The American Film Institute has put out a list of the 100 funniest films of all time. At number two sits the Sydney Pollack film Tootsie where Dustin Hoffman disguises himself as a woman in order to land an acting job. If that comedic masterpiece is number two, what could possibly be number one, you ask? That honor belongs to Billy Wilder’s film Some Like It Hot where Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon dress as women in order to simultaneously land a job and evade the mob. I believe it’s clear where the link between these two films lie.

America seems to find men in drag a completely infallible comedy tool. In this spirit, writer-director Tyler Perry has created Madea. Now, Madea was originally supposed to be played by a woman, but circumstances forced Perry to take on the role himself and, consequently, he’s now found himself in the midst of a franchise. Since 2002, Madea has been featured in several plays and three films, all to rave reviews. Madea’s latest feature, though, is lacking the normal amount of screen time for Perry’s flagship character. Meet the Browns is the coming out party for another one of Perry’s characters, Leroy Brown, and Leroy uses his time onscreen to set himself apart from the Madea Empire.

Tyler Perry has become one of the most profitable filmmakers in Hollywood and apparently he still has no place to go but up. Starting as a playwright, Perry has taken his stage plays to the big screen with big results. Meet the Browns is the fourth feature film directed by the ubiquitous Perry and features Leroy Brown, a Perry character born at the same time as Madea. The story focuses on Brenda (Angela Bassett), a struggling mother with three children trying to survive in the projects of Chicago. Just when she appears to be hitting rock bottom financially, she receives a letter that the father she never knew has died. For no other reason than a lack of any other options, she takes her children down to Georgia to pay her respects. When she arrives in the Peach State, Brenda meets Leroy Brown (David Mann), who takes her to meet the rest of her family. Within a few hours, the Browns deduce that Brenda is their youngest sister had by a woman their father loved in Chicago. The reading of his will reveals that he left Brenda a house, but she decides to head back to Chicago. After some months pass, events occur in the Windy City that convince Brenda that she needs to be near her family after all.

If I had to describe the Brown family, I would say that they were content in their ignorant bliss. Some might consider the “dirty south” to be a backwards culture, but the Browns have happiness and wish for nothing more. They have a family that truly loves one another. They have shelter, food, water and a shaky command of the English language; what is a helichopter anyway? A film full of familiar faces (apologies for the excessive alliteration), Meet the Browns features the acting talents of Bassett, Rick Fox, Jenifer Lewis, Frankie Faison, Irma P. Hall and, of course, Perry himself. Personally, I am a huge fan of the Madea character, and I admit that I was a little disappointed in the lack of screen time attributed to her. It wasn’t too long before retrospection kicked in, though, and I found myself wishing to be a part of the Brown family. If the sense of belonging and the unconditional love shown by the Browns doesn’t leave audiences with a sense of rightness, then the outfits of Leroy Brown will undoubtedly cause uncontrollable bouts of laughter for which there is little to no chance of recovery.

Do you want to know the best part of a Tyler Perry movie? Happy endings. Perry’s style of writing, his visual expressions and storytelling techniques help produce a film that all of America can relate to. No matter one’s age, race or creed, viewers can watch Meet the Browns and feel blessed to be a part of it, if only for 100 minutes. You know that feeling after you watch certain movies where you feel that one character was unjustly treated? That feeling is absent from the end of any Tyler Perry film. Once the climax of Meet the Browns had subsided and the happy ending had occurred, I found myself thinking that each character was deserving of their fate. On a very basic level, it makes me want to be a better person. I want to be deserving of whatever happiness fate decides for me.

Meet the Browns is now playing in theaters.

For more information, visit meetthebrownsfilm.com.