Collecting episodes 125 through 148 of Tyler Perry’s five-year-old sitcom, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, Volume 7 serves as a potent reminder that Perry is building a creative empire, with works aimed largely at African Americans. A recent South Park episode not so subtly (would you have it any other way?) posed the question of why black audiences continue to flock to Perry’s subpar works – House of Payne does well to answer that question, at least insofar as I can make out.
Growing up watching Family Matters and The Wayans Bros. as part of a syndicated after school sitcom block, it was easy for me to see how House of Payne rests on pretty much the same laurels that made those shows such a pleasure to watch. Give a warm welcome to shoehorned moralizing (with a wink to let you know not to take the sermon too seriously), over-the-top drama and frenzied stereotypes that managed not to offend (Urkel was too much of a caricature to ever touch on any genuine nerd/jock paradigm). That’s hardly limited to these shows, as pretty much any sitcom has a cross to bear in attracting a mass audience.
What rubs me the wrong way about House of Payne is that it does absolutely nothing to distinguish itself, outside of focusing on its African American cast and delving into some heavier fare now and then. Infidelity takes center stage in this volume and I respect Perry for not (pardon the term) whitewashing real life problems and presenting his archetypal family as morally spotless. Where Perry’s sitcom missteps is the cast – in particular LaVan Davis as father figure Curtis Payne.
Davis has appeared in several other Perry projects but here, as Curtis, he is pretty irritating. His performance is certainly the most noticeable since Curtis has a habit of speaking at ear-piercing volumes, complete with peculiar facial expressions and a devil-may-care attitude than sinks some of the most dramatic scenes in this volume. Cassi Davis as his wife Ella is supposed to be the anchor that grounds Curtis, but she steps into the background more often than not to let Curtis shout while an over-used laugh track punctuates every joke, funny or otherwise. When LaVan Davis expends this manic energy, his performance falls more in line with the rest of the cast, the occasional hushed tones and room-volume delivery.
Am I focused too much on a single aspect of this show? Yes, absolutely, but it was enough to seriously put me off House of Payne. The best thing to be said about the show is that it feels like it came off an assembly line, prepackaged and 99% risk-averse. As a result, it’s difficult to make any connection with the characters, since there are no real stakes; even the subject matter takes a turn for the serious. I would be neglect to mention that every perfunctory character is reduced to a sketch dominated by one feature – a fertility doctor’s appearance is especially grievous as it’s essentially a riff on Borat, voice and all.
This isn’t the first time JPP has had an opportunity to review this show, but the first time I’ve been behind the keyboard. Luckily, I’ve read the prior reviews (here and there) and I can say the show hasn’t gone any major overhauls since the prior volumes stacked shelves. It’s still the same sitcom, and likely to stay that way as long as people keep watching – it’s certainly light on its feet and very much the type of thing you can have playing on TV while you go about your day. The episodes end, the DVD jumps back to the main menu, and you barely notice. Is that a good thing? Judge for yourself – if you’re already a fan, nothing I have to say will dissuade you in any case.
DVD Bonus Features
Nothing at all, though I don’t know if a BTS look at the show with the cast filling in talking head positions would have been particularly enjoyable.
"Tyler Perry's House of Payne: Volume Seven" is on sale April 5, 2011 and is not rated. Comedy, Drama, Television. Directed by Kim Fields, Chip Hurd. Written by Don Woodard, Tyler Perry. Starring Allen Payne, Cassi Davis, Lance Gross, LaVan Davis.
