HOLLYWOOD—I have always been a huge fan of Tyler Perry and his character Madea ‘Mabel’ Simmons. When his first feature film, “Diary of A Mad Black Woman” arrived in theaters in 2005, it was one of the funniest things I witnessed in a movie theater in years. I laughed so heard at this movie and the character Madea, not commonly seen on the big screen. Since that flick, Perry has released a few more films with Madea, but the fatigue settled in for many fans.
Perry’s latest outing, “Boo! A Madea Halloween” delivers some terrific laughs that are so unexpected it was a treat watching every moment on the big screen. This parody sees Tyler Perry tackle multiple roles yet again, as he portrays Madea, Brian and Uncle Joe. The comedy follows Madea as she finds herself having to babysit her great-niece Tiffany (Diamond White). Tiffany, like most teenage girls, is giving her father Brian (Perry) the blues with her latest antics which include hanging out a frat house close to their home. While business front and center, Brian begs his Aunt Madea to watch over Tiffany while he is out of town.
Of course, Madea is against the idea, but when Brian waves money, Madea is absolutely all in. Too bad Madea fails to realize Tiffany and her pals are just as cunning and smart as she is. Along for the comedy ride is Aunt Bam (Cassi Davis) and Hattie Mae Love (Patrice Lovely) whose antics are just as funny if not funnier than Madea herself. I mean that clown in the box scene; pure hilarity. I thought my stomach would be in knots for weeks from laughing so hard.
Perry spoofs some of the spookiest horror movies to date including “Saw,” “The Ring” and countless others. Much of the narrative is a game of who can scare who and get away with it. When you throw in pot, old people, technology gaps within generations and witty one-liners, you have a comedy that delivers on all fronts in my opinion.
Perry who has taken on multiple roles in his previous films, manages not to give TOO much of one character distracting from all the supporting players in the mix. While Madea is the central character, Tiffany, Brian, Aunt Bam, Uncle Joe, Hattie and countless frat boys get to participate in on the laughs as well. Why does “Boo! A Madea Halloween” work so well? The laughs are unexpected, and because of that as a viewer the outcome is extremely funny.
Comedy is not always easy, and I thought for a while Mr. Perry had lost that touch, but “Boo! A Madea Halloween” is proof that when you take pop culture and infuse it with characters who do things out of the ordinary, hilarity is certain to ensue.
