Peeples [Includes Digital Copy]

Director: Tina Gordon Chism Tina Gordon Chism

Overview

An Average Joe crashes a luxurious family gathering in the Hamptons in hopes of asking for his true love's hand in marriage, and learns that even wealthy families have their fair share of quirks in this family comedy from producer Tyler Perry. Wade Walker (Craig Robinson) may not be a blue blood, but he loves Grace (Kerry Washington), and he's eager to propose. Convinced that his best bet is to make his move while Grace's entire family is present, Wade boldly invites himself to her family reunion, and does his best to make a good impression. Over the course of an eventful weekend, he learns that he may fit in better with the dysfunctional yet well-to-do clan than he ever could have anticipated. David Alan Grier, Melvin Van Peebles, and Ana Gasteyer co-star.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/10/2013
UPC:	0031398175643
Original Release:	2013
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	LIONSGATE - 600000-AEC LGE
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:35:00
Sales rank:	45,276

Special Features

Cast and filmmaker Commentary; "Meet the Peeples, jam with the fam" featurettes; Gag reel

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Craig Robinson	Wade Walker
Kerry Washington	Grace Peeples
David Alan Grier	Virgil Peeples
S. Epatha Merkerson	Daphne Peeples
Tyler Williams	Simon Peeples,Back Up Singer #2,Simon Peeples
Melvin Van Peebles	Grandpa Peeples
Diahann Carroll	Nana Peeples
Malcolm Barrett	Chris Walker
Kali Hawk	Gloria Peeples
Kimrie Lewis-Davis	Meg
Ana Gasteyer	Mayor Hodge
Briana Marin	Sexy Mother
Angelee Areu	5-Year-Old-Girl
Tuffy Questell	Taxi Driver
Jerome Bates	Skip
Jordan Hall	Cashier
Sylvia Kauders	Mrs. Davis
Wade Allain-Marcus	Bartender
Emilio Delgado	Chief
Christopher Gates	Priest
Catherine Pierce	Back Up Singer #1
Aaron Zigman	Composer

Technical Credits

Tina Gordon Chism

Tina Gordon Chism	Director,Screenwriter
Tyler Perry	Producer
Ozzie Areu	Producer
Matt Moore	Producer
Stephanie Allain	Producer
Paul Hall	Producer
Charles Dutton	Executive Producer
Michael Paseornek	Executive Producer
Preston Holmes	Executive Producer
Kim Taylor Coleman	Casting
Blaise Corrigan	Stunts
Conrad F. Brink	Special Effects Supervisor
Kim Taylor-Coleman	Casting
Sherry Marsh	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

Drumline and ATL screenwriter Tina Gordon Chism makes the leap to the director's chair with Peeples, a gentle family comedy that's as flawed as its titular family is dysfunctional, yet just breezy (and brief) enough to earn a pass from families looking for a few laughs. Though there's precious little in Chism's paint-by-numbers script that we haven't seen in countless domestic comedies before, her debut feature benefits greatly from the charms of Craig Robinson in the lead role of the boyfriend who's eager to please, even as talented veteran David Alan Grier is left treading water in an attempt to bring his character -- a stuffy, disapproving father -- to life. Wade Walker (Robinson) may not be a blue blood, but he loves Grace Peeples (Kerry Washington) and he's eager to propose. Convinced that his best bet is to make his move while Grace's entire family are present, Wade boldly invites himself to their luxurious lake house in Sag Harbor, NY, and tries to make a good impression while waiting for just the right moment to pop the question. While earning the respect of Grace's father Virgil (Grier) won't be easy, the good-natured boyfriend quickly learns that he's not the only one in the house with a secret: Grace's sister Gloria (Kali Hawk) has also been planning a big announcement for the weekend, and her brilliant but socially awkward brother Simon (Tyler James Williams) seems bound and determined to be taken seriously as a thug. Meanwhile, as Sag Harbor's annual Moby Dick Day celebrations draw near, Wade's unpredictable brother Chris (Malcolm Barrett) shows up unannounced, and makes a better impression on Virgil than expected while setting his sights on the lovely Gloria. Though it soon starts to look like Wade will never find the perfect moment to propose, over the course of an eventful weekend he learns that he may fit in better with the dysfunctional yet well-to-do clan than he could have ever anticipated. Although cynical critics will certainly deride Peeples for Chism's lackluster directorial skills and pedestrian screenplay, it's undeniable that she knows her audience and does her best to give them exactly what they want. So while her debut feature may never be hailed as a comedy classic or even an undiscovered gem, its decided lack of pretense is part of what makes Peeples passably endearing despite its sometimes pronounced shortcomings. Chism seems to have zero sense as a director of comic timing or spatial relations (a scene in which Wade makes a shocking discovery about Grace's stern father is almost disorienting in its ineptitude), and though the film's idea of a "wacky" final set piece somewhat disturbingly plays a drug-fueled murder attempt for laughs, it's never as if Peeples fails to live up to any great intellectual concept posed in the opening act, so its flaws are somewhat easier to forgive. Sure, Chism's debut may be wholly unremarkable, but that's hardly a crime against cinema or comedy -- it's a modest failure that any decent first-time director would use as a learning tool. Her greatest transgression is wasting the talents of Robinson and Grier, and relegating the great Melvin Van Peebles to a glorified cameo.