Tyler Perry's House Of Payne, Vol. 2: Episodes 21-40 DVD Review

Tyler Perry’s House of Payne Volume Two contains episodes 21-40 of the award-winning, record breaking TBS sitcom. Perry is best known for starring, writing, and directing the Madea films. With the Payne family, Perry attempts to produce an entire family of characters as memorable as those in the Madea franchise.

The House of Payne is packed with six main characters. Curtis ‘Pops’ Payne believes he runs the household and says what is on everyone’s mind. LaVan Davis plays Pops with exuberant energy that tends to go overboard a majority of the time. Ella Payne (played by Cassi Davis) is a good Christian woman and mother, struggling to take care of the house’s other five occupants. Their son, Calvin believes he is a “playa”, but Lance Gross’ portrayal is one-noted. Recently, Pops nephew, C.J., (ironically played by Allen Payne) has moved in after divorcing his drug addict ex-wife. With him, C.J. brings his two children: Malik and the loquacious Jazmine. Pops, C.J., and Calvin all work at Firehouse Five, with its own string of charismatic characters. There are also special guest appearances by many actors who have taken part in Tyler Perry’s other film endeavors. This even includes America’s Next Top Model herself, Eva Pigford.

The episodes have a penchant for being named after movie titles (The Perfect Storm, Dog Day Afternoon, The Fast and the Furious, Gone in 60 Seconds, etc.). The show’s biggest struggle is finding its audience. It’s not a straight sitcom; it is best categorized as a dramedy. The formula for most episodes is a comedic storyline and a dramatic plot running alongside. The drama is overly preachy, while the comedy is hit and miss. Also, though the show is principally made to be watched by families, a few of the jokes are too mature for younger audiences. But, despite the predominantly black cast, the show is not an “urban” sitcom. House of Payne plays to all viewers, despite gender, race, or creed.

The special features on Disc 3 include “‘Pops’ Character Profile”, “Firehouse Follies”, and “Bloopers”. The character analysis of Pop is short, yet insightful. However, the analysis of his character does not always reflect on screen. The “Firehouse Follies” is merely filler. It contains Curtis giving a tour of the firehouse, all while a boom mic hangs in frame for the majority of the segment. This special feature plays down to such a low I.Q., even children would feel insulted watching it. A majority of the bloopers/outtakes matches the lack of humor in the show. However, when the actors go off script and begin some improv, a few laughs are produced.

The fact that this show broke numerous television records isn’t necessarily a reflection of the quality of the show, but of the lack of quality in family shows on television overall. Though House of Payne models itself after other hit shows, such as The Cosby Show and All in the Family, it isn’t able to reach their status. I’d advise watching several episodes on TBS.com before deciding to buy both volumes.