This is my first dose of Madea after only knowing her from The Boondocks. However I am pretty familiar with Agnes Brown. Not a fan but I can take her fine.
It's a fun cross-over concept though Madea never lets her steal the show. I feel very outside looking in at this constellation of stereotypes that feels at times like it was written to appeal to Klan members with its charicatures of the Urban black population. I admire the cynicism against the family member who is now a cop but I do wonder exactly whose side Mr. Perry meant me to be on. The ebonic rantings can be quite overwhelming and I feel almost guilty watching it the same way I feel guilty enjoying those penny dolls from that Raggedy Ann movie or Song of the South.
There is a jarring juxtaposition of tone as we go from broad sitcom comedy to some kind of Lifetime Drama. It's not even a parody kind of sentimental like Family Guy but deadly serious. They do these crazy collage style scene transitions. Words don't do them justice, I don't know what they thought they were doing.
Madea is a lot like Mrs. Brown, not just in being a parody of an ethnic Matriarch played by a man but in that while she is very goofy and shameless she also dispenses some good wisdom.
I don't want to hate this but it must be said that Robot Chicken got it nail on the head when they said it feels like a 16 year olds idea of what a problem-picture should sound like. There isn't really an issue to talk about here, it's just character comedy and soapy drama but you can feel it.
Kind of a fascinating experience, at one point they have a black and white flashback to Rosa Parks with anachronisms but I am reluctant to consider this much more than a bit of racially insensitive prolefeed.
