Review in a Hurry:  Feel-good themes of resilience, faith and family aren't sufficient to redeem this scattershot single-parent dramedy from the Diary of a Mad Black Woman auteur. Leading lady Angela Bassett could make a Quizno's ad feel Oscar-worthy, but her captivating presence here makes Perry's shortcut-riddled script and screwball interludes all the more forgettable.

The Bigger Picture:  Whether you love or loathe Tyler Perry's signature drag character Madea or not, it's worth noting that s/he only appears for a few fleeting minutes in Meet the Browns. No doubt, the writer-director had more than enough to juggle already in this overstuffed story about Brenda (Bassett), a hardworking Chicago mom at the end of her financial, emotional and romantic rope.

Only an actor of Bassett's caliber could handle a load like Brenda's: She can't feed her three kids since her factory job went to Mexico. She's in debt to everyone from the daycare to the electric company. Her deadbeat ex isn't even thinking about child support, and her teenage son is about to go from gifted hoops hopeful to dope-slinging hood rat.

Even in her most desperate moments, mind you, she's a total knockout, which is why it's no surprise when handsome basketball scout Harry (Rick Fox) falls for Brenda in the process of getting to know her talented kid. And here's the weird thing: Harry just happens to live in the tiny Georgia town where Brenda's long lost father recently passed away. When she reluctantly travels down south to attend the funeral and meet her quirky kinfolk, per the well-worn pitch, "she gets more than she bargained for!"

Meet the Browns' ensemble of eccentric newfound relatives should provide comic relief amid the serious family drama and slow-to-bloom romance, but it mostly just serves to shorten our attention span. By the time Brenda gets her groove back, we've seen so many clownish gags, histrionic flash points and hurried resolutions that we can barely tell what's truly best for her anymore. Bassett deserves better material, and Perry could actually stand to learn a thing or two from Norbit...if that's possible.

The 180—a Second Opinion:  Previously seen on Tyler Perry's House of Payne on TBS, heartthrob Lance Gross defies this movie's weaknesses with a confident, tempered turn as Brenda's conflicted son. Here's hoping he finds a bright future outside of the Perry franchise.