Charity and grace

Browns creates sympathy for a flawed character but never for her irresponsible actions | Megan Basham

Lionsgate

Tyler Perry has always presented a bit of a problem for me. From a spiritual standpoint, I appreciate the sincerity and humor with which he presents the healing message of the gospel. But as a critic, I've had to admit that Perry's product is sub-par.

Once the laughter dies down, he draws his characters and his plots too thinly. The cheating husbands, scheming mothers, and sassy yet sage grandmothers who populate his stories would look more at home in a soap opera.

Fortunately, while these weaknesses persist to some degree in his latest release, Meet the Browns (rated PG-13 for drug content and language), Perry has gone a long way toward addressing them. Part of the progress is due to Angela Bassett as Brenda Brown, a struggling single mom trying to raise her children in Chicago's projects. Despite dialogue that is overly simplistic, Bassett brings her characteristic mix of dignity and vulnerability to the role. Her determination to keep her son Michael (Lance Gross) from pursuing the easy money of the drug trade is particularly vivid.