'Tyler Perry's Joe's College Road Trip' Netflix Review: A Surprisingly Relevant Movie About Being Black

Madea movies always had some kind of social commentary, and that came through the lens of being Black in the United States of America. I can say that because I have watched all the Madea movies in existence. To be clear, I began that marathon before the news about what Tyler Perry was up to off-screen surfaced. By then, I was too deep into the Madeaverse to pull out. And since nobody else here is as well-versed about this franchise or has the courage and willpower to take the plunge, I have to bear this cross for as long as Tyler Perry keeps making movies centered around the Simmons family. Anyway, coming back to the point I was trying to make earlier, the early Madea films were made with the intention of making a point about where the Black community was headed towards. However, since people probably highlighted the (problematic) comedic stuff more than the social messaging, the later entries focused on slapstick nonsense and jokes that had no setup or punchline; they kind of just went on forever. Since all the movies were successful, and Netflix kept Perry well-fed, he didn’t need to put any effort into the filmmaking or listen to any criticism. That said, Joe’s College Road Trip shows some sign of change. Why? Well, allow me to pontificate on that.

Written and directed by Tyler Perry, Joe’s College Road Trip is about BJ’s post-graduation plans. Yes, BJ has passed out from school and intends to go to college. Now, since his friends are predominantly White, they want him to go with them to Pepperdine University in California. But Brian wants BJ to learn about Black history and culture, and that’s why he wants BJ to go to Morehouse College in Georgia. Given how Brian can’t convince BJ to do what he thinks is going to benefit him in the long run, he runs to Madea and Joe for some advice. Madea tells Brian to cancel BJ’s road trip with his White friends and let Joe give his grandson a crash course in Black history under the pretext of taking him to the college that he wants to go to. Brian doesn’t like that idea at all because if Joe failed to be a good dad to him, how could he possibly be a good grandfather to BJ? That said, when Brian realizes that he or Madea won’t be available for the trip, and not letting BJ go with Joe means that he’ll take off with his White friends, he accepts Madea’s suggestion and orders BJ to hit the road with Joe. Whether this journey will make or break BJ is what forms the crux of the narrative.

Initially, Joe’s College Road Trip’s commentary seems a little basic, as it wants to talk about how the older generations are awesome while the younger generations are “too woke.” But as it goes beyond that binary perspective, Perry starts talking about how much the older generations have sacrificed to give their community a sense of identity, while the younger generations are getting gentrified without even understanding what they are losing. That too for what? To be accepted by White people and avoid facing the brunt of majoritarian politics. However, the truth of the matter is that everyone who tells you not to see politics in everything and not to make everything about race are usually the most racist and discriminatory people out there. And I use “most” because, unlike regular racists who wear their bigotry on their sleeve, these creatures hide their bigotry so well that those from the minority communities whose ancestors have been oppressed by their “friends’” great-great-grandparents don’t realize the trap they are walking into until it’s too late. So, yeah, I think it’s pretty important to learn about your community’s past so that when history is inevitably repeated, you are better prepared to make your stand, and I appreciate the movie for making this point pretty succinctly.

It’s interesting that after so much criticism about Perry’s brand of problematic boomer humor, he has finally chosen to reckon with it in Joe’s College Road Trip. Without spoiling anything, there are a lot of dialogue scenes where it seems like Perry is arguing with the critics for being uptight. But since the audience stand-in, BJ, is Joe’s grandson, it’s not a one-sided match; BJ actually stands his ground and says that the things that are problematic will always be problematic to him. He is grateful that Joe has taught him so much about Black history, but being educated also means having the ability to leave your culture’s prejudices in the rearview mirror and pushing your people towards success with the aid of all the progressive values. At least that’s what I think Perry was going for; if that’s actually the case, well, that’s sort of mature. In addition to all that, the reason why I found myself enjoying the movie is because, for the most part, the scenes actually take place outside. If you have seen some of the recent Madea movies, you know all about Perry’s cost-cutting methods. So, to witness the characters on open roads is refreshing. Even when they are indoors, there’s a lot of variety. The fight at the bar for racists is a highlight of the film. And, yeah, the ending, with the car chase, the choppers, and the SUVs, is quite spectacular.

As for the performances in Joe’s College Road Trip, Jermaine Harris is the best of the lot. This might sound like an exaggeration, but I do think that BJ is an extremely difficult character to pull off. He is supposed to be a punching bag for the boomers, but then he evolves in a manner in which he absorbs the best of both worlds while throwing his own vices and his grandfather’s vices into the trashcan. It’s one thing to write a character like that; however, you need some special kind of talent to track that transformation without being remembered as a caricature of a nerd. Amber Reign is definitely second on the list because she too has to defy some stereotypes without degrading sex workers. Perry as Joe, Brian, and Madea isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel, but yeah, I guess it’s nice to see him play a character that has not been properly fleshed out in all these years and imbue him with some much-needed depth. The supporting cast is solid, and a massive shout-out should go to all the stunt workers who have done some amazing work. In conclusion, I’ll say that this is the best entry in the Madea Cinematic Universe since Madea’s Witness Protection. If that sounds like a recommendation to you, feel free to give it a watch.