, with enough success to be pleasant, but enough mistakes to make you wish it was better.

{Grade: 6.25/10 (high C+) / #19 (of 57) of 2008}

not what i expected

[jules81480 · 2/10 · 22 March 2008]

this is the worst tyler perry movie yet! let me note that i am a huge tyler perry fan -- HUGE! but, this movie was stupid and the casting was horrible. sorry tyler -- but, i expected more. good luck on the next one! -- i'll still support it, but i feel like i wasted my money going to see this one..:( ...my favorite movies have definitely been diary of a mad black woman followed by family reunion. why did i get married was decent, but, angela bassett could not carry this movie on her own. it also didn't help that the screenplay was not very good. i didn't see this play, so, i can't say that after seeing this movie i would want to even see it.

Very touching story, deserves a better rating.

[newell94 · 8/10 · 9 July 2008]

This movie does not deserve the rating it has. Any more I can't go by the ratings here on IMDb because I must have a different taste in movies than everyone else. The acting in this was a toss up. Some of the actors/actresses were , imo, not very good. Angela Basset was terrific as well as Rick Fox. The Leroy Brown character was funny at first and then he just got annoying. Same goes for Vera. The story line was very good and very touching. I'm sure there is a lot of single parents, not just mothers, out there that have felt or do feel the same as Brenda does. I don't want to go in to the movie that much because I don't want to spoil it, but Brenda is a single mother that is struggling with money and finds out that her father that she never knew had died. She takes her kids to GA for the funeral and meets family she never knew she had. In the will he leaves a house for her that needs some TLC. Since she doesn't Have the money her new Family helps restore it without her knowing. Some of the previews may be misleading. It is not completely about basketball although it has some in it. It is a very touching story and I recommend it ton anyone. But like i said. Everyone has their own opinions on movies.

Too many inconsistencies here, but still a pleasant film

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 6/10 · 9 March 2017]

I have noticed that the new car smell has worn of Tyler Perry...at least in the minds of many people. I, for one, still enjoy most his work. And there were aspects of this film which I really like...and a few things I didn't.

Let's start with the negatives. First. I don't see what Madea had to do with this film, and the insertion of her character for a few minutes seemed intrusive, unnecessary, and distracted from the film's story. I know a lot of people love the Madea character, but it had no place here. Second, a couple of characters seem to have rather drastic character changes during the course of the film, and while we all have our days, it seemed that these character changes were thrown in to make the film work. This is most obvious with Angela Bassett's character who goes from a fairly positive upbeat woman even when the chips are down, to a very bitter woman in regard to her love interest...and for no good reason.

On the other hand, the basic story here is solid. A mother is working her hardest (literally) to raise her high school son and two younger daughters in Chicago. She loses her job, through no fault of her own, and falls upon really hard times...absolutely broke. At the same time she gets word that she should travel to Georgia to her father's funeral...a father she never met. With no options, but bus tickets for her and her children, she does so out of desperation. The family she never met welcomes her in, and as is typical with a Tyler Perry film, at least a couple of the family members are...well, let's say funnily odd. And, despite her protestations, a romance begins with basketball coach (who has his professional eye on Angela's high school son) who takes an instant liking to Angela's character. And that's where the film breaks down a bit for me -- the coach (played by Rick Fox) is under suspicion for most of the film...for no good reason.

Angela Bassett is a darned good actress, and continues in that tradition here. In my view, it's director Tyler Perry who mismanages her character. Rick Fox, who is probably no great actor, is nonetheless pleasant here as the love interest, and you can buy into his character (and the remarkably white teeth). Lance Gross as the high school aged son is equally as pleasant, although it seems to me that there's a conflict between seeming to be the perfect son who briefly turns to drug dealing...again, I think Tyler Perry flubbed this characterization as writer and director. David Mann's character is too far over the top for me to feel right about his performance; this is not a real life character. I would say the same about Sofia Vergara's character. More and more I am liking Lamman Rucker, here a member of the Georgia family.

I do think there are too many inconsistencies in characterizations in this film. Yet, I still enjoyed it. I guess you could say that this Tyler Perry effort seemed just a tad bit amateurish. But then again, this was one of his earlier efforts. I'll squeeze out a 6 here because several of the characters were quite appealing and the film had a good moral behind it.

I was expecting more from a Tyler Perry movie.

[kowgirl_tina-1 · 5/10 · 21 March 2008]

I have seen all of Tyler Perry's movies (that I know about) and have enjoyed them all...until now. Angela Bassett was very good in her role and I enjoyed the young man who played her son, but the rest of the relatives were WAY too over the top! One of the things I like about Mr. Perry's movies is the likable, believable characters...but Leroy and Vera? COME ON! Especially painful was the speech by Leroy in the church. I laughed very little in this movie, which surprised me. I was also expecting to see more Madea (my favorite character of Mr. Perry's), not the ridiculous 15 second scene they had with her. Unfortunately, if I was asked to recommend this movie to anyone, I would have to say, see something else. Sorry Tyler! I know you're an extremely talented man, but I would give this movie a "C" at best.

Baby you can do it, take your time, do it right.

[debbiekeough · 2/10 · 23 March 2008]

I love Tyler Perry's plays. I loved his first two movies. Hoever, HIs last three movies felt long and drawn out. This last one, Meet The Browns, was not very funny. I laughed very few times. I am used to laughing so hard that my belly hurts and frankly that is what I wanted. I wanted to forget about my problems for 2 hours. Instead, In two hours Angela Bassetts electricity gets cut off, her son gets shot yet she manages to end up with a beautiful man, house and vehicle. Not reality. Brown (Mann) was over the top as usual and was the only thing I laughed at. I miss Madea in the movies because she is the grandmother or mother we all need in our lives and the voice of reason. The movies share the same sappy romantic lines and they all seem to end the same. I could hear people chuckling at the cheese ball lines. Although I will always support Tyler since I find that his message is good, I wish he would spend more time making the movie really funny and instead of over the top with things we can not relate to. When I left the theater I was still concerned that my own lights were going to be shut off and I had not laughed enough to forget about it. Instead, I had $11 dollars less in my pocket. Bassett was great though. I missed the inspirational singing. BRING MADEA BACK!

Tyler Perry should win an award. . .

[hwhyusufzai · 1/10 · 11 April 2008]

For creating some of the biggest pieces of crap in the history of film. Actually, it's not even a film, it's just him -- taking a giant dump on everyone's faces when they watch this movie and making at least 50 mill. every time he does it.

Please stop watching this crap, for the love all that is good, please stop.

Note: This movie is already in the bottom 100. And his other movies are competing to get in. Every movie is the same tired old story written straight from the book, with different settings to appeal to the black community. Which they themselves should find insulting, it reeks of stereotypes and belittles the whole ethnicity.

I don't understand the inconsistency of Tyler Perry's movies.

[tammyaphillips · 4/10 · 9 April 2008]

I believe Tyler Perry is a talented writer and producer. His DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN and WHY DID I GET MARRIED are well written; they are also good looking movies. MEET THE BROWNS was just plain bad. I gave it a five in respect for the talented cast that includes the always wonderful Angela Bassett.

The dialogue was poor, the character of Brown did not translate from the stage to film. He was not funny. The movie looked as if $2.50 was spent. And as much as I love Angela, she was too old for the character. Part of the running theme was that she was a young mother (having had her children in her teens). She is a beautiful woman who looks like she is in her late 40's. That means she had her children in her 30's. Not such a young mother. And the outtakes were the worst I had ever seen, ever.

Tyler's other movies are in between DIARY/MARRIED and BROWN. I hope he can find a way to be consistent. His positive themes and characters are desperately needed and appreciated. But, quality is important.

a good movie typical tyler

[paulsoegianto · 7/10 · 31 August 2008]

well I am surprised with the bad vote this movie has here. It is not the best of Tyler. But certainly not a bad movie. The movie circulated around most of the same theme as all Tyler has. Hard life, bad community, good community, how to find yourself a place in this life, how to struggle and at the end to reach to your happiness. I do really like the acting from Angela Basset. It was awesome. The film is predictable but not the message. Unfortunately Madea's part is really small. It seems that they tried to hard to squeeze her inside the film. They should work harder in the script to put more part for Madea. I really miss her thought. :-D

An embarrassing vaudeville show

[Buddy-51 · 3/10 · 20 July 2009]

"Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns" starts off well enough with Angela Bassett playing a strong-willed single mother struggling to raise her three children amidst poverty and unemployment on the South Side of Chicago. But the movie quickly goes off the rails when Brenda receives a letter from a distant relative in Georgia informing her that her father - who was never a part of her life to begin with - has just died. With nothing left to lose, Brenda packs up the family and heads on down to the funeral to pay her respects to a man she's never met. While there she is introduced to the "crazy" Brown clan, a collection of broad comic stereotypes that even vaudeville would have rejected as too over-the-top. As to the film itself, any hint of authenticity is instantly crushed under the weight of lowbrow buffoonery, heavy-handed plot mechanics and a fairy tale view of the real world.

Although he clearly means well, as a dramatist, Perry has never seen a shade of gray he couldn't reduce to simplistic black-and-white or a plot point he couldn't milk for all its melodramatic worth. All the men in the film, for instance, are either clowns, scumbags or knights-in-shining-armor, nothing in between. The gun shy Brenda - who has been hurt by so many men in the past that she finds it next to impossible to trust one ever again - has a certain depth to her character, but virtually everyone else becomes essentially a walking mouthpiece for what's right and wrong in the African-American community. And that simply doesn't make for very compelling drama.

Of the actors, Bassett is nicely restrained and understated as always, and Lance Gross exhibits some genuine talent as Brenda's principled teenage son, but David Mann, Jenifer Lewis, Sofia Vergara, and even Perry himself, in a pointless cameo appearance as both Medea and Uncle Joe, are allowed to spin so out of control in their various shticks that they turn whole sections of the movie into little more than a circus freak show.

Noble intentions notwithstanding, "Meet the Browns" is a true "drag" of a romantic comedy - in the most negative sense of that term.

Not What I Expected, More or Less Okay

[smooth_op_85 · 7/10 · 17 October 2008]

I give this film a 7 because as a fan of the plays, I really didn't get much of the story. Now, I watched it on YOUTUBE but the fact is that I've already seen this material so it's really like 'Great, you put a compilation of what you've already done just established more in the film' I feel that the family could have been highlighted a little more because of the fact of the Title Meet The Browns. I do feel as if this is not the worst that he's ever done, but it is one of the ones I would put down there with Diary Of A Mad Black Woman the Play.

As far as Brown, I don't think that he should be in movies. I talked to one of my directors a while ago and she said that there is a world of difference between a movie actor and a stage actor. I am not in film but I do know that in a play there is a certain suspension of reality that is expected but in a movie, it is expected to be as real as possible while being fictional enough to entertain you. This movie kinda flirts between the two, Any of the playgoers you may see some of the interplay between the plays Meet The Browns and What's Done In The Dark. This is really not what I expected, also Angela Basset does a great job that I almost believe that she's a young woman though I think they should have cast a younger actress, I think that Kimberly Elise could have played this part very convincingly The film opens up with Brenda getting her 3 kids off to work and her sidekick Cheryl making sure the bus doesn't leave without her. She makes it. Then Brenda opens some mail to see that a Father she never knew died and that she's unemployed--talk about a bad day. She comes to her son's basketball game and he shows some promise (Michael) so much so that a recruiter tries to get Brenda to sign him up, she flat out refuses.

She tries to bounce back when her lights get cut off and at one point a daycare woman played by the great Irma P Hall says 'I'm not gonna take your child in if you don't pay' but she makes a change of heart when she realizes what kind of woman she is.

Needless to say she gets down to GA and gets a house. Now, there is a lot of wackiness but if you've seen the play you know what it is ad nauseum. So, the new part is the HO scene (Youtube: Meet The Browns 5). Funeral, Brown acts a fool, etc. then the house and it looks like it should be torn down, She goes back to Chicago and then suffers seeing her child get into selling dope when his Father doesn't want anything to do with him. He gets shot and is okay and ends up being a great basketball player while attending college.

Back in GA, the house is now great and something comes to light about Rick Fox--he was a gambler and may only want to have Michael around for a pay load so he can pay them off, this is revealed to be unfounded as Rick paid them off. They make up and it's roses in GA, however, the one point that's left open is: Did Brenda get a job or does she depend on her child now? I mean, I wondered about this but Michael did say that he is going to take care of his Mom and Sisters I just thought that Brenda would get herself a good job in GA.

This was my perspective on the movie. Overall it was nice but Tyler Perry needs to stop using the old material from his plays as he did with WHY DID I GET MARRIED AND DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN AS WELL AS MADEA'S FAMILY REUNION. Those were excellent and it didn't depend so much on the plays for its material.

Thanks

Another Tyler Perry bomb

[jazza923 · 3/10 · 26 June 2008]

I am not sure why Tyler Perry keeps making movies. They are always poor, over acted and riddled with clichés. They never get good reviews, users don't like them, it's in the bottom 100 of all time here on IMDb. Even Angela Bassett can't save this one. Perry's characters are almost always so exaggerated and extreme and he makes it seem just about the only thing African Americans do is argue, fight, treat women badly and act way melodramatic. The plot's of his films all have such a similar ring to them and completely lack originality. Technically the films are not very good either. The cinematography is boring, the score is mundane and the editing is crude at times. So please Mr. Perry, stop torturing us with your movies.

Number 58 on The Bottom 100 List?

[leighabc123 · 9/10 · 12 April 2008]

This movie should be #58 on the top 100 list! You cannot give any movie with great actresses like Jenifer Lewis and Angela Bassett a bad rating. Irma P hall once again plays the grandmother type character with all the wisdom. What was the point of putting that Latina's character in this movie. Madea has a walk on role. It would have been better if they would have gave Madea more lines in this movie. It was more than a coincidence that Rick Fox's character happened to live in Georgia and visiting Chicago. This movie does what very few movies do. It mixes comedy with serious tones. The Brown family was crazy throughout the movie. We also have a single mother trying to raise three children whose job just got terminated and lights got cut off. Then she inherits a run down house in Georgia. Then the lady's son gets shot. Then he gets well and becomes a professional basketball player. Then she ends up getting married. And they live happily ever after. The son's father who never wanted to be in his life shows up after he becomes a professional basketball player.

Where Was the Exposition?

[bblack1-699-968577 · 6/10 · 1 June 2013]

As I said in my review for "Madea's Family Reunion: The Movie," I was really excited to see Brown in a movie. In March 2008, I finally got that chance! "Meet the Browns: The Movie" was released, exposing the world to the character Mr. Brown, hilariously played by David A. Mann! How did I like it? Well...I have to be honest, of all of the Tyler Perry movies at the time, this one felt like the weakest.

Now, that's not to say this movie is bad at all! It's really good! For me, personally, there was just one thing holding this movie back from being as good as it could be. But, sadly, it's a big thing, one of the most important things you could have in any story: the exposition. We get the exposition of Brenda and her family: Brenda Brown lives in a poor, urban community in Chicago, Illinois. She has three children and works hard to take care of them all. She seeks help from Michael, Sr., the father of Brenda's oldest child, Michael, Jr. Michael, Sr. doesn't want anything to do with Brenda, his son, or Brenda's family. While we get to know Brenda and her story, we don't get to know Brown. Now, I know that sounds weird for all of us who are familiar with Tyler Perry's plays; we've seen Brown in, what, 5 of Tyler Perry's plays? He's famous to us! But that's the problem. What about the people coming to this movie who don't know who Brown is? The audience for Tyler Perry's productions began when he was touring his theatrical plays, but they grew when he began making movies. A lot of people have yet to meet Brown. Here, he's just being shown to the people who have been waiting for his film debut. Why is that a letdown? Because the jokes don't work here like they do in the play. In the play, we knew why it was funny Cora was both Madea and Brown's daughter; a gun-toting, pot-smoking granny once had a child with a religious, over the top deacon?! And on top of that, they've been quarreling for a long time and don't figure it out until years later? That's insanely hilarious! In the movie, we can't laugh at that because we don't know who Brown is. In the play, it's funny thinking a man like Brown comes from this type of family. In the movie, we don't know who he is, so we can't laugh at that. We get that he can't dress or talk, but those are just characteristics of this funny character. What about the man himself?

Also, here's a nit-pick, what is Lamman Rucker doing in this movie? He has no reason to be here! Was it just to get us ready for the TV show?

Something else that I've heard people talk about is that this movie is not spent enough on Brown or his family, it's about Brenda. Rather than meeting the Browns, we're looking at Brenda's story. Since I've heard from more than one person, maybe it's a problem. I always thought of it as Brenda being as low as she can go until she finds faith and hope by meeting the family she never knew about, the Browns. By meeting the Browns, she's able to get strength and courage back and stand on her feet again. That's what I got out of it. But I do understand where the other people are coming from. In Brown's first movie, I really would have liked to see a lot of him! The scenes he has is funny, but there aren't that many of them. For the most part, we're looking at Brenda and her family; it's a great dramatic story, but where's Brown? Or if Brenda is going to be here, even the dramatic scenes out with some comedy provided by Brown; I think this comedy-drama is more dramatic than comedic.

I do have to say that what makes this film good is the realness of it. I know, I keep saying Tyler Perry's stories and characters are so very realistic, but that's because it's true! Listen to the way these characters talk, it's so life-like! When I was in the theater watching the scene where Brenda told Michael, Jr. not to hang out with his friend Calvin because he sold drugs, I stopped and turned to look at my own mother! Brenda talked exactly how my own mother would have talked to me and my siblings! This is what keeps me coming back: a production that displays life stories that we're often not able to see anywhere else. Where other productions include stereotypes just to have stereotypes or for the sake of a laugh, here we actually see characters - I'm sorry. Not characters, but people. Realistic people who we're used to seeing everyday. Only now, we see them on the big screen.

Like I said, the movie is good. The story is really good; the characters are really good; the drama is good; the comedy is good. For me, I just wanted that exposition for the people who were seeing Brown for the first time. I'd highly recommend it, but only after you see Tyler Perry's other plays; productions like "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," "Madea's Family Reunion," "Madea's Class Reunion," "Meet the Browns," and "What's Done in the Dark." After you've seen those, take a look at this movie. BOOYIKA!

What a let-down!

[ian_sylvie · 3/10 · 9 April 2008]

********Spoiler Ahead********* I am a big Tyler Perry fan, and have supported all his work. I was so looking forward to this film, but I've never been so disappointed as I was when I saw this latest one. The actors were great, with the exception of a few that were just too way over the top. I know they are supposed to be, but it just didn't work with the drama. What really made me drop total interest was the scene where the family is being told their father, who was a deacon, used to be a pimp. And all the women that the family knew as upstanding, were various types of "hos" That scene was totally unnecessary and disgusted me. After that I didn't care to see anymore. Too bad Tyler, I hope you get some of these comments your fans are giving you so you do a better job next time.

WOW! Worse two hours of my life.

[gamefreke89 · 1/10 · 5 April 2009]

I literally could not sit still for the entire two hours of this movie because it was that bad. This movie was so cliché it was driving me crazy. The mom that can't make ends meet to the deadbeat dad that doesn't care about his son. I often wonder what hell would be like, I now imagine having to watch this movie over and over again. Don't waste your time on this movie, You'll want to sue Tyler perry for your money and time back. I honestly don't understand how anyone could even remotely like this movie. I thought the entire storyline and plot was very unimaginative and extremely predictable. The humor was stupid and immature and didn't even get a smile at me, more like a wtf? was that supposed to be funny? Seriously DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME!

I want my 90 minutes back!

[BettyChampagne · 1/10 · 29 March 2008]

i had this misfortune of being dragged to this movie by my aunt Flo... She thought it would cheer her up after losing her pet Pomeranian to a pack of wild coyotes.

This movie is about what you would expect from a light hearted romantic comedy, with one exception - it stars Tyler Perry!!! let's just cut to the chase, knowing that Tyler Perry was playing the part of "Medina" was disturbing to say the least. Apparently Tyler Perry enjoys dressing like and old woman and running around in support hose tossing out one-lines and acting like a fool... but for the rest of us, it's shear torture!!!! Tyler Perry as Medina is to comedy as a pack of coyotes is to a Pomeranian... i don't know what that means, but it's still funnier then this movie!