Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion Review
Posted by Bryan Kristopowitz on 03.01.2006
Tyler Perry presents, a Tyler Perry production of a Tyler Perry film, Tyler Perry in "Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion," starring Tyler Perry, Tyler Perry, and Tyler Perry. Directed by Tyler Perry.
"Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion" Review
Tyler Perry- Mable "Madea" Simmons/Joe/Brian
Lynn Whitfield- Victoria
Rochelle Aytes- Lisa
Lisa Arrindell Anderson- Vanessa
Blair Underwood- Carlos
Boris Kodjoe- Frankie
Keke Palmer- Nikki
Cicely Tyson- Aunt Myrtle
Maya Angelou- May
Jenifer Lewis- Wedding Planner
Directed by Tyler Perry
Screenplay by Tyler Perry, based on his plays
Distributed by Lionsgate
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, domestic violence, sex and drug references
Runtime- 107 minutes
Website: http://www.madeasfamilyreunionmovie.com/
In 2005, a little known (to the general movie going public, that is), little reviewed and hardly advertised flick called "Diary of A Mad Black Woman" exploded onto the box office charts, collecting twenty plus million dollars its opening weekend. It took dang near everyone by surprise. However, that flick's principal star (acting, writing, acting, producing, and acting, perhaps a little catering) Tyler Perry, pretty much knew ahead of time that a vast and dedicated audience was out there waiting for his vision (apparently Perry is quite the playwright, and he's been staging plays for predominantly African American audiences featuring the same characters he would later put in his movies). And so, with his newfound success, Perry immediately started putting together a second movie featuring the tart tongued tough love Mable "Madea" Simmons and her family, this second flick, "Madea's Family Reunion," is both a hysterical comedy and an unsettling creepfest about abused women and how that physical and mental violence controls everyone in its wake. The story switches among the straight up laugh sections with Perry's Madea and husband Joe and the people who interact with them, the courting of single mother Vanessa (Lisa Arrindell Anderson) by single father/artist/bus driver Frankie (Boris Kodjoe) and the brutal relationship of Lisa (Rochelle Aytes) and her rich fiancé Carlos (Blair Underwood in one of the greatest modern violent scumbag piece of crap roles since William H. Macy in David Mamet's "Spartan." Heck, has Blair ever been a villain of this magnitude? Has he ever been a villain?). The movie makes you gasp, laugh, cringe, laugh again, sit in awe of Maya Angelou (yes, the Maya freaking Angelou), and then laugh some more.
The movie starts out with a series of overhead shots of the city of Atlanta spliced with fluttering pink flower petals. We eventually travel into Lisa's bed where there is a pile of petals at the foot of the bed. Lisa wakes up and walks around the apartment. Is this a dream? There's a misty sort of ambiance about what's going on. She walks into the bathroom where Carlos is waiting for her with a steaming mineral bath and a harp band. He tells her to be calm and that the bath is for "the soreness." You not really sure what that means exactly (heck, it could be some kind of odd cancer treatment for all we know). The scene then shifts again to a day spa where Lisa is with her sister Vanessa. We find out that what's going on is a bachelorette party of sorts. So they talk and head back to Lisa's place to chat and drink and usher in a long haired muscle cop stripper. Everyone is having fun except Lisa. Why? Carlos comes home. He's annoyed but we're not sure about what. He goes into the next room, letting the gals have the rest of their party. Lisa gets Vanessa and the stripper out of the apartment. Lisa closes the door. Carlos is there. Wham! Hand to the face. Menacing dialogue. Carlos, Blair is a freaking piece of crap. Lisa should "stop embarrassing" Carlos and "stop making him mad." The story then shifts over to the title character, Madea (played by Perry. He also does Joe and their son Brian. The man is a one man Monty Python) in court, dealing with her apparent probation violations (this reviewer hasn't seen the first "Madea" flick, so this probation court thing may have some connection to what happened in part one). As soon as Madea hits the screen it's "fun" time. She has quite the back and forth with the judge, which ends with Madea making a deal with the court: she takes in a foster kid, Nikki (Keke Palmer), gets her to turn around in school, and Madea's probation problems will disappear. These two segments set up how "all over the place" the movie is. It's a brave thing for Perry to start his story out with a vicious abuser storyline, since what's advertised is a raucous comedy. It's just not expected. And then again, this isn't "Big Momma's House," either.
Lynn Whitfield plays Victoria, Lisa and Vanessa's mother. You expect that since she's a mother that she would be protective of her daughters, especially when Lisa tells her that Carlos beats her. Instead of "taking Lisa's side" she tells her daughter to listen to Carlos and stop "doing what makes him mad." She adds such pathos to the Lisa storyline that eventually works its way into her other daughter's storyline (Vanessa) it's a wonder that no one beat the crap out of her for letting other people beat the crap out of her kids. Her performance is so engaging yet you feel so little sympathy for her, even when you finally find out why she is the way she is. This is another great risk by Perry (and probably Whitfield, too. This could be a career defining role in that once you see her as Victoria you'll never be able to see her as anyone else) because, on the outside, she's so likable (she's a hot older babe. Joe, in his old curmudgeon way, proclaims that he likes watching her walk away. Exactly). And it's a wonder that she doesn't fall for Carlos herself (you'll see how much she wants him and wonder yourself). Whitfield is also a great antagonist to Madea since they believe in very different things. Madea likes to "talk smack" and then smack people. She does beat her foster child Nikki with a leather belt after lying about not going to school, but for some reason we all like her (that's one of the questions you have after watching the flick. Hitting people is bad. It's not nice, it ruins people, etc. That's a main message of the flick. So why is it so endearing when the big old woman punches someone in the face and it isn't endearing when Carlos does it? It's obvious why, but then again you start to wonder how selective beating people should be. There's a master's thesis right there).
Vanessa's courtship storyline is the sweetest bit of the flick. Frankie is such a nice guy, so polite and gentlemanly (he doesn't bat an eye in the presence of Joe's smoking flatulence). He actually wants to date Vanessa knowing that she has two kids (a funny running gag throughout the flick. "Don't do it. She's got two kids"). A whole movie could have been made just out of this storyline (it's been done before. This reviewer can't remember what movie did it previously, but dammit he knows something did) but it's played out in little snippets and what we see is beautifully done. This is Perry's first movie directing job, and it's amazing that he's able to keep the story moving the way it does. It has to be seen to be savored.
And then there's Maya Angelou. She hangs out with Cicely Tyson (Aunt Myrtle) and a 98 year old woman (Aunt Ruby), the person the eventual family reunion honors. Maya is there to add "legitimacy" and, well, she's Maya Angelou, poet laureate. Tyson gives a rising speech at the reunion for her various family members to "respect themselves" and to start "living up to their potential" (the whole Bill Cosby "the lower classes are not holding up their end of the deal" sermon, told with much more authority. Come on, who would you listen to, Cicely Tyson or Bill Cosby?). This bit is a sermon, it does stop the story for a few moments, but it doesn't annoy. Another plus for Perry's direction.
There will (not probably, will) be more "Madea" movies. Perry supposedly got a seven movie deal from Lionsgate to complete the Madea saga. This reviewer will definitely check them out when they arrive in theatres, and will definitely hunt down "Diary of A Mad Black Woman" to see how the whole Madea thing started on the big screen. Go ahead and give it a shot, people. You'll laugh. You'll like it. You will.
Definitely go see it.
The 411: “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion” is a great serious drama comedy that somehow manages to straddle that line between the drama and comedy and make it work. Tyler Perry is a gifted comedian and a decent director who should have a big future in movies, Madea flicks and anything else he wants to do. Heck, is there a television series in the works? Could be. It’d work. And Blair Underwood, my God. Scumbag of the year. Has to be seen to be believed.
