I only needed to see Tyler Perry’s name flash across the title screen to know the type of amateurish “comedy” I was going to get.

With mega-star and Girls Trip stand-out Tiffany Haddish on board, this film is a notch above Madea, but it remains below the average studio comedy due to inane plot points and childish humour.

Writer-director-producer Perry continually makes money appealing to an under-serviced African-American audience.

Yet, other audience-targeting films like Barbershop and Best Man Holiday manage to be both specifically for African-Americans and still provide equal parts interesting commentary and comedy.

Perry makes lowest common denominator films, and surprisingly, Nobody’s Fool is his best this decade. But that’s not saying much, as the film shines due to the cast, and actually due to the welcome absence of Perry’s face on-screen.

Nobody’s Fool is about Danica, a career woman dating a man she’s never met, whose sister begins to question whether her sister’s dream man is in fact real.

Tika Sumpter and Tiffany Haddish trade jabs as two sisters who are nothing alike, and though Sumpter is the lead, Haddish once again steals the show.

The actress has shown a penchant for being the best thing in her films, and this is no exception. She’s fearless, filthy and downright hilarious, though a bit much at times.

With supporting performances from Whoopi Goldberg, Omari Hardwick and a loud, proud departure role from Glee’s Amber Riley, the film is often funny, but can’t outrun the outlandish, truly ridiculous plot-lines that chase down the coherence factor.

It’s an opportunity wasted, and with better direction, could have been a sleeper hit.

2/5 Stars