Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween Review

PG13: Drug Use and References, Suggestive Content, Language, Some Horror Images and Thematic Material

Lionsgate, Tyler Perry Studios

1 Hr an 43 Minutes

Cast: Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis, Patrice Lovely, Liza Koshy, Diamond White, Lexy Panterra, Yousef Erakat, Andre Hall, Brock O’Hurn, Bella Thorne

REVIEW: So Tyler Perry has run out of ideas for Madea. Back in June while getting dressed, I was watching The View (it was just on my TV) and I saw the women interviewing Tyler Perry about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of Shadows and he was talking about his upcoming Madea Halloween and then he talked about his inspiration. In the 2014 film Top Five directed by Chris Rock, there was an opening shot in the AMC Lincoln Square theater where the first thing you see is a large movie banner for a knockoff Madea Halloween movie. HE ACTUALLY USED THAT BANNER AS INSPIRATION FOR AN ACTUAL FEATURE LENGTH MADEA MOVIE! From that inspiration, I got pissed off. He used a visual gag from a movie as inspiration for an actual Madea movie. But hey Madea is Madea. I mean she is one of my personally favorite characters in film. She’s an iconic character to me. I grew up with Madea and never stopped loving her so come on this has to be good right?

While trying to keep an eye on a few misbehaving teens who are planning a wild Halloween night party she is spooked by ghosts, killers, paranormal poltergeists, zombies and frightening spirits. Giving them all a piece of her mind and fists, Madea must maintain order and sanity as she spends this hilarious, haunted Halloween night fighting off goons and goblins. 

THE GOOD: What I like about Tyler Perry movies featuring Madea is that he’s able to have her and his other characters come out and carry a movie. Granted if it's something like Madea’s Witness Protection then its just overstaying its welcome but if you have Madea, Joe, Aunt Bam, and Hattie they can keep a scene going. What made things like Madea’s Witness Protection bad was the lack of other characters like Bam and Hattie who have chemistry with Perry’s characters. Because of them being in this film, this leads to some really funny gags and jokes that feel like the Abbott & Costello’s Who’s On First. There are so many genuinely funny jokes that hit you so hard because some of the writing with it's humor is really good. 

THE BAD: As this being the first Tyler Perry film I’ve seen in a theater, this is nothing more than a movie that should’ve been on the OWN Network. There is absolutely no cinematic value to this film whatsoever. The only thing that prevents this from being a film for TV is its language. If Joe didn’t say the words "bullshit" and  “nigga” ever so often, there would be no reason for you to see this in a theater. That's the only cinematic value this film has which The movie features Tyler Perry, YouTube stars, and actresses who worked with Disney. The acting is on the level of a Tyler Perry stage play and is rough to get through because it's a movie for theaters. If you are to have a film with numerous YouTube stars make it for YouTube Red.  It barely has any sets and the camera movement is as generic and cheap as a television sitcom. It follows the same story any Tyler Perry Madea movie does where an overplayed message concludes the film with the sappy music swelling up. The YouTube. This movie could be a drinking game of all the Tyler Perryisms you see in a Madea movie. Drink every time you hear a church joke, a Jesus joke, a beat your kids joke because it's excessive. There’s a child abuse joke that goes a bit too far. By the time its done you’ll get black out drunk.

LAST STATEMENT: As funny as the writing is this time around, Boo! A Madea Halloween is just another cheap Tyler Perry sitcom film. But don't stop making Madea holiday films. I can’t wait to see what holiday she takes on next. Easter, Kwanzaa, Veteran's Day. The possibilities are endless.

Rating: 2/5 | 42%

Super Scene: Joe encounters a clown