Tyler Perry’s Joe’s College Road Trip Parent Guide

BJ (Jermaine Harris) grew up sheltered by his father, Brian (Tyler Perry), who tried to protect him from the realities of being a Black man. Realizing this effort backfired, Brian asks his own father, Joe (Tyler Perry), to take BJ on a road trip to teach him about Black history and identity. This isn’t the best parenting decision: Joe’s approach is extreme and crude, leading to chaotic, uncomfortable encounters for the characters – and the audience.

Before I share my thoughts on the movie, I must acknowledge that I’m not Black, and this story centers Black identity and generational experience. My perspective is limited, and others may connect with cultural nuance or satire that I missed. That said, from where I stand, Joe’s College Road Trip is one of the worst films I’ve seen. If you enjoy shock-value and extremely crude humor, you might find it funny… I didn’t. The characters felt exaggerated to the point of incoherence. BJ is portrayed as progressive and anti-toxic masculinity, yet he’s somehow dismissive of racism and Black history. The story doesn’t feel sharp or satirical, just inconsistent and out of touch.

My biggest issue with this film is its framing of social issues. The film seems to treat anti-Black racism as the only injustice worth taking seriously: at the same time, it glibly minimizes misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia, using them as punchlines or brushing them off as generational quirks. Anti-Black racism absolutely deserves focused attention, but centering one form of oppression by trivializing others feels careless and divisive. Joe’s misogynistic and anti-LGBTQ+ remarks are played for laughs, the film excusing his violent rhetoric because of his lived experience. It feels as if the audience is being asked to accept harm toward women and queer communities as collateral damage for a larger lesson. To me, that doesn’t feel bold, it feels irresponsible.

These serious flaws are unfortunate because the premise has real potential. A road trip exploring intergenerational dialogue about Black history could have been meaningful and even funny. I’m in no way opposed to humor being used to explore serious subject matter;  when done thoughtfully, it can make serious topics more accessible. In this case however, the shock value undermines the substance, and the messaging feels muddled at best and harmful at worst.  Some viewers may argue I’m taking a raunchy comedy too seriously, but when a film centers race, history, and generational struggle (while consistently including themes of exploitation and violence against women) it invites serious reflection. For me, this film is frustrating and uncomfortable, rather than funny and insightful.

About author

Alisha Bagshaw

Alisha Bagshaw is completing her BCST in Child and Youth Care Counselling and is working toward a career in psychology and policy advocacy. She enjoys reading, watching movies, and subjecting her husband and friends to in-depth (and usually unsolicited) synopses and thematic analysis.