Madea's Big Happy Family (2011)

Shirley (Loretta Devine) gets some bad news from Dr. Evans (Philip Anthony-Rodriguez):  her cancer has returned, and there's not much that can be done to treat it this time.  Shirley, with the help of her Christian faith, accepts the news.  She wants to gather her family to tell them so they can prepare for what's coming.  Unfortunately, her family is so caught up in their own dramas that they haven't noticed that Shirley's not feeling well.  Her upscale daughter Kimberly (Shannon Kane) constantly battles with her husband Calvin (Isaiah Mustafa); her son Byron (Shad "Bow Wow" Moss), an ex-con, is having hard times with his baby's mama, Sabrina (Teyana Taylor) and his current gold digging girlfriend Renee (Lauren Louden); and Tammy (Natalie Desselle Reid), downgrades her husband Harold (Rodney Perry), while allowing their two sons to be disrespectful brats.  Marijuana lovin' Aunt Bam (Cassi Davis) suggests that Madea (Tyler Perry) help Shirley -- who's Madea's niece -- get her family straight. 

There are the usual plot devices found in most of the Madea films: a prodigal son or daughter who has to be shown the right way, family members who need to get secrets out in the open to heal, Cora (Tamela J. Mann) suffering through the foolishness of her dad Mr. Brown (David Mann), plus Madea and Uncle Joe's (both played by Perry) usual putdowns of others.  In fact, the Aunt Bam character is a match for Madea, stealing  most of the scenes she appears in.  But unlike Madea Goes To Jail, this film does a better job of mixing the serious issues with the jokes.  The Christian messages and viewpoint are here, too, but unlike some films that are heavy-handed with that (Fireproof, anyone?), they are gently presented. 

Shad "Bow Wow" Moss is better known as a rapper.  Natalie Desselle Reid appeared in the movie B.A.P.S. (1997) alongside Halle Berry.  Isaiah Mustafa appeared as the shirtless guy in a series of popular commercials for Old Spice.  The Manns and Cassi Davis are veterans of Mr. Perry's stage plays.  Rodney Perry is Monique's sidekick on her nightly talk show.  Daytime talk show host Maury Povich has a cameo.

Why Did I Get Married Too (2010)

The couples are back to go on their annual marriage retreat -- this time in the beautiful Bahamas -- and as usual, all is not well.  Marcus (Michael Jai White) who's now a sportscaster, and outspoken Angela (Tasha Smith) are still constantly arguing over trust and control issues.  Terry (Tyler Perry) has his suspicions about his attorney wife, Dianne (Sharon Leal).  Patricia (Janet Jackson) and Gavin (Malik Yoba) are experiencing tensions.  Troy (Lamman Rucker), who married Sheila (Jill Scott) in the last movie, is down because he's out of work.  Adding further drama to the mix is the re-appearance of Mike (Richard T. Jones), Sheila's ex-husband, who's making noises about missing her. 

It's very similar to the first film, with Angela and Marcus providing a lot of the comic relief, while the others follow the dramatic track.  Lou Gossett Jr. and Cicely Tyson have small roles as a long married couple who school the younger couples in how love works.  As promised in the trailer, one of the couples does not does not make it.  But unfortunately, the couples' relationships aren't dug into very deep.  I left after the credits wanting a better ending, which felt like it was rushed.  An actor, who is not credited, appears in the movie near the end.  I won't give away his identity, other than to say that most of the women in the theater audience screamed in delight when he appeared on the screen. 

Mr. Rucker appears on a Tyler Perry TV sitcom entitled, "Meet The Browns".  Mr. White has also appeared in numerous action movies, including Undisputed II:  Last Man Standing (2006). Roger Lodge, who used to host the dating reality show "Blind Date" (1998-2005), appears here as a nosy colleague of Marcus'.

Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself (2009)

I haven't seen the play version of this story in awhile, but I believe the theater production is vastly different from the movie version.  Mr. Perry also made changes to his plays "Diary of a Mad Black Woman", "Madea Goes To Jail", "Madea's Family Reunion", and "Why Did I Get Married?" before they went to the screen.

In this version, April (Taraji P. Henson) is a boozy nightclub singer in a dead-end relationship with a married man/sugar daddy (Brian J. White).  Her late sister's kids -- Jennifer (Hope Olaide Wilson), Manny (Kwesi Boakye), and Byron (Frederick Siglar) -- break into Madea's (Tyler Perry) house.  The old woman catches them, and she forces April to take responsibility for them.  All April wants to do is send them packing back to their grandmother.  In addition to her niece and nephews, April opens her house to Sandino (Adam Rodriguez), an immigrant who becomes a handyman at a church run by Pastor Brian (Marvin Winans).  When an unexpected tragedy strikes, the people around April, including family friend Wilma (Gladys Knight) and co-worker Tanya (Mary J. Blige), attempt to get April to take a hard look at her life. 

Madea, along with her pot-smoking brother Joe (also played by Perry), serve as observers who appear from time to time to offer up comic relief.  The other characters are responsible for providing the drama.  This is better than Tyler's last effort, the scatter-shot "Madea Goes To Jail".  However, the plot points are predictable, except for a revelation from April that seems to come out of nowhere during the last act.  The reveal is plausible, but there were no clear hints leading up to it.  Perry continues to rely on the old "all a downtrodden woman needs is a good man" storyline, which is a constant theme throughout his works.

The musical performances are good.  Although I was a little miffed that audience members in the showing I went to applauded Mary J. Blige's singing, but were quiet about Marvin Winans and Gladys Knight's performances. I chalked that up to a younger audience who is more familiar with Ms. Blige's chart-topping hip-hop soul hits than with music legends Mr. Winans (who is a pastor in real life) and Ms. Knight. 

Ms. Henson is an Oscar-nominated actress, for her role in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (2009).  Marvin Winans is part of the gospel-singing Winans family, which includes his siblings, BeBe and CeCe.  This is the first film he's appeared in.  Ms. Knight not only is a Motown singing legend, but she has acting credits including a sitcom "Charlie and Co." (1985-1986).  Mr. White was a detective on the cable series "The Shield" (2003-2008).

Madea Goes To Jail (2009)

Tyler Perry presents another mix of Christianity, comedy and drama in his latest film to feature the pistol-toting senior citizen, Mabel "Madea" Simmons (played by Perry). Madea is able to avoid the lockup for a crime she did in Meet The Browns (2008). She does get sent up for an incident involving a car, but that doesn't happen until almost the middle of the story. The plot is different from the stage version of this story.

The story mainly focuses on Joshua (Derek Luke), a young attorney engaged to a high achiever named Linda (Ion Overman), who's also an attorney. While in court, Joshua is reunited with an old friend named Candace (Keisha Knight Pulliam) who has become a hooker. As Joshua becomes more determined to help his friend get off the streets, the more irritated Linda becomes.

Unfortunately, the two plots don't mesh well together. It's almost as if two different movies are going on. The cuts between Madea's broad comedy plot and Candace's serious troubles are jarring and abrupt. Madea and Candace don't cross each others' paths until late in the game. There is too long of a tease to explain the tragic event that connects Joshua and Candace. Also, Ms. Pulliam has grown up to be a very pretty young woman (she was Rudy, the youngest Huxtable kid on "The Cosby Show", 1984-1992). However, she seemed a little too polished to portray her down-and-out character.

David and Tamela J. Mann reprise their roles as Mr. Brown and Cora. Perry also plays two other roles in the movie: Brian, Madea's nephew and Joe, Madea's weed-smoking brother. Sofia Veraga, who was in Meet The Browns, plays one of Madea's cellmates. There are various cameos, including judges Mablean Ephraim and Greg Mathis, the women of "The View", and comedian/DJ/author Steve Harvey. One of the funnier moments involves Madea verbally sparring with Dr. Phil.

Meet The Browns (2008)

Brenda (Angela Bassett), a single mom in Chicago, has her share of problems. Right at the beginning of the film, she loses her low-paying job in a plant due to the place suddenly going out of business. She doesn't have money to pay the gruff babysitter (Irma P. Hall), who watches her youngest daughter. The father (Philip Edward Van Lear) of her son will not lift a finger to help her, and resents her asking him for anything. Then Brenda receives a letter that her dad, whom she never knew, has died. She never knew his side of the family, either. After much going back and forth, she decides to go to Georgia to attend his funeral. No sooner than she gets off the bus with her three kids, she is greeted by Leroy Brown (David Mann) in all his loud-color glory. She meets Brown's other family members including his daughter Cora (Tamela Mann), and his older brother L.B. (Frankie Faison). All seem to welcome her except for Brown's sister, Vera (Jenifer Lewis), who has something smart to say about everything. There is confusion about why Brenda was invited to the funeral, until the bomb is dropped that she is the daughter of the deceased. L.B. was the person who wrote Brenda the letter. If you've seen Tyler Perry's stage play in person or on DVD, you will recognize that several plot points were changed. In the stage version, it was Cora who "meets the Browns" for the first time after she learns her grandfather (Leroy's dad) has passed on. It was revealed in an earlier play, Madea's Class Reunion, that Leroy was Cora's dad, the result of one-night stand between Leroy and Madea. I can't say that all of the changes were effective. Overall, this is a pleasant time-waster, but not on the level of Perry's earlier efforts. You know how things are going to turn out for Brenda early on, especially when she meets Harry (Rick Fox), a former basketball star who believes her son Michael (Lance Gross) has talent to make it in the pros. David Mann, who originated the part of Leroy Brown onstage, is funny, but his character is somewhat muted in favor of the Brenda character. I wish Vera had more screen time because she stole just about every one she was in. Madea, Perry's most famous character, makes a brief appearance along with her brother Joe (also played by Perry). The scene was amusing, but did nothing to further the plot along. Angela Bassett is an Oscar-nominated actress who has appeared in What's Love Got To Do With It (1993) and Waiting To Exhale (1995). Jenifer Lewis also appeared in What's Love Got To Do With It, and she sings as well. Lance Gross has a role on Perry's cable sitcom, "Meet The Paynes". Rick Fox was a pro basketball player in real life. He played for the Boston Celtics and later the LA Lakers. Margaret Avery (who plays L.B.'s wife) was nominated for an Oscar for her role in The Color Purple (1985). Frankie Faison was in the TV series "True Colors" (1990-1991).

Why Did I Get Married? (2007)

Although not as preachy as Tyler Perry's previous films and plays tend to be, this film still gives out the usual good messages. Four African-American couples (Perry, Sharon Leal, Malik Yoba, Janet Jackson, Michael Jai White, Tasha Smith, Richard T. Jones, Jill Scott) have their annual vacation, and a Colorado house is chosen as the spot. Patricia (Jackson), a prominent professor and author, organizes the time as sort of a marriage encounter group.

Mike (Jones), starts off the vacation wrong. His zaftig wife Sheila, (Scott) is asked to leave the plane they are on because she is too fat. He does not defend her from this humiliation. Instead, he tells her to drive to Colorado. Sitting next to him is Trina (Denise Boutte), who is secretly his mistress. Mike ain't about to leave Trina alone on the flight. When he shows up in Colorado with Trina, and displays no concern for her safety, the other wives are instantly suspicious.

Other secrets are going on: Marcus (White) has contracted VD from an affair, and is scared to tell his loud, tell-it-like-it-is wife Angela (Smith). Terry (Perry) hasn't had relations with his wife Diane (Leal) for a long time, because she is too busy. Truth is, she doesn't want another child. And the seemingly perfect couple (Jackson, Yoba) have yet to deal with the loss of their child. Things blow up during a dinner, and the couples are forced into dealing with their issues.

The movie is very amusing in the beginning, and the dinner scene where everything comes to a head is very funny. The movie bogs down a little after that when the couples deal with the fallout. Jill Scott, who is a singer, is very good here, and she makes you want to root for her character. Richard T. Jones (The Wood) plays a character that all the women in the theater where I saw this movie hated from the first time he came on the screen. You spend your time wishing that he'll eventually get his. Janet Jackson (Poetic Justice, "Good Times") gets more praise for her singing than her acting. There were times, especially during a heavy emotional scene, that I couldn't quite believe her lines, but she's not horrible in this. The scene stealer is Tasha Smith, whose character says exactly what she wants, and doesn't give a damn who doesn't like it. Also, Lamman Rucker, who plays a sheriff who comes to Scott's rescue, has some nice scenes.

Madea Goes To Jail (2005)

Feisty, outspoken Mabel Simmons, or Madea (Tyler Perry) as she's better known as, is up to her hi-jinks again in this DVD version of the stage play. Actually, she doesn't stay in jail long, and that portion -- she's picked up for not paying the tab at a gas station -- takes place early in the show. It's long enough for Madea to meet two women, one in jail for protecting her daughter from her dad, a pimp, and the second, locked up for various offenses.

More drama is going on at Madea's home, where her grandson, a guard at the jail, and his wife are staying temporarily until the wife gets her masters' degree. The grandson is working double shifts to pay for his wife's college education, but she is not appreciative. Plus, she's cheating on him with his boss. Madea also has to dole out tough love to the daughter of the first prisoner she met while in the lockup. Madea agreed to be a foster parent to the smart-attitude teenager.

As usual with the Madea plays, there is a strong Christian message, lots of gospel music, tributes to old school R&B, plenty of humor and heavy doses of common sense wisdom. Perry doesn't mind breaking character at certain points, and the cast has plenty of moments where they are trying hard not to break out laughing. If you've seen the movie version of Madea's Family Reunion, you will notice a few of the plot points in this play were used in that film. LaVan Davis and Cassi Davis, who appeared on Perry's TV sitcom "House of Payne" (2006) are featured in the cast.

Madea's Family Reunion (2006)

The film is somewhat different than the popular stage play. The granddaughter engaged to a well-to-do man who beat her is still there, but the plot about another granddaughter with a drug problem is gone. Also, the story about the granddaughter trying to salvage her troubled marriage to an ex-con is missing. Added is a granddaughter who is being wooed by a bus driver, and a mouthy foster kid whom Madea is forced to take in.

There is a lot of sermonizing in the movie. In addition to advice Madea gives out to family members, Cicely Tyson and Maya Angelou have scenes where they have speeches about love and respect. The story is heavy-handed, but amusing in spots. A scene where Madea slaps around a bully who's messing with her foster daughter is a crowd pleaser. Blair Underwood proves that he can play a good bad guy, as the odious fiance of one of the granddaughters. Lynn Whitfield also has good scenes as a calculating witch of a mother. Tyler Perry, the star, director, and writer of the film, has three roles as outspoken Madea, outspoken Uncle Joe, and a lawyer who's a nephew of Madea.

Ms. Tyson is a respected actress with numerous appearances on TV and in film, including the excellent made-for-TV- film, "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman". Ms. Angelou is an well-known author and speaker. Mr. Underwood had been a cast member on TV's "L.A. Law", and appeared as Jada Pinkett Smith's love interest in the movie Set It Off.

Madea's Family Reunion (2005)

The first time I saw this stage play was on a tape I borrowed from one of my aunts. I had heard about the character of Madea, but had no idea how outrageous she was until I saw this and a previous tape entitled I Can Do Bad All By Myself. Madea was more of a supporting player in that one, but in Madea's Family Reunion, she takes center court. I had to buy the official DVD.

Madea, as played by actor/playwright/director Tyler Perry, is a senior citizen who says exactly what's on her mind and carries a gun in her purse. She is part of a large extended family, including her next door neighbors, the Browns. When the story opens, the family is returning from the funeral of Madea's sister, a woman whom she obviously had no use for. One of her daughters admonishes her for causing a commotion during the service with her remarks. When the pastor stops by, Madea has no respect, as she continues to make snide remarks about the service. The funeral behind them, Madea's daughters turn their mind to preparing for the wedding of one of Madea's granddaughters.

Madea's granddaughter is marrying a guy who is financially successful, but her heart still belongs to another guy who makes a living as Madea observes, "a country mechanic." He is aware she has feelings for him, because he still has feelings for her. The mechanic is upset when he finds out about the upcoming nuptials, and tells her that they are not over.

The bride's sister is a drug addict with a baby, whom she constantly leaves on Madea and her mother to take care of. Another granddaughter is married to a former criminal who has had a hard time finding a job for the past two years. Things get hot when the drug addict claims her cousin's husband has made a pass at her. It is also discovered that the future bride's fiancee has a bad temper--and he likes to use his hands on his future wife. In the middle of the messes, Madea puts her two cents in.

This show has a strong Christian bent, and the songs sung by some of the characters reflect this. That's not to say there isn't some sexual innuendo, as well as some harsh subjects presented, such as domestic abuse and child molestation.

One of my favorite scenes is when the drug addicted granddaughter totally goes off on everybody. She makes the mistake of telling her grandmother that she "looks like a bag of Skittles." Madea quietly goes into the house while family and friends hide in the backyard. The granddaughter unwisely chooses to stand her ground and mouth off. Madea rushes back out of the house snapping, "Taste the rainbow!" and fires off her gun several times at her granddaugher, who runs like hell was behind her.