I enjoyed my time watching Meet the Browns, now would I have paid to see this film when it came out? No, I would not. Do not get me wrong, I was laughing a lot during the film; it was funny. But the weak story elements and bad dramatic writing was really holding this film back. I love Angela Basset and honestly, I thought she was great in this! Obviously not an Oscar performance or anything but I felt like she really matched the energy in every room she stepped into. I felt like her character’s dramatic story parts were meant to be ridiculous which added more comedic moments that most would not expect. I do understand and acknowledge the problematic elements of this film regarding race and sexism. It honestly kind of baffled me how Angela Basset’s character felt so strong on her own, but every time her son’s father came in, she shriveled back to being the victim. She never fully stood up to him the way she should have. Now I am not blaming the victim, but the writers because a good writer would have fixed this. This film is not bad, but not worth seeking out. Maybe give it a watch when it is on a network channel some afternoon, but there is no need to go out of your way to see Meet the Browns.
That's interesting how you describe Bassett's character playing the victim. You see it as a flaw in the writing/directing, but could it be realistic that a woman indeed cowers in the presence of an abuser? That is probably what Perry was trying to explore, although he was a novice filmmaker at the time.