Photo courtesy of Lionsgate Films
Tyler Perry and Keke Palmer in Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion.
As might be expected, producing a movie that caters to a specific culture or ethnic group is a risk. Granted, most will argue (and some will complain) that the majority of mainstream movies are geared towards white, middle-class men and women. However, to break this unspoken norm, some movies are produced which go against the grain and target a minority audience.
Case in point: Madea’s Family Reunion, the sophomore effort of the talented Tyler Perry is the colorful story of a family who has lost its foundation and is trying, with the help of Grandmother Madea, to find their vision again. Madea is the follow-up to Perry’s first big screen production of Diary of a Mad Black Woman. If it sounds like a reheated Oprah show, you’re not far from the truth.
Madea, played by Tyler Perry in a rather convincing costume and makeup overhaul, is the matriarch of a family who has branched off in many different directions. Granddaughters who are in abusive relationships, new foster children who need love and teaching people to stand up for themselves are just a few of the problems her family faces. The movie progresses by alternating between several different interlocking sides of the story, each with it’s own share of drama.
Although entrenched with serious topics, the movie fluctuates between forced situational comedy and overly dramatic moments. The humor was not something that flowed naturally, at least for an onscreen production. However, when one considers that Tyler Perry’s Madea was originally a stage production, it is easy to understand how the comedy may have gotten lost in translation.
For me, the hardest part of seeing this movie was equating the background of the characters with their personal appearance and lifestyle. For instance, the movie begins with three beautiful, well-dressed women taking off for the day to the spa for massages, pool-side waiting and a general day of relaxation. We later find out that one is the fiancee of an abusive man, another the victim of childhood rape from her stepfather and the mother of two children whose fathers are either drug addicts or imprisoned. Of course, no one lives the perfect life, but obviously the lifestyles they are assuming don’t exactly match up with their current financial circumstances. It seems that Perry tries to repackage typical issues. My advice for the moviegoer is to take it with a grain of salt and if you can overlook the underdevelopment of the characters’ background, then maybe you can salvage more than potato salad from this reunion.