We’re nine films deep into the Madea franchise and despite how we all might feel about Tyler Perry and the character he introduced to mainstream audiences in Diary of a Mad Black Woman, there is SOMETHING to this formula. I can’t say I’ve enjoyed all of Madea’s adventures but I would have to be absent of any humor to not find something funny in what Perry is doing. It seems like Madea has been everywhere from jail to witness protection so it’s pretty surprising that it has taken this long for her to take on Halloween.
Perry found some success with a Madea Christmas adventure so why not tackle the spooky holiday? I almost can’t believe I’m saying this but Boo! A Madea Halloween is probably the best of the franchise so far. By throwing out most of the come to Jesus moments that bog down the films, the movie succeeds as a spoof of the genre while also giving Madea some mileage to her take no prisoners attitude as she turns Halloween on its head.
If you remember, a Madea Halloween film started as an in-joke in the movie Top Five. It was one of the funnier moments in the underrated Chris Rock film so it’s interesting to see that small joke come to life with this film. The plot here is relatively simple. Madea (Tyler Perry) is put in charge of her son Brian Simmons’ (Perry again), errant kids, including a teenage daughter named Tiffany (Diamond White) who is desperate to attend a party being thrown by a frat house just around the corner. Along with constant cronies Aunt Bam (Cassie Davis), Hattie Mae (Patrice Love) and Uncle Joe (Perry), they try to keep the eager adolescent in check. Naturally, she breaks out, attends the gala, gets in trouble, and as payback for ruining their good time, the frat dress as zombies and terrorize Madea.
From there, it’s a string of strong to silly jokes that are hit or miss, but that is the case with most comedies. What I enjoyed was that comedy came first and foremost with this outing. Instead of beating viewers over the head with bible based solutions, the church plays a minor role here. Instead, Perry is playing to his strengths and he lets the comedic moments speak for themselves. Madea is a larger than life character and that’s really all that is needed to get the laugh. Though the jokes may seem dated or familiar, there are still some laughs generated from putting a woman like Madea into cliched horror movie moments that have become a staple of the genre.
Where Perry continues to lack is in his skill behind the camera. He’s just not a very good director. He’s proficient and he manages to keep things in frame and in focus, but that doesn’t lend itself to visionary work. Anyone who has seen his theater work knows he has an eye for unique set design and actor movement. On film, that all falls flat. We get lifeless looks at the lively material, the performers doing their best while the filmmaking lets them down. Even in moments that are meant to be frantic, like the frat’s zombie attack on Madea and the gang, nothing pops. It all just lays there. This has been the problem in pretty much all of his films. There is an amateurish style to his approach. I don’t think he’s devoid of talent. He certainly directed stage plays that received positive acclaim for his stage direction but he just hasn’t been able to transition that to film.
Nevertheless, people aren’t seeing the film to marvel in its technical aspects. The goal is to generate laughs and I can’t deny that Perry gets them. The film does wrong a little long for a comedy but this is probably his most crowd-pleasing. I think that he intentionally opened this movie up a bit to reach a wider audience and he mostly succeeds at that (it’s the number one movie in America 2 weeks running so it must be working a little bit). I always want more from Perry and with this film he gave me a little bit of that.
Do I need more Madea in my life? Probably not but if she’s going to be here to stay I’m glad she’s featured in something worthy of her larger than life presence.
Reel Talk gives Boo! A Madea Halloween 2.5 Reels
