The Reel Rejects - MEET THE BROWNS (2008) MOVIE REACTION – THIS FAMILY IS ABSOLUTELY BONKERS

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Starting point is 00:01:24 More on them in just a bit. We're feeling great. We're ready for Tyler Perry and we're ready to meet the Browns. So without further ado, let's go meet some Browns. So yeah, we've met the Browns. If you're listening to this on Apple or Spotify, make sure you go and give us five freaking stars. And yeah, if you're watching this on the YouTube,

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Starting point is 00:02:29 person who gets stuff from our website you get 15% off on all the merchandise not only that you also if your patron get to participate participate in our review portion by answering or asking us questions. Yeah. And we will answer the questions and we will shout you out and it'll be a great extravaganza of answering and asking and shouting out.

Starting point is 00:02:53 And it's beautiful. Everybody gets loved. Yes, extravaganzers. Also, this book, my friend put it out, superhero poetry and stuff, go check that out. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm a fun.

Starting point is 00:03:05 A current superpower joint. Not just a prop after all. Not just a prop. Yeah. Go get it at stories where to sell books. Anyway, we're going to get into our review of the thing. Before we get into the questions, let's check out our feelings. Check it out.

Starting point is 00:03:21 John. Hey. How you doing, dog? I'm doing okay. I'm doing okay. This was fun. I enjoyed this movie. This was easily the most unified of tone in these type of parents.

Starting point is 00:03:32 I agree. I feel like this movie had two predominant tones, and one of them was more predominant than the other. So that was just a fascinating thing to behold. You know, you had this relatively tempered family drama. Yes. And then whenever freaking what's his name, Mr. Brown shows up, they do comedy for a while. They banter and do, you know, all sorts of crazy outlandish things and chew the scenery. And then we go back to the drama.

Starting point is 00:04:02 Yeah. And yeah, I mean, you know, there are certain Tyler Perry tropes in here that I'm coming to recognize all. Although this one wasn't even as like Jesus centric as they can be. Right. You know, just interesting to note. But yeah, I really like the cast. I mean, Angela Bass is great. I thought her and especially her, you know, Michael were really good together.

Starting point is 00:04:27 I understand that, you know, Mr. Brown and Cora have their own show. And I can see how that would eventually happen, although I kind of came into this movie expecting that it was like about them or something. So it's interesting because they feel like the Medea and Joe, not in the exact same flavor, but they feel like that presence of energy and comedy for this movie. But yeah, great supporting cast. Rick Fox, I've never seen a act before that I'm aware of,

Starting point is 00:04:58 but very charming. I had a good time. John, what do you think? Yeah, I actually enjoyed this. I'm trying to think of all the Medea, projects i think i enjoyed this the most mainly because yes there was uh uh it's not as all over the place with the tones number one like uh john said but also at the same time too um the intensity of the family drama wasn't too crazy because the other medea projects that we have seen it goes into

Starting point is 00:05:32 really dark places and i'm not saying that that doesn't have its place like those commentaries are like legitimately strong and effective. However, this just dealing with a struggling mom made it feel more grounded. But all that was all delivered with Angela Bassett.

Starting point is 00:05:52 Like in this entire project of like again, family drama and like kind of comedy, Angela Bassett freaking leads this project so well. I'm mesmerized the whole time and I'm like, can't wait until she's back on. And then Sophia Vargarra's character. Very cool supportive. Again, nothing

Starting point is 00:06:11 too crazy, but yeah, Angela Bassett, man. Like, even with Tyler Perry's directing, still can, like, elevate this project. So I enjoyed it thoroughly. Yeah, it's not over. I don't know how you feel, you guys feel about the soapiness of it all. That's kind

Starting point is 00:06:27 of just makes me a little, a little snicker, because it's a little, I mean, that's what Tyler Perry is known for a little bit, but that's, yeah, that's the world. Yes. And I, and I don't dislike that generally. Like I can find what there is to enjoy about soapy slash melodramatic stuff.

Starting point is 00:06:45 Yeah. It's just about how well the project itself is doing that. Yeah, definitely. And I think, I don't know why, but yeah, with Angela Bassett in those soapy moments, still makes it work. And I can kind of like, oh, it's not extremely soapy. And so otherwise, yeah, I had a lot of fun. How about you, man?

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Starting point is 00:07:59 So, Rejects, you can download the Price Picks app today and use code Rejects to get $50 in lineup after you play your first $5 lineup. That's code rejects to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. Price Fix. It's good to be right. I had, it was an interesting experience. Okay. Who has seen a number of Tyler Perry movies for the channel, but who's also, like, grew up one of the TV side of watching Tyler Perry stuff.

Starting point is 00:08:27 And someone who just, like, watches a lot of movies, you know, for both recreationally and for the channel here. it was an interesting experience because there were definitely things and elements and storylines and things that as a man in the world who who does engage with a lot of these type of conversations it was it was interesting getting this representation of you know people that don't outside of Tyler Perry movies don't often get the chance to have center stage and I really appreciated that within the format of film

Starting point is 00:09:06 but I think at the same time I felt like though some of the comedy worked it felt a little jarring between going the seriousness of having a world class actor like Angela Bassett and then

Starting point is 00:09:22 kind of doing more silly slap sticky stuff and it felt like it's times it undercutted the drama and the stakes of the situation. I wish we could have lived in it a bit more. I can see that. I think another thing is I wish we would have, I guess, lived in in Rick Fox's character. I think more, explore more of their relationships of like what it's like to be in Chicago,

Starting point is 00:09:48 what it's like with this, the deadbeat dad character. Because I feel like, you know, there's some tropey things with, you know, the light skin character being the good guy and the dark skin character being the bad guy. Yeah. So I felt like, I don't know, it's like a little one-dimensional for me. But, you know, I understand these are kind of common things within some of his movies. It's weird because it is more one-dimensional by comparison. Because like at least the previous two that we watched are very much doing a ton of stuff.

Starting point is 00:10:20 Yes. And to me, like they're ADD movies where you just have to go with whatever the current tone of whatever the current scene is. Right. Whereas this is weird because like the problem changes because you're like, okay, so so much more of this is now more unified, which is good. And it seems to want to temper by and large the way it handles the harsh context. Yes. And thus the comedy weirdly stands out harder. Like in the earlier movies, you get used to this roller coaster of what's the tone going to be?

Starting point is 00:10:51 And in this movie, it's like the tone is pretty consistent until comedy takes over for a little while. And then it goes away, and then it goes back to being the movie it was. So I feel like if you took out, sadly, if you took out all the character actor, the auxiliary Browns, and just left it at Angela Bassett, her son, Rick Fox, that you probably could have achieved this movie with a lot less. You probably could have filled in those dimensions and used that time more wise. I agree. And yeah, I felt like there's a stronger movie in here. And I felt like the Medea stuff, you know, the, you know, Tile Perry's Medea State.

Starting point is 00:11:26 people it felt just like a little extra just like it didn't really add to the narrative it didn't yeah they were just like what do we how can we get medea in here yeah yeah yeah right but you know i i i still like the the heart and the messaging of you know someone trying to open their up their heart up after being kind of beaten down by life for for so long and right kind of and it's funny because i feel like the stuff in which i would have liked to have seen expanded the heart stuff them bonding and you know him getting gracious to their family it's the stuff I would like to see expanded but um the stuff with the family maybe could have been a little shorter to make it a little more even but also um i felt like you'd get him a little shorter the movie it kind of felt like once they

Starting point is 00:12:12 got to the house i'm like okay things are good things are turning around like oh no you know we keep going yeah okay we got to add the thing with her not trusting him which granted was only added to her larger arc but i feel like the way that the movie constructed can feel a little you know well yeah it's like earlier on it feels like it breathes more and then in the second half it again this is the shortest one that you and I have watched anyway because the other two are over

Starting point is 00:12:37 two hours yeah this is an hour in 45 minutes is which is like a perfectly decent movie length yeah definitely but I it's weird like I get it because in some ways it feels longer than it is but also in the second half for me it was starting to like really speed up the developments so like this movie isn't surprising you with shocking circumstances

Starting point is 00:12:59 the way the previous two that we watched has but I would say that like the most shocking circumstances Michael getting shot and that is a pretty quick stretch of the movie which again with that less weird I don't even with less weird proportionality it's not only pacing it's sort of like with a less weird proportionality you could have registered those moments or had the whole thing where she doesn't trust Harry,

Starting point is 00:13:27 let those breathe rather than it's like, shit, we're close to the end of this movie. We got to get a couple scenes out to do these beats. And it's like there were good moments in there. But yeah. Yeah, it's like I guess to kind of nutshell it, I felt like this movie, at first I thought I was going to be a dromedy,

Starting point is 00:13:46 then it turned to a comadrom and then I wanted to be both. Yes. Yeah, yeah. Huh. Right. But yeah, I feel like if it was more, predominantly drama with like sprinkles of comedy it would have worked better for me overall see by comparison that's what this felt like weirdly having just watched having just watched diary of a mad

Starting point is 00:14:06 black woman and then medea's family reunion those those movies have such oscillating insane tonality absolutely and so by comparison this felt way more focused way more down to earth yeah yeah i agree And way less contradictory of itself. Because the other movies have so much to say about violence. Yeah. In domestic settings especially. And then will comedically, like, beat on kids in the next scene. And so, like, you start to be like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Starting point is 00:14:39 I can figure out for myself how these things might be different, authorially speaking, but like what you're trying to say here is kind of a mess now. And this didn't have as much of that. Right. Okay, I can get that. Totally fair. Okay, well, we've talked about our opinion. Let's see what the fans think. Let's see.

Starting point is 00:15:00 Let's see what they have to say or ask to us. Patricia Carrillo. Patricia Carrillo. The Medea movies have a handful of recurring characters, any that stand out to you most. Oh, boy. Recurring? Oh, I mean, you know, there's the staples, Joe, Mr. Brown. Medea, obviously.

Starting point is 00:15:22 Yeah, we didn't get Brian this movie. I know, no, Brian. A lawyer. Yeah. He was way better as Brian in the first movie than in the second movie. It was so weird. Yeah, yeah. It's interesting because this movie doesn't have as many of those recurring characters.

Starting point is 00:15:36 I thought Mr. Brown's bit was fun. The only thing I knew about this movie, because I'm like, I don't remember the plot itself. But in my family, the, this is your granddaddy. It's like a recurring joke that's been going on for years. That was the only part. That was very funny. Yeah, that's why I was like, I recognized the scene, but realized that it was actually something in the credits. Yeah, yeah.

Starting point is 00:15:57 I mean, yeah, seeing Mr. Brown again, I, the Browns, him and Cora, I think, will be fun. Thus far, yeah, I mean, we only have a certain amount of recurring characters to choose. I like Jennifer Lewis as the nurse joy of this universe. Yeah. That there are other people who are her, and I hope that she continues to show up. Right, right. yeah um i liked i mean we didn't get cecily tyson in this movie we did get her in a couple i hope that irma p hall shows up again because she was lovely and she's a veteran actor who deserves flowers

Starting point is 00:16:32 and i was happy to see her here even though it was brief um judge mabeline she had she's in a couple of sila paris two of those two first two yeah this was very true i don't have to uh pick up more of the recurring characters right i mean it's hard to beat medea that's exactly my answer it to be Medea just mainly because she's been in all three that I've seen. Technically speaking, this is the first time I'm seeing any of the Brown's characters. So this is, to me, it wouldn't be recurring, right? This is, you know, they're going to be recurring to the future for me. But Medea is the best because I do like the, the, even with her, her appearance or her

Starting point is 00:17:13 cameo in this movie, totally irrelevant to the story. Just for fun. still thought like yeah that's hilarious that she's fighting the cops like and you know like um but yeah i guess to answer your question it's got to be medea or mabel yeah that's like there might be a question that can be revisited later on definitely an array of movies have been seen yeah absolutely i would have to agree yep all right and i think we only got one more question so let's get into a j rush and what do you think about reveal in chicago there no man that was uh that was pretty crazy how all their moms were different hoes.

Starting point is 00:17:53 Yeah. I mean, that I guess is the most outlandish detail that we just kind of treat as comedy and brush over. Yes. It's just sort of like, oh my God, your dad was the patriarch of this family,

Starting point is 00:18:05 or at least our beloved lost granddad, daddy, et cetera, was this prolific pimp with a lot of hose. And that was interesting. That was quite a reveal. Yeah. It was quite a reveal. And I guess it became a detail for people to throw around insultingly later.

Starting point is 00:18:21 Yeah, and also at the same time, too, just that's how we tie it in to get Brenda to be part of the family. I guess we had to do that because, yeah, we didn't see Angelo's Bassett's character meet Medea. So, like, there is this, you know, what's it called?

Starting point is 00:18:36 Like a very big separation, right? Like, so that connection would have been cooler if there was like a direct connection, but I guess to make, it seems like Tyler Perely wanted to make it like interesting and just made it a joke yeah i don't know it's sort of an interesting thing kind of like the i guess it's not as contradictory as the domestic violence stuff but how um tyler perry is both very i'm trying to think of like the right term like his films predominantly

Starting point is 00:19:12 focus on on black women within like in Atlanta yet there are certain times where they're reductive towards black women at the same time. Oh, okay. With other characters like Mr. Brown and the reunion. In the reunion, like in the reunion when they're like, checking out the niece and then like I was listed off all the hose, but I'm like, pro-women. So I don't know.

Starting point is 00:19:36 Yeah. But I guess a certain type of women. Only women worth redeeming, I suppose. Sex workers, I guess, don't get a lot of respect in this universe. Yeah. Yeah. But, you know, for whatever their circumstance. And but then again, you can say that, okay, from a writing

Starting point is 00:19:50 standpoint that's weird but also like you know different characters have different different POVs so like one character may say that but another character might not say that sure um so it's it's in the tone yeah it's it's in what the movie chooses to be joky about that suggests beyond that I guess yeah sort of like because it's like the whole scene will take over this was a little better at keeping certain characters like these characters are outlandish these ones are sensible yes and thus the outlandish ones will laugh at the whatever thing so like it's a little more, it makes a little more sense that way, but it is a little bit odd. And then you have across the spectrum, I, you know, like, given how these movies are, I thought the stuff with Michael and Calvin

Starting point is 00:20:30 would, like, Calvin as a character, his friend, uh, who's selling the drugs, was like a really grounded character. Yes. And, and, and I'm used to seeing those characters be like completely over the top. Yes, yes. Yes. And I was, and, and the dad borders more toward that. But, you know, like, even that. I was like, this is a surprising, like this guy, this character, I believe whatever life is happening for him off screen. I believe their friendship. I can see how Michael would be like, this guy's my friend. He's a good guy. And how his mom would be like, you can't hang out with this guy. Like it. It was a, it was like, it's a weird to be like, I see that you are capable of doing this. Right. Yes. Yes. But then the other half of the time, you'll get other

Starting point is 00:21:12 things, because these movies have their eyes so heavily on systemic problems and cultural problems. and things like that. I guess that's the spiritual dubiousness. Right. It's sort of like if you're concerned about all these social issues, it seems like there's not a really clear guide as to like when we're taking it seriously versus when we're treating it like a joke.

Starting point is 00:21:35 And sometimes within the same piece, it's not always complimentary to do both. No, that's true. You know, and this, again, had less of that harsh contrast, but it's still there. Yeah, yeah. No, so it was a weird thing. I understand the joke of like,

Starting point is 00:21:52 oh, all these different hoes, but yeah, it was also a little strange. But yeah. Yeah. You guys, it made me want to learn all those different kinds of hose.

Starting point is 00:22:01 It did. What's a double ho? In different area of coats. Yeah. In different area. Maybe, maybe. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:22:07 Or maybe this hoe does two different kinds of activities that aren't the same. Dude, she has, maybe she gets pipped out for accounting as well. Yeah, yeah. She's a,

Starting point is 00:22:17 really good amount. She's very diverse in her repertoire skills Okay, you guys Well, I think we've met the Browns Let us know what other childic hair What are the child of pair movies You guys want us to check out

Starting point is 00:22:29 I would love to watch Why Did I Get Married too? I really enjoy the first one. I want to get the first one Let's just get them in the first one So we can all watch the second one Yeah, that'll be it for us today We love you

Starting point is 00:22:41 We'll catch you in the next one Those says This is your great kitty You know?

The Reel Rejects - MEET THE BROWNS (2008) MOVIE REACTION – THIS FAMILY IS ABSOLUTELY BONKERS

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