BOO! A MADEA HALLOWEEN

US, 2016, 103 minutes, Colour.
Tyler Perry, Cassie Davis, Patrice Lovely, Bella Thorne, Lexi Panterra, Diamond White.
Directed by Tyler Perry.

BOO 2! A MADEA HALLOWEEN

US, 2017, 101 minutes, Colour.
Tyler Perry, Cassie Davis, Patrice Lovely, Diamond White, Lexi Panterra.
Directed by Tyler Perry.


Tyler Perry has written and directed a number of comedies as well as serious explorations of relationships. He has also acted in a number of serious films including playing James Patterson’s Detective, Alex Cross.

Many of his comedies, also prepared for the stage, have a character called Madea. Madea is played by Perry himself. She is a harridan of a woman, separated from her husband Brian (also Perry) rather profligate in her behaviour, abandoning him and her children. Perry also plays the eccentric old Uncle Joe.

Perry is not the favourite writer and director of many African Americans, including Spike Lee. And, Perry has been nominated several times for the Razzies, winning the Razzie as worst actress for the sequel to this film.

The films are designed for an African- American audience for a popular outing. They don’t necessarily travel well beyond the target community. Non-Americans? may have great difficulties with Perry’s sense of humour.
It is interesting to watch Tyler Perry being something of himself, especially here in the character of Brian, a seemingly quiet and balanced man compared with his other incarnations.

This is a family story as are so many of the others. There is a focus on the daughter, Brian and his custody, calling in Madea and other members of the family to back him up in his discipline for his daughter who wants to go out at Halloween with the frat community and her girlfriends.

There is a lot of frat school shenanigans, raucous and randy boys, the girls trying to be glamorous, outings, the touch daring, defying parents.
Brian is sometimes diffident in exercising authority over’s daughter but then is pushed by Medea and the other characters, including the visiting aunt.

It is Halloween, so various devices are thought up in order to control the girls and their outings, one of the girls being the daughter of a preacher and able to set up a ghostly device for scares all round.

So, there is a range of comic situations, context of Halloween and trick or treat, superstitions and ghosts, rituals, issues of the young people wanting to get out and beyond the control of their parents, some frat sequences, some prison sequences, some family discussions.

Very much for its target audience.

Boo 2! Is much the same, more of the same, the same characters, the dominating Madea, Brian and his meekness, concern about his daughter, Tiffany, her girlfriends, and the rest of the family turning up to celebrate Tiffany’s 18th birthday – and her being underwhelmed.

Tyler Perry fans have enjoyed the film – but, with its more of the same, it became tiresome to many audiences, even some of Tyler Perry’s fans.

And, Tyler Perry did win the Razzie as worst actress for this film!