You know you are in trouble when the funniest part of a movie is Madea’s discussion of her retirement account. (She calls it her “Ho-01K” account, because she couldn’t open a 401K due to her illegal income.) Yes, it might finally be time to pull the plug on Madea, the strong-willed former stripper who just so happens to be everybody’s wacky aunt.
In his latest outing, the man behind Madea seems bored with his own creation, yet Tyler Perry only has himself to blame as writer, director, star, producer, and executive. His usual freedom and autonomy to green-light any project has led to interesting work the studio system might have passed on, like Daddy’s Little Girls and the somewhat brilliant Why Did I Get Married Too?. As of late, Perry has slowed down on the theatrical side, leaving an unusual two-year gap between his latest film and the delightful Single Mom’s Club in 2014. Previously Perry’s output put many an auteur to shame, releasing two films a year — like Robert Altman in his prime.
So, how did we get here? Madea is a curious creation, a figure that can be inserted to discuss political or social topics like everyday racism (Madea’s Witless Protection) or the criminal justice system (Madea Goes to Jail). Here the overarching message is obey your parents and don’t let yourself become a frat boy’s victim.
Perry stars as Madea, uncle Joe, and Brian, a federal prosecutor with a problem: his 17-year daughter Tiffany (Diamond White) is out of control! A good girl with a desire to rebel, she wants to sneak out to the local frat house with her girl squad. A causal parent, Brian’s solution is to ask her nicely to spend the night at her mother’s house. When she refuses, Brian calls Madea over to babysit with uncle Joe and aunt Bam (Cassi Davis).
Tiffany sneaks out anyway and Madea ventures over to the frat house to open a can of no-holds-barred whoop-ass with a few lazy Halloween tropes thrown in for the hell of it. One in particular makes no sense in the literal framework the film provides as the crew run for their lives in a zombie walk. Eventually she finds God and awful production design in a church (rather tellingly, there’s some strange temporal time shifts as it appears the crew forgot to black out the windows for what was supposed to be a night scene).
One has to wonder if it is all just fodder for Perry’s own version of 8 ½ where he’ll finally get to break free and make art once he decides to part ways with Madea. If only For Colored Girls was a success, Perry’s career could have taken a more interesting turn. Perry’s broader comedies are often less interesting than his melodramas, such as the sincere Good Deeds, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, and the hot mess Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor. Through the ups and downs, Madea grew on me and I surrendered as long as there was something more interesting under the hood. In his latest, the political climate is fitting, but this is the worst kind of sitcom: a lot of situation and very little comedy.
Ultimately, Boo! A Madea Holloween is a comedy with few too laughs, a stilted made-for-TV look, and weak character development. Perry’s work occasionally borders upon genius (see the final act of Why Did I Get Married Too?, which pulls off a cinematic miracle), but this is a cynical film that feels rushed into local multiplexes. Once again, it looks like Lionsgate’s marketing team has put more effort into this one than Perry has.
Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween is now playing in wide release.