Brand : Lionsgate
Manufacturer : Liosngate Pictures Entertainment
Step into Tyler Perry’s neighborhood, peel back the rough exterior and BEHOLD! Get on the laugh wagon as some of your favorite stage stars strut, sing and remind us, no matter how tough it gets, that laughter, faith and love are the best remedies.
The Tyler Perry entertainment machine keeps cranking across entertainment markets with this home-video entry of one of his many stage plays, Laugh to Keep from Crying. It was taped during a live performance in Perrys hometown of Atlanta before the show went on a healthy, extended national tour starting in the fall of 2009. Perry wrote and directed the production and his fans will find a lot to like in the mix of sitcom gags, down-home moralism, old-fashioned melodrama, and rousing gospel- and soul-based music (cowritten by Perry and Elvin Ross). The only thing theyll miss is the performing presence of Perry himself since Laugh does not feature the character of Madea, his big-bosomed, gun-toting, potty-mouthed granny of an alter ego. Laugh takes place round about a tenement apartment on an unnamed urban street where gunshots are frequent and the primarily African-American tenants are struggling to get by as they also struggle with a variety of life issues. The building is home to Carol (Cheryl Pepsii Riley), a single mom with two teenagers who have different fathers and wholly different attitudes. Theres Tony (Donny Sykes), a mommas boy whos dedicated to school, church, and singing in the choir, and Lisa (Tamar Davis), a rebellious handful and a chronic truant who cant understand why her mother is keeping the identity of her father hidden. Across the hall is Belinda (Chandra Currelley-Young), a hard-working widow who just lost her job, and upstairs is Niecy (DAtra Hicks), a goodhearted aging hooker, along with Peter and Anna (Wess Morgan and Stephanie Ferrett), white newlyweds who have moved into the building to save money. Rounding out the ensemble cast is Donnie (Anthony Dalton), a caring cop whos trying to woo Carol; Peter and Annas uptight mother-in-law Jane (Rachel Richards); and Niecys pimp, Eddie (Celestin Cornielle), who functions as a genuine Simon Legree villain. Presiding over pretty much all of them is the buildings super, Floyd (Palmer Williams Jr.), who practically steals the show with his shucking, jiving, and distinctive Perry-esque comic manner of the huckster-fool who gets all the good lines.
The struggles that would presumably keep everyone crying without the upbeat music and constant string of jokes involve Lisas disobedient behavior and dabbling into street life, Belindas struggle with her sudden lack of security, Niecys struggle to be free of Eddie, the young white couples struggle to fit in, and Carols struggle to keep her kids on the right path in a dangerous, modern, urban world. Theres lots of crossover in these many struggles, but the action is pretty simplistic, full of broad comedy, exaggerated movement, overt sentimentality, and spiritual posturing that comes across as exactly what it is--a rich mans story about the strength and moral courage of poor people just trying to get by. The telling is also simplistic and straightforward, with the camera and cutting staying unobtrusive, cleanly showing off the action without any showoff-y style. The blocking is direct and easy to follow on the single set of the double-decked cutaway apartment and its four rooms, complete with proscenium stoop and sidewalk for downstage action. The perky musical numbers come early and often, giving the sitcom/drama a nice breakup. Theres even a background score in several sequences, which adds to the undemanding, TV feel of the show. The disc includes short interview segments with the cast members, ending with a few audience tes