Perhaps I have been a bit too harsh on Tyler Perry. Mr. Perry has done many bad films but me comparing him to the likes of Robin Williams or Adam Sandler in his comedy seems just plain wrong. Yes...all three of these actors can be really funny but Mr. Perry has something else going for him. He has a certain charm that these two others do not quite have. Perry is a good actor, also. He can pull a very nice dramatic performance as we have seen in Good Deeds or he can pull a just plain nice performance like in Star Trek.
With all this on the table...I will say that while it has its fair share of obvious, corny jokes..Madea's Witness Protection is actually one of Perry's better films. What really sold it for me was that the incredibly talented supporting cast really brings their A game and elevates this material to *sometimes* very funny levels. Perry also proves that Madea is not a one trick pony any more. Yes..we still do get the word "heller" thrown in the movie much too many times but Madea also has some sweet moments and some clever ways of getting what she wants. An example of both of these happening at the same time is when Madea tells the spoiled daughter of George (Eugene Levy) and Kate (Denise Richards) some breaking news to make her realize what really matters in life.
Speaking of which...Levy is actually very funny here. Sure...you can poke fun at him for having done so many bad films (Gooby and the Direct-to-DVD American Pie films come to mind) but he's still got it. Levy created one of my favorite characters in movie history-Jim's Dad from American Pie and up until a phony ending in which Levy has to take something that is rightfully his back-he creates a similar character. Richards is good here but the film really didn't need here because Perry and Levy are the ones who really shine. Perry also plays Joe..Madea's house guest and Brian-an attorney for George. All three of these characters bring something special to the table.
There are a couple particularly unfunny scenes which include a failed attempt at a car robbery and a scene involving trying to get everyone out of bed. Still....the film succeeds at proving that Perry still has some fight left in him.
(3 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for some crude sexual remarks and brief drug references)
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