In the spirit of Black History Month (February 1 –March 1), Tyler Perry’s Joe’s College Road Trip pays homage to the commemorative celebration. It recognises the historic African legacy, culture and contributions of African Americans.
The film adopts an intergenerational parenting context to emphasise the significance of knowing one’s past ancestral history especially within the black younger generation, who are often obsessed with and raised to chase the future alone. Joe’s College Road Trip questions how much is too much and how much is too little for parents to educate their children about their history.
The viewers are introduced to Brian Simmons, who realises how bad he has raised his son, B.J Simmons (Jermaine Harris) by shielding him away from his ancestral history and the real world. It is easy to blame Brian but viewers later learn about Brian’s ‘traumatic’ childhood under his strict father, Joe Simmons.
His decision to raise his own son with a softer hand becomes understandable but it boomerangs. B.J believes black history is absolute poppycock. He thinks black people idolise their slavery story and should let it go already. In an attempt to remedy B.J’s narrow-minded view about Black History and the world, his college road trip becomes a historic tour with his grandfather, Joe. What follows is an intergenerational clash that builds tension, serves lessons, spurs laughter and celebrates Black History.
Tyler Perry’s Joe’s College Road Trip arrives as a historic chapter in the long-running Madea franchise. At the heart of the road trip spectacle, Joe Simmons steps into the lead role for the first time on a cross-country trek with his grandson to visit a prospective college. This leaves Medea and Brian in supporting roles alongside Bethany Anne Lind, Jeremy Gimenez, Millie Jackson, Wil Deusner, Patricia Williams, Deetta West and Ben Swilley.
Deviating from the film’s black history core theme, Joe’s College Road Trip through intergenerational clashes reveal that parenting has no manual. One can never be too sure about the best way to raise a child. If one parent chooses to be overprotective of their child or another chooses to be strict with theirs, it is only a function of what they think is best and personal experiences too.
The conversation between Brian and his father, Joe, and Aunt, Madea reflected this intergenerational difference in approach to parenthood. “You two ruled by fear, okay? I was scared to death by both of you,” Brian remembers his childhood. Madea didn’t see anything wrong with it. “What’s wrong with ruling by fear? I’m still scared of my mama and she’s been dead 92 years,” she said.
Brian later acknowledged that he raised B.J. the way he did because he didn’t want his kids to fear him. His reasons were valid, but he felt regretful, realising that in trying to escape his own ‘traumatic’ childhood, he unintentionally raised a child unaware of his Black identity. So, when his father said “ I’m gonna do it my way” to help B.J learn about his ancestral history and life, Brian had no choice.
In Joe’s College Road Trip Perry playing Joe, Madea and Brian is brilliant but is distracting as the film progresses. The realisation that these are one and the same person leaves viewers trying to piece together how they stand out rather than focus on their performances. Nevertheless, Joe’s crass and cantankerous character is infectious as the lead is the most memorable.
It is not just the way he expresses his dialogue but the attitude that comes with it. Pairing his performance with his hyperintelligent grandson B.J, gave his character range. His pitiless and rude attitude might be overbearing at first but in the end, it teaches B.J lessons about Black history, the hard way, of course. Older generations like Grandpa Joe, who are in their 70s and 80s can not relate with the softness and oblivious nature of B.J’s Gen Z generation. For Joe, it is to go hard, or go home.
Among what stands out in the film is the dialogue—it is witty, raunchy, intentional, hilarious, deep and informative. One dialogue that sits with the audience long after the credits roll is “Every black man wants his child to be better than he was.” It is profound to the struggles and contributions of notable black people who fought against all odds to secure the future that their children enjoy today. The film’s pacing shuffles between fast, slow and intense, capturing the tension of scenes. The fight scene at the bar between Joe and the grey-bearded redneck bikers, demanded the rush and thrill that came with the pacing.
The visuals of Joe’s College Road Trip were immersive, involving both characters and viewers on the hilariously profane journey. Several scenes from the road trip left viewers with a hint of black historical places through Joe’s point of view. This elevated the film’s black history theme beyond simple words, emphasising the idea that “A picture is more than a thousand words.”
Grandpa Joe took B.J across all these black historical places in the film and forced him to take ‘pictures of random no-name places’ as B.J described the experience. Only that he didn’t realise the historical significance of these ‘random places’ until Destiny (Amber Reign) pointed them out to him.
There’s the Money, Mississippi, where Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black kid was killed by racist white men over false accusations. The Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma was also captured, known for the Tulsa race riots. Lastly, The Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King was assassinated is another worthy historical site in Joe’s College Road Trip.
At its core, Joe’s College Road Trip is a decent intergenerational comfort comedy spin-off that impacts, amuses and celebrates Black History. As Destiny (Reign) rightly echoed, “If you don’t know what happened in the past, how are you gonna know, it’s not happening again?”
Release Date: February 13, 2026
Runtime: 1 hour, 38 minutes.
Streaming Platform : Netflix
Director (s): Tyler Perry
Cast (s): Tyler Perry, Amber Reign Smith, Jermaine Harris, Bethany Anne Lind, Jeremy Gimenez, Millie Jackson, Wil Deusner, Patricia Williams, Deetta West and Ben Swilley.