Peeples

Craig Robinson has emerged as a potential leading man for both television and film after his breakout performance on “The Office.” His first lead role in film comes with Peeples, a Meet the Parents type comedy co-starring David Allen Grier and Kerry Washington. But it’s clear that he can play more than Daryl from the warehouse. The story has Robinson’s character following his girlfriend to her family’s weekend home to meet them. She doesn’t want that to happen though. Thus begins the awkward weekend at the Peeples house.

It’s worth mentioning that Peeples is the family’s last name not just a misspelling of peoples, which I initially thought. Robinson has no trouble in the leading role playing the confident, but realistic boyfriend. The script deals with a lot of tired clichés and recycled jokes from other films. This leads to many moments causing smiles instead of laughs in the audience. The cast works well together, but I would have liked Grier play a more pivotal part in the comedy since that is what he’s famous for. Instead he’s the stern jerk causing the problems. Washington, who has received much acclaim for recent roles, proves to be a weak link by turning her character into a bizarre airhead.

With a cast including Robinson, Grier and Washington, it comes as a surprise that Malcolm Barrett playing the brother of Robinson’s character ends up stealing the show with the funniest jokes and best delivery while never making the awkwardness too unbearable. Overall, Peeples is a predictable, but fun comedy that really has no place coming out in the month of May. I expect summer comedies to bring something to the table and if not, it will quickly fall into obscurity. Having Tyler Perry’s name above the title as a producer comes across as a marketing ploy, but I’m sure it got some people into the theater.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.