Meet The Browns (2008)

32% of critics liked it
(57 reviews)
73% of users liked it
(197,923 ratings)

Prolific playwright Tyler Perry adapts his popular stage play of the same name in this family-oriented comedy concerning a desperate mother who connects with the family she never knew. Brenda is a single Chicago mother of three who has been struggling for years to keep her kids off of the streets.… More Prolific playwright Tyler Perry adapts his popular stage play of the same name in this family-oriented comedy concerning a desperate mother who connects with the family she never knew. Brenda is a single Chicago mother of three who has been struggling for years to keep her kids off of the streets. Suddenly let go from her job with no warning to speak of, the eternally optimistic mother begins to experience a suffocating sense of hopelessness for the very first time in her life. When Brenda receives a death notice claiming that the father she has never met has passed away, she quickly gathers up the kids and sets out for Georgia to attend the funeral. Upon arriving in the Deep South, the once fretful mother is pleasantly surprised to discover that there is a whole side of the family she never knew existed. A crass but good-natured clan that welcomes Brenda and her children with open arms, the Browns' lazy summer afternoons and frequent trips to the county fair offer a much-needed contrast to the stress of surviving in inner city Chicago. Writer/director/actor Perry reprises his role as indomitable, law-breaking grandmother Madea in a comedy that proves sometimes second chances come when you least expect it. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: Tyler Perry
Written By: Tyler Perry
Genres: Drama, Romance, Comedy

In Theaters: Mar 21, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Jul 1, 2008
Studio: Lionsgate Films

Critic Reviews

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
The importance of faith, church, kin, staying off drugs, sharing food, repenting from sin, forgiving sinners, appreciating a good black man, rejecting a bad one, and honoring black matriarchy is enumerated with typical, reassuring Perry broadness.
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice
Unlike Diary, the drama here is buoyant enough to handle the contrast of its too-silly slapstick.
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
Meet the Browns is packed with raucous dinner-table banter and broad double takes; sometimes the gags are funny, but usually they're just trying too hard.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
To appreciate Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns, there's really only one requirement: Loosen up.
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
There are a few laughs and some touching moments, but nothing you couldn't get by watching episodes of Good Times and Little House on the Prairie back to back.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Whatever progress the man was making, Browns is a Madea-sized big fat step backward.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
Of the many talented black actresses given a rare chance to shine thanks to Perry's films, [Angela Bassett] is possibly the most talented.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
After taking some steps toward maturity and shades of grey in his last film, Perry takes a step backward, retreating to broad schtick and black-and-white formula.
Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
Moral: guns, basketball = interesting; hospital beds, recovery time = dull, and therefore unnecessary.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
Feels as if Perry bought the rights to a Lifetime made-for-TV drama and as an afterthought added the zaniest elements from his 2004 play.
John Beifuss, Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
The inner-city melodrama is as sticky as ever, but the downhome Georgia comedy is genuinely funny.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
Master of disguise Perry's tangled web of narrative threads range from poignant to positively awful.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
Master of disguise Perry's tangled web of narrative threads range from poignant to positively awful.
Kam Williams, Mount Desert Islander
Though too laced with silly slapstick to measure up to the best of Perry's previous offerings, this flick is still hilarious enough in spots to be well worth watching.
Austin Kennedy, Sin Magazine
On top of everything else, the direction is sloppy, the script is forced, and the whole thing feels like a bad hallmark film.
Jackie K. Cooper, jackiekcooper.com
Enjoyable movie about a nice family that contains some quirky characters
Bill Gibron, Filmcritic.com
perhaps Perry's time in the limelight may be shorter than he -- or his fans -- think.
Susan Granger, SSG Syndicate
Tyler Perry continues his exploration of the sense and sensbility of the African-American community with this fun-loving celebration of the possibility of second chances.
Linda Cook, Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)
Oh my, what magic Angela Bassett can work!
Jim Lane, Sacramento News & Review
...[the] latest sausage from writer-director Tyler Perry...

Read all 22 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Brad W

Meet the Browns is another Tyler Perry film that seems to be so dramatic that people thinks its amazing, but it was just ok for me, its got good acting and an pretty good storyline, but overall it was just an ok movie for me.
Mason W

Meet The Browns is yet another good film from Tyler Perry. I love the Tyler Perry films with Madea...you can always count on quality and a good message. I love Angela Bassett whom shines as a single working mother in Chicago of 3 children. No assistance and getting into some financial… More
Meet The Browns is yet another good film from Tyler Perry. I love the Tyler Perry films with Madea...you can always count on quality and a good message. I love Angela Bassett whom shines as a single working mother in Chicago of 3 children. No assistance and getting into some financial problems...enters the Browns...what a crazy family. The Browns help Angela and her children find that family are strong together and can make things all work out.
Bradley W

Meet the Browns is another Tyler Perry film that seems to be so dramatic that people thinks its amazing, but it was just ok for me, its got good acting and an pretty good storyline, but overall it was just an ok movie for me.
Jeff B

Once an auteur reaches a certain plateau of unmitigated success, there comes the double-edged sword of creative freedom. While this rare privilege grants a few artists the Holy Grail of moviemaking known as ‘final cut,’ it also means that they will probably not hear the word ‘no’… More
Once an auteur reaches a certain plateau of unmitigated success, there comes the double-edged sword of creative freedom. While this rare privilege grants a few artists the Holy Grail of moviemaking known as ‘final cut,’ it also means that they will probably not hear the word ‘no’ until they tumble back down the industry ladder a la Orson Welles. For example, writer/directors George Lucas (Star Wars) and M. Night Shyamalan (Sixth Sense) never came close to realizing the high standards set by their breakthrough trilogies/movies. Both auteurs, however, followed up their landmark works with scripts that showed promise—-if only they had gone through a stricter editing process. Now a one-man mogul after successes on stage, television, and screen, Tyler Perry presents audiences with a similar dilemma. Meet the Browns shows potential but the scattershot script is all over the place. In this PG-13-rated dramedy, a single mother (Bassett) rediscovers the joys of family after reconnecting with the relatives of the father she never knew. Despite the preponderance of clichés and stereotypes, audiences cannot help but respect the good-hearted charm of Perry’s style. Problems arise, however, when contrivance after contrivance pops up (a coach scouting a basketball phenom in inner-city Chicago just happens to live in the same small Georgia town as the Browns) and the story becomes too cartoonish and slipshod (grandmotherly Madea shows up out of the blue in an OJ-style car chase). It then becomes hard to keep sight of such charm. But who has the gall to take a red pen to a mogul? Bottom line: Take a raincheck.
William G

Just as taxing as any of Perry's other endeavors.
Brett W

Tyler Perry: promoting modern day black stereotypes and rehashed plots.

Read all 6 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Angela Bassett as Brenda

            Rick Fox as Harry

            Margaret Avery as Sarah

            Frankie Faison as L.B

            Jenifer Lewis as Vera

            Lance Gross as Michael

            Sofía Vergara as Cheryl

            Lamman Rucker as Will

            Tamela Mann as Cora Brown

            David Mann as LeRoy Brown

            Irma P. Hall as Mildred

            Tyler Perry as Joe/Madea

            Phillip Van Lear as Michael Sr.

            LaVan Davis as Bus Driver

            Mia Butler as Woman

            Wes Kennemore as Carnival Worker

            Mariana Tolbert as Lena

            Chloe Bailey as Tosha

            Olumiji Olawumi as Gang Member #1

            Tory O. Davis as Man

            Mark Russell Gray as Officer

            LaNisa Renee Frederick as Bus Passenger

            Jonathan Slocumb as Pastor

            Robert C. Goodwin as Postman

            Allen Edge as Samuel

            Keith Kupferer as Supervisor

            Jacqueline Williams as Worker

            Phil Ridarelli as Power Company Worker

            David Kronenwetter as News Reporter

            Roy McCrerey as NBA Coach

            Shawn Shepard as Doctor

            Tom Clark as Press Member #1

            Tasia Grant as Press Member #2

            Michael Cole as Richard

            Adrienne Reynolds as Waitress

            Penny Slusher as Woman
See full cast