In a bit of casting genius, the latest Tyler Perry production – Peeples -- features a cameo appearance by the enigmatic Melvin van Peebles (get it? Peebles - Peeples), a move so bold it would take an appearance from James Caan in a remake of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to be bested.

But unfortunately, that’s about as clever as it gets in what is already proving to be one of the year’s silliest messes. And it’s not so much the wanton absurdity or the blatant lifting of Meet the Parents as it is the total lack of anything resembling comedic creativity. Instead, the film -- written and directed by Tina Gordon Chism – simply lunges forward from uncomfortable skit to awkward gag with no real purpose or direction. And no, throwing in a bit that involves the inadvertent ingestion of magic mushrooms does nothing to drive home the message of learning to become comfortable with who we are. It’s just stupid.

Craig Robinson plays Wade Walker, a low level children’s entertainer looking for the right moment to propose to his beautiful girlfriend Grace Peeples (Kerry Washington from Django Unchained), a New York City lawyer from an upper-crust family. Spurred on by his charming lothario brother, Chris (Malcolm Barret), Wade decides to crash her family’s high-brow Sag Harbor get-together so he can kill two birds with one stone by popping the question and introducing himself to his future in-laws.

There’s just one problem. Grace’s father is Virgil Peeples (David Alan Grier) - - correct that, “Judge” Virgil Peoples, a hard-driving federal magistrate who not only lives up to his tough-as-nails reputation in the courtroom but also with his family, affectionately called "The Chocolate Kennedys." He’s a control freak all about tradition and keeping his flock in line, so needless to say, he isn’t amused by Wade’s unannounced arrival, so Wade must scramble to prove his place within the family.

Wade finds a bit of solace in Grace’s mother (S. Epatha Merkerson) however, as she’s a much more relaxed free-spirit-type -- a musical one-hit-wonder from the ‘70s -- who not only proves to be quite accommodating to Wade’s visit, but also occasionally enjoys a nip from her home-made shroom concoction. Then there’s Grace’s CNN news anchor sister Gloria (Kali Hawk), who also harbors a dark secret: her best friend Meg, someone she’s brought to family gatherings for years now, is really her long-time girlfriend. You see, everyone harbors their own set of personal demons, including Grace’s little brother Simon (Tyler James Wilson) who has a penchant for stealing jewelry to impress the girls.

Get it? We’re all dysfunctional and we’re supposed to find a bit ourselves in the film’s characters. The problem? None of it feels real. From the palatial Sag Harbor mansions and NYC apartments afforded on the salary of a lowly children’s entertainer, to the obvious set-ups that lead to awkward Three’s Company-type moments, it’s all unapproachably silly. And rarely is any of it even the slightest bit funny.

None of the actors deserve blame for any of this, however. That honor rests squarely on the shoulders of Chism and her script which fail at nearly every turn to endear the audience to any of the characters. Robinson is a very funny actor and Grier showed some mean comedic chops back in his In Living Color days. But even their oil-and-water repulsion of one another’s character feels phony and forced, never natural. How on Earth does one manage to suck the fun from these two comedic heavyweights? That takes a special lack of talent.

To her credit however, Chism never takes the proceedings down the mean-spirited route, nor do any of her characters become particularly hateful… even in a love-to-hate kind of way. In fact, it’s all mostly family-friendly stuff. Still, that’s not to say it’s family-enjoyable stuff -- unless nudist colonies, magic mushrooms, Moby Dick jokes, and childhood urination are your thing.

(Released by Lionsgate and rated “PG-13” for sexual content, drug material and language)

Review also posted at www.franksreelreviews.com.)