The Madea franchise returned with its sequel to last year’s “Boo! A Madea Halloween.” With the series, director Tyler Perry has walked a unique line between sincerely funny and ironically funny. Despite its critical backlash, the series has garnered hundreds of millions of dollars for Perry and has cemented his status in filmmaking history. Now in 2017, Perry continues down his usual tropes with “Boo 2! A Madea Halloween.”
Brian Simmons’ newly 18-year-old daughter, Tiffany, sneaks out to a Halloween fraternity party at Camp Derrick, which was the site of a massacre several years ago. Little does Tiffany know, the partygoers are being taken out by several masked killers. Madea and her friends go to Camp Derrick to hopefully get Tiffany back before it is too late. As simple as the plot may be, it does not even scratch the surface of the movie’s flaws.
To be direct, the acting is mediocre. This cannot be blamed on the main cast, however. Veteran Madea actors consistently come through with solid performances that can even show versatility and emotion. The main culprits of the awful acting can be attributed to the numerous internet celebrities Perry incorporates into the film. While it can be appreciated that Perry is including young internet stars into a mainstream movie, it becomes difficult to justify his decision after seeing the final product. Ironically, the best non-veteran Madea performance was Rae Sremmurd’s, whose sole role was lip syncing his own song, “Black Beatles,” for a few minutes.
The movie is also littered with logical fallacies and plot holes that are never explained. In one scene, the grim reaper appears before Madea; however, it is never revealed whether the apparition was real or a prank. Another scene involves Tiffany’s best friend being sexually harassed by one of the frat boys at the party. Tiffany does nothing to help her friend. In fact, she actually encourages the boy’s behavior despite her friend’s constant pleas.
The only saving grace of the film, as well as the majority of other Madea films, is the writing, which especially shines through Madea’s comedic rambling. It is when her and her friends crudely banter that the movie becomes enjoyable. Luckily, these conversations appear so frequently throughout the film that it makes the rest of the movie much easier to digest.
Would I recommend this movie? Maybe
Looking at “Boo 2! A Madea Halloween” as objectively as possible, this movie is bad. From the mediocre acting to the numerous plot holes, it is not a surprise the movie is reviled by other critics. However, its awfulness reaches far enough into the “so bad it’s good” category, a category largely overlooked by critics. So, if you are looking for something to watch while under the influence of drugs or alcohol or even just something to turn your brain off to, then give “Boo 2! A Madea Halloween” a try. It will get you into the Halloween spirit and give you some genuine and disingenuous laughs.
Collegian reporter Henry Netherland can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @NetherlandHenry.
