God has chosen lawyer and part-time delivery man Taylor Pherry for a unique mission – to find a successor to media powerhouse Hoprah Windfall and empower women everywhere. Inspired by the drama of his own outrageous family, Taylor sets out to write a screenplay that will establish him as the new face of faith-based entertainment. But this is no regular movie. Not Another Church Movie is a slapdash spoof of Tyler Perry’s signature style, for better and worse.
Directed by Johnny Mack in his feature debut, Not Another Church Movie aims to poke fun at the dramatic conventions, exaggerated characters, and family-focused storylines that Perry has relied on for nearly two decades. Taylor becomes the flawless hero navigating a cast of zany relatives, led by the bombastic MaDude channeling Perry’s iconic Madea character. Cameos from stars like Jamie Foxx as a charismatic but crude God mimic the stunt casting in Perry’s work.
While finding comedic targets in Perry’s formula, Mack’s amateur direction fails to launch the jokes. A sloppy edit drags timing, and creaky visual effects undermine celebrity appearances. Yet dedicated leads like Kevin Daniels as the dual roles of Taylor and MaDude commit fully to the absurdity. Their spirited performances occasionally lift the parody above its low-budget limitations.
For fans seeking to analyze what made Perry’s brand of faith-based comedy tick, Not Another Church Movie offers blemished but sincere attempts at dissection. Those willing to overlook directorial miscues may find humor in its endearingly sloppy lampooning of such a uniquely successful genre. Despite misfires, Mack swings for relevance where cynics saw easy satire, with mixed results that feel more affectionate than spiteful.
Faint Praise for Faith-Based Farce
Not Another Church Movie sets its sights high in lampooning Tyler Perry’s genre-defining body of work, but its aim proves a little off. The film finds its mark skewering some iconic elements of Perry’s formula, though others pass it by. Despite ambitious ambitions, director Johnny Mack’s amateurish touch holds his parody back from achieving true comedic greatness.
Where the movie excels is in replicating the melodrama so central to Perry’s stories. Kevin Daniels relishes the role of Taylor Pherry/MaDude, playing up the over-the-top line readings and hysterics with perfect comedic timing. The film also nails the exaggerated character archetypes, like Daniels’ lewd but loving sass as MaDude channeling Perry’s iconic Madea.
Perhaps the most spot-on sendup comes from Jamie Foxx’s raunchy rendition of God. Dropping colorful language with a twinkle in his eye, Foxx mimics Perry putting divine figures firmly in the realm of the profane. It’s a subversion that recognizes the sacrilegious streak in the source material itself.
However, some attempts at parody feel unevenly landed. References to dated pop culture like Oprah cars don’t resonate the way self-aware deconstructions of ongoing tropes might. And where Perry’s films indulge bombast, Mack’s direction lacks polish to fully capitalize on absurdity.
Compared to sharper parodies like Airplane! that refresh source material, Not Another Church Movie occasionally feels lazy, cribbing direct scenes without meaningful update. The film clearly appreciates Perry’s cult of personality but struggles to find its own comedic identity beyond mimicry.
While faithful in poking fun at the ridiculous excesses Mack clearly consumed growing up, his parody remains more homage than something genuinely eclipsing its muse. With slicker execution, Not Another Church Movie might’ve served up its satire with more zest. As is, it offers faint praise through faint-hearted farce.
Lacking the Divine Touch
You gotta hand it to Johnny Mack for taking a stab at spoofing Tyler Perry’s genre. The man clearly watched plenty of Perry’s works picking out classic tropes to skewer. But as Not Another Church Movie shows, having a sharp script isn’t always enough.
The directing is really what lets this parody down. The pacing just feels off—jokes don’t land like they could cause the timing is all wrong. You can tell Mack comes from a background in writing, not filmmaking. The edits jump around in a way that kills momentum.
It’s especially noticeable when huge stars like Jamie Foxx and Mickey Rourke pop up. Anyone can see they just filmed a few scenes separately and stuck them in post. Their green screen appearances stick out like a sore thumb and pull you right out of the movie.
Plus the low production values really show the limited budget. The effects aim for silly but end up just plain silly. I’m all for cheesy humor, but it has to serve the jokes, you know? When it’s too janky it just gets distracting.
Compare it to parody classics like Airplane that also had to work with less. Those directors knew how to use the limitations to their advantage, finding new ways to elicit laughs. The technical elements enhanced the comedy instead of hindering it.
With Not Another Church Movie, a tighter edit could’ve made a big difference. Maybe cut some unfinished scenes to patch up the pace. A polished director’s touch may not have achieved perfection, but could’ve at least done the humorous intent more justice.
It’s too bad cause like I said, the material is there. But without the right guidance behind the camera, even the funniest scripts can fall flat. Here’s hoping Mr. Mack considers sharpening those filmmaking skills if he tries his hand at parody again.
Stepping into the Spotlight
The cast of Not Another Church Movie had some big shoes to fill in sending up Tyler Perry’s prolific players. And while the efforts were mixed, you gotta give it to Kevin Daniels for going all in with his dual roles of Taylor and MaDude.
Daniels threw himself completely into the wild antics of MaDude, from her bellowing arguments with Moe to her brash arrests. And he nails the frantic panic of Taylor scrambling to complete his script. Even when the so-so material didn’t always land, Daniels committed 100% and was easily the film’s MVP.
Some others proved game supporters too. Wayne Stamps hammed it up well as Taylor’s foul-mouthed dad Moe. And guests like Tisha Campbell and Yves B. Claude verged on becoming lovable caricatures in their brief bits.
But then you had the lazier efforts that pull you out of the spoof. Jamie Foxx must have filmed his God role in an afternoon – you can almost see the green screen! Mickey Rourke seems to phone in Satan even more.
Compare it to a movie like Galaxy Quest, where the whole cast dove in together creating an ensemble dynamic. That commitment is missing here at times.
And while the actors do their best, some of the dialogue just falls flat no matter what. The self-aware deconstruction works better than attempts at recreating actual Perry scenes and jokes.
So overall, while performances were a mixed bag, you gotta give props to Daniels. He took the parody ball and ran with it harder than anyone else, shining a light on his comedic talents in the process.
Does the Joke Hold Up?
I gotta say, Not Another Church Movie took some bold swings in trying to parody Tyler Perry and company. Problem is, many of the jokes feel dated now and the shaky direction doesn’t do the spoof justice.
This thing came out years after Perry’s style had become pretty self-aware. So a lot of the so-called “parodies” of his tropes just point out things we all saw clear as day by now. I’m sure back when Madea was newer, commenting on the melodrama and big stereotypes would’ve landed better.
And the fact is, Perry’s moved his movies to more broad comedy territory in recent years anyway. So trying to ape the old formula comes across as pretty stale. I imagine if this came out during Perry’s early films, it could’ve tapped into that campus culture buzz.
Plus, you can tell Johnny Mack’s heart was in the right place as a writer. Dude comes up with some clever ways of flipping the Perry script on its head. But man, his directing is all over the place. The scenes feel jumbled and half the gags get ruined by sloppy editing. Really undercuts the parody potential.
In the end, Not Another Church Movie works best when you view it through the lens of spectacularly bad movies. Turn off your brain and enjoy how hilariously clueless it gets in places. But as an actual spoof meant to skewer Perry? Eh, the Freshness Date passed on most those jokes long ago.
I have to wonder if this would’ve found more success releasing straight to digital on a streaming service with a cult following. With no expectations and that bottom-of-the-barrel charm, it could’ve gained a new life that way. Instead, it arrived pretty late to the party and left equally late.
So in summary – when it comes to successfully paraphrasing Perry? This movie’s sermon falls a little flat. But as a so-bad-its-good watching experience? Now that’s a lesson worth learning.
Taking Aim at the King
Well, I’d have to say Johnny Mack took a bold swing with Not Another Church Movie. Trying to parody one of the most successful filmmakers working today? Ballsy move for sure. Problem is, sometimes the target you’re aiming for is just too big.
I’ll give Mack this – he nails some aspects of a Tyler Perry spoof. The over-the-top characters and borderline nonsense plots channel Madea in all the right ways. And a few of the jokes really landed for me. But too much about the execution here feels sloppy and half-baked. When your parody’s not much better made than the films it’s parodying, you lose something in translation.
It’s obvious Mack’s heart was in it. You can tell he watched a lot of Perry’s movies analysing what makes them tick, for good or ill. But without sharper directing and tighter scripting, a lot of that analysis gets lost. The seams start showing. And at that point, how much are you really satirizing versus just mimicking poorly?
So in the end, I’d say Not Another Church Movie is really just for die-hards of bad movies and cult flicks. Unless you’re a glutton for so-bad-its-good amusement, it’s not essential viewing. But I respect Mack swinging for the bleachers. And who knows – maybe future spoofs will learn from what worked here and what still needs work. If nothing else, it proves parodying a genre titan ain’t easy as it looks. But keeping at it is the best way to level up your aim.
So in that spirit, I’d say Not Another Church Movie has earned its place in the canon. Even if the shot fell short, the effort shows spoofing kingmakers is a challenge always worth taking.
The Review
Not Another Church Movie
In conclusion, while Not Another Church Movie had good intentions in poking fun at Tyler Perry's brand of comedy, technical missteps and a bloated script undermine much of its parody potential. Although there are a few laughs to be found, this spoof is ultimately too uneven in quality to achieve a truly effective send-up. The premise shows promise and leads give it their all, but flaws in storytelling execution hold it back from being a full-fledged success as either a parody or standard comedy feature. Still, kudos for taking a swing at such a big target. With sharpened skills, future attempts could hit the mark.
PROS
- Ambitious concept parodying Tyler Perry
- Strong lead performance from Kevin Daniels
- Some clever jokes landed effectively
CONS
- Amateurish direction and editing undermine parody aspirations
- Script lacks focus and cohesion between scenes
- Subpar visual effects and production quality
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