Review of Madea's Big Happy Family (2011) by Timothy S — 17 Jan 2012

It isn't a secret that I am not a fan of wunderkind-extraordinaire (cough), Tyler Perry, although I've watched all of his movies hoping that he would one day "get the hang of directing" and make something relatively worthwhile.

He did just that with his film -- For Colored Girls -- that immediately preceded Madea's Big Happy Family (and how sad is it that FCG was one of Perry's lowest-grossing films too date [too serious for his target audience I guess]).

Madea's Big Happy Family is a regression; but it is on the same-leveled plateau as ALL of the other Madea-titled films. Perry's problem is that he continues to churn-out the same type of film over-and-over again with familiar situations, similar scenarios and over-the-top characters.

He appears to know what his audience expects and/or wants from his films and so he gives that to them; but this is detrimental to a filmmaker because he isn't stretching or going beyond. Big Happy Family gives us the same, negatively stereotyped characters found in all of his work that presented anywhere else would be met with outrage.

Perry's characters are all one-dimensional -- we have either good and saintly OR bad and wicked OR unimportant and bland. Most of them complain (loudly) that something is wrong while caring NOTHING about the person (family) next to them.

The film carries Madea's (Tyler Perry, himself) name, but she isn't really the central character in this one -- it is more of a ensemble piece for Madea's saintly niece Shirley (Loretta Devine - Crash, "Grey's Anatomy", I Am Sam) and her horde of children that Madea has to set right.

The film gives us one of the WORST, most-awful characters (the hate-filled harpy is played by Teyana Taylor) to grace our screens in 2011 although she is luckily not a member of the family (she's an ex).

The moral message of the pic keeps me from hating the film (Devine's character and arc helps the film); but I am still waiting for Perry to give us something truly important. His love for Precious was highly apparent and I am certain he dreams of giving audiences a prestige picture like that one day; but it isn't going to happen with his vanity attached to every film title he directs.