October 26, 2016 The Skanner Page 7
Arts & Entertainment
FILM REVIEW: Tyler Perry Back in
Drag for ‘Boo! A Madea Halloween’
PHOTO BY DANIEL MCFADDEN - © 2016 - LIONSGATE
SHOWTIMES
Tyler Perry in Boo! A Madea Halloween
By Kam Williams
For The Skanner News
N
o one has ever ac-
cused Tyler Perry
of being short on
ideas. After all,
the prolific writer/direc-
tor has been the brains
behind a profusion of
plays, movies and televi-
sion shows. But he would
be the first to admit that
he was not the source of
inspiration for “Boo! A
Madea Halloween,” the
ninth in the Madea se-
ries revolving around
the sassy, sermonizing
granny.
Rather, the idea origi-
nated with Chris Rock,
who featured a fake
poster for a film with
the identical title in his
2014 comedy Top Five.
Because the joke went
viral, Tyler decided why
not get back in drag and
make a movie to meet the
demand generated by the
buzz.
But “Boo!” definitely
has a different feel from
the previous Madea
“
Note that the premise
is established at the
point of departure and
promptly abandoned. It’s
Halloween, and the head-
strong high schooler and
her girlfriends hope to
attend an “epic” party
being thrown at Upsilon
Theta frat house.
Since her divorced
father (also played by
Perry) will be otherwise
occupied, it falls to Ma-
dea to babysit Tiffany,
to make sure the rebel-
lious teen never leaves
the house. Made arrives
with an entourage of
amusing misfits, includ-
ing marijuana-addicted
Aunt Bam (Cassi Davis),
marble-mouthed
Hat-
tie (Patrice Lovely), and
old fool Uncle Joe (also
played by Perry).
Soon, silly Hallow-
een-themed one-liners,
non sequiturs, slapstick
and sight gags start flow-
ing at a fast and furious
rate that will undoubted-
ly be appreciated by the
target African American
audience. Yet, many of
The Madea found here is no
longer that Bible-thumping
role model reliably interfer-
ing on behalf of an underdog
in distress
movies in that it is less
your typical Tyler Per-
ry morality play than
a rudderless, kitchen
sink comedy seizing on
any excuse for a laugh.
For the Madea found
here is no longer that Bi-
ble-thumping role model
reliably interfering on
behalf of an underdog in
distress. Yes, one minute,
she’s might be promot-
ing old-fashioned values.
However, there she is in
the next scene exposing
her breasts to lecherous
frat boys.
The film does feature a
rudimentary plot revolv-
ing around Madea’s 17
year-old grand-niece, Tif-
fany (Diamond White).
the punchlines are just
as likely to be lost on
those unable to decipher
the often-inscrutable Eb-
onics-laden exchanges.
Brace yourself for the
specter of self-righteous
Madea serving up street
justice to clowns, colle-
giates, ghosts and gob-
lins!
Good HH
Rated PG-13 for drug
use, suggestive content,
profanity, ethnic slurs,
scary images and mature
themes
Running time: 103 min.
To see a trailer for Boo! A
Madea Halloween, go to
TheSkanner.com.
MASTERMINDS (PG-13)
Fri-Thur: 2:05, 9:35
THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A
WEEK - THE TOURING YEARS
(NR)
Fri-Wed: 12:20, 6:30
Thur: 12:20
KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS
(PG)
Fri-Thur: 12:00, 2:15, 4:30, 6:45
The Week of
Friday, Oct. 28 through
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016
PETE’S DRAGON (PG)
Fri-Thur: 4:15
JASON BOURNE (PG-13)
Fri: 11:30, 7:00, 9:20
HALLOWEEN II (1981) (R)
Fri-Thur: 4:55, 10:45
HALLOWEEN (1978) (R)
Fri-Thur: 3:10, 9:00
$4.00 adults, $3.00 senior citizens (65+)
$3.00 for kids (12 & under)
7818 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97215
503-252-1707 • AcademyTheaterPdx.com
Babysitting: Available for children 2 to 8 years old. Fri: shows after 3:30pm and before 8:00pm. Sat - Sun: all
shows before 8:00pm. $9.50 per child for the length of the movie. Call to reserve a spot, no drop ins.