Madea's Big Happy Family (film)

Last updated
Madea's Big Happy Family
Madea's Big Happy Family Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Tyler Perry
Written byTyler Perry
Based on Madea's Big Happy Family
by Tyler Perry
Produced byTyler Perry
Reuben Cannon
Roger M. Bobb
Starring
Cinematography Toyomichi Kurita
Edited by Maysie Hoy
Music by Aaron Zigman
Production
company
Distributed by Lionsgate
Release date
  • April 22, 2011 (2011-04-22)
Running time
106 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million [1]
Box office$54.2 million [2]

Madea's Big Happy Family is a 2011 American comedy-drama film based on Tyler Perry's 2010 play of the same name. It is the 11th film in the Tyler Perry film franchise and the sixth in the Madea cinematic universe. Tyler Perry reprised Madea and Joe, and the other cast members include Loretta Devine, Bow Wow, David Mann, Cassi Davis, Tamela Mann, Lauren London, Isaiah Mustafa, Natalie Desselle, Rodney Perry, and Shannon Kane. It tells the story of Madea finding out that her niece is dying from cancer. Madea gathers her niece's children and their family members together to deal with the news while contending with the different issues between them.

Contents

Madea's Big Happy Family received generally mixed reviews from critics, but it was a box office success, grossing $54.2 million worldwide against a $25 million budget. [3]

Plot

While visiting Dr. Evans with Aunt Bam, Madea's niece, Shirley, discovers her cancer has gotten worse and she may only have a few weeks to live. She invites her children to dinner to tell them all at once. Cora Simmons and her father Leroy Brown are also at the hospital where a colonoscopy on Mr. Brown shows a growth that needs to be surgically removed. Meanwhile, Madea drives through Snax, a restaurant, because Sabrina, its young manager, delayed taking her order until after breakfast was over for the day.

Shirley's children are Byron, on probation for selling drugs and in a relationship with selfish, gold-digging Renee with a son from a previous relationship; Tammy, who has marital issues with her husband Harold and their undisciplined children; and Kimberly, filled with anger issues and mistreats her husband Calvin, her son C.J. and her family. They arrive for dinner and instantly start arguing. Byron's ex and mother of his child, Sabrina, then arrives. Using her son's child support money and supplies for herself, she tries to goad Byron back into illegal activities in order to get more.

Bam goes to Madea's house, seeking help for Shirley. Byron and Renee sneak into Shirley's house to sleep and Byron is arrested for back child support. Shirley goes to Kimberly to help her bail Byron out; despite Kimberly's refusal, Calvin volunteers to help. The next day, Calvin bails out Byron. However, the arrest costs Byron his job. During the day, Madea gathers Shirley's children to go over to their mother's house for another dinner. At Harold's garage, she instills some manners into their kids.

That night, they have dinner as a family. Sabrina leaves her son with Byron and Kimberly arrives late. An argument ensues, with Tammy revealing that Kimberly got pregnant at 13 and had Shirley raise the child for her. Kimberly leaves, and Byron is revealed to be the child in question; angry and heartbroken that his family kept this a secret from him, he leaves as well with Shirley chasing after him. An argument between Harold and Tammy concludes with him demanding that Tammy start respecting him as earlier advised by Madea, and she apologizes. Afterward, Byron is humiliated by Sabrina on Maury and returns to the drug trade, while Calvin leaves Kimberly and takes C.J. with him. By contrast, Harold and Tammy's relationship and their kids seem to be improving. With all the drama and arguing going on, Shirley is unable to tell the family about her cancer.

Over time, Shirley's condition worsens, and she is rushed to the hospital, where she reveals to her children (sans an absent Kimberly) that she has cancer, tells her family that she loves them and later dies. Kimberly arrives and is told by Calvin that Shirley has died.

Days later, a funeral service is held, and Shirley is buried. At the wake, Madea intimidates Sabrina to stop hassling Byron, abusing his hard-earned money, and using their child to make his life miserable. She then confronts Byron that he should care for his son by getting a stable job, warning him if he continues down the wrong path, he will end up dead or back in prison, and that once he goes down, Renee will just move on to the next man with the most money. She also tells Sabrina and Byron to settle their differences and start working together on raising their child. Madea also reveals that Kimberly was raped by her paternal uncle when she was 12, resulting in her having Byron at 13, and explaining her bitterness and anger towards her family. Kimberly has to forgive in order to find peace and to treat her husband and son better. She apologizes to Calvin, agreeing to get help to fix their marriage, and they reconcile. Taking Madea's words to heart, Byron decides to prioritize his son and breaks up with Renee.

Madea, Mr. Brown and Cora appear on Maury to find out if Mr. Brown is Cora's father. Madea insists so, but, following an argument, it turns out he is not. Madea departs in hysterics with Joe at home, watching it unfold on TV.

Cast

Release

Box office

Madea's Big Happy Family was released on April 22, 2011. It pulled in $25,068,677 on its opening weekend, ranking #2 at the box office behind Rio . [4] By the end of its run, the $25 million [1] film grossed $53,345,287 in the United States. [2]

Critical reception

The film has received mixed reviews from critics. Based on 42 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 38% with an average rating of 4.60/10. [3] Metacritic gave the film an average rating of 45 based on 15 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [5] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an A grade. [6]

Home media

Madea's Big Happy Family was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 30, 2011. The DVD features four featurettes: "By-reen: The Baby Mama from Hell", "Ties That Bind", "Madea's Family Tree", and "Brown Calls Maury". [7] The Blu-ray contains these features as well as a digital copy. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madea</span> Fictional character created and portrayed by Tyler Perry

Mabel "Madea" Earlene Simmons is a character created and portrayed by Tyler Perry. She is portrayed as a tough, street-smart elderly African-American woman.

Madea's Class Reunion is an 2003 American stage play created, written, produced and directed by Tyler Perry. The live performance released on VHS and DVD on October 2, 2003 was recorded live in Detroit at the Fox Theatre on September 13, 2003. The play stars Tyler Perry as Madea and Dr. Willie Leroy Jones, David Mann as Leroy Brown and Tamela Mann as Cora.

Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All by Myself is a 1999 American stage play written, directed, and produced by and starring Tyler Perry. The play marks the first official appearance of the well-known fictional character Madea, whom Perry portrays. Although the original production was not recorded, the live performance released on DVD and VHS was recorded in Washington, D.C., at the Lincoln Theatre in August 2002.

Meet the Browns is an 2004 American stage play written, produced and directed by Tyler Perry. It stars David & Tamela Mann as Mr. Brown & Cora, as they head off to see Brown's side of the family. The play is a spin off of 2003's Madea's Class Reunion, where it's revealed at the ending that Brown is Cora's long-lost father. The live performance released on VHS and DVD on October 27, 2004 was recorded live in Cleveland at the Palace Theatre in October 2004.

<i>Tyler Perrys House of Payne</i> American sitcom

Tyler Perry's House of Payne, also known as simply House of Payne, is an American sitcom television series created and produced by Tyler Perry that premiered in syndication on June 21, 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamela Mann</span> American gospel singer and actress

Tamela Jean Mann is an American gospel singer and actress. She began her career as a singer with the gospel group Kirk Franklin and the Family. Mann was a primary vocalist on several tracks while with Franklin's group, including "Now Behold the Lamb", and "Lean on Me", the latter of which also included Mary J. Blige, Crystal Lewis, and Bono. She began her solo career by releasing the albums Gotta Keep Movin (2005), and The Master Plan (2009).

What's Done in the Dark (Will Come to the Light) is an 2007 American stage play written, directed and produced by Tyler Perry. The show first opened in September 2006. The play focuses on two nurses, one of whom is a single mother and the other of whom is having an affair with a doctor, and an eccentric hypochondriac patient, Mr. Brown. It stars Tamela Mann as Cora and David Mann as Mr. Brown. The live performance released on DVD on February 12, 2008 was taped in Charlotte at the Ovens Auditorium in May 2007.

<i>Meet the Browns</i> (film) 2008 American romance film

Meet the Browns is a 2008 American romantic comedy-drama film released by Lionsgate on March 21, 2008. The film was based on the play of the same name by Tyler Perry and is the third film in the Madea cinematic universe. It was written and directed by Tyler Perry with Ruben Cannon helping with the writing, and starring Angela Bassett, Rick Fox, Margaret Avery, Frankie Faison, Jenifer Lewis, Lance Gross, Sofía Vergara, Lamman Rucker, Tamela Mann, Tyler Perry, and introducing David Mann in his film debut as Leroy Brown. The film tells the story of a struggling single mother from Chicago who takes her children to Georgia to attend her long-lost father's funeral and meets the relatives she didn't know she had.

<i>Madea Goes to Jail</i> 2009 parodic comedy drama directed by Tyler Perry

Madea Goes to Jail is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tyler Perry, which was based on his 2006 play, and starring Perry, Derek Luke, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Ion Overman, RonReaco Lee, Sofía Vergara, Vanessa Ferlito, and Viola Davis. The film tells the story of Madea going to prison for her uncontrollable anger management problems as she befriends a young incarcerated prostitute that an assistant district attorney knows since college. The film was released on February 20, 2009. It is the fourth film in the Madea cinematic universe as it follows up from the cameo appearance of Madea in the previous film Meet the Browns and it features Cora and Mr. Brown from that film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassi Davis</span> American actress (born 1964)

Cassandra Davis-Patton is an American actress best known for her role as Ella Payne on Tyler Perry's House of Payne and its spin-off series The Paynes. She is also known as Aunt Bam in the Madea franchise since 2010. She has starred in several other productions under the direction of Tyler Perry.

<i>Meet the Browns</i> (TV series) American sitcom

Meet the Browns is an American sitcom created and produced by Tyler Perry. The Initial story of the show revolves around Mr. Brown running a senior citizen's home in Decatur, Georgia, with his daughter Cora Simmons. However, as the show progresses, this idea is gradually phased out and it becomes a typical family sitcom about a multigenerational clan living under one roof. The show premiered on Wednesday, January 7, 2009, and finished its run on November 18, 2011 on TBS.

Madea's Family Reunion is an 2002 American stage play written, directed and produced by Tyler Perry. It stars Tyler Perry as Madea, D'Atra Hicks as Jackie, David Mann as Mr. Brown, and Tamela Mann as Cora. The live performance released on VHS and DVD was recorded live in New Orleans at the Saenger Theatre in January 2002.

Madea's Big Happy Family is a 2010 American stage play created, produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry. It stars Tyler Perry as Mabel "Madea" Simmons and Cassi Davis as Aunt Bam. The play also marks the debut appearance of Aunt Bam played by Davis. Perry began writing the show after the death of his mother Willie Maxine Perry on December 8, 2009. The main character of Shirley is based on her. The live performance released on DVD on November 23, 2010 was recorded live in Atlanta at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in July 2010.

A Madea Christmas is a 2011 American stage play created, produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry. It stars Tyler Perry as Mabel "Madea" Simmons and Cassi Davis as Aunt Bam. The play also marks the debut appearance of Hattie Mae Love, played by Patrice Lovely. The live performance released on DVD on November 22, 2011 was recorded live in Atlanta at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on May 2011. This was Perry's first production that wasn't available on tour and had only 2 premiere performances.

<i>Madeas Tough Love</i> 2015 American film

Tyler Perry's Madea's Tough Love is a 2015 American live action-animated comedy film directed by Frank Marino, written by Matt Fleckenstein and Benjamin Gluck produced by Tyler Perry, Matt Moore, and Ozzie Areu, and starring the voices of Perry, Cassi Davis, Rolonda Watts, Avery Kidd Waddell, Philip Anthony-Rodriguez, Georg Stanford Brown, Kevin Michael Richardson, Mari Williams, Indigo, Caitlyn Taylor Love, Maya Kay, Kate Higgins, and Bootsy Collins. The film tells the story of Madea being sentenced to community service at a youth center as she comes across a devious plot to destroy it. It was released on January 20, 2015. While the film is mainly animated and serves as Tyler Perry Studios' first live action-animated film, the beginning and ending scenes however are live-action like the other Madea films.

<i>Boo! A Madea Halloween</i> 2016 American film

Boo! A Madea Halloween is a 2016 American comedy horror film directed, written, starring and co-produced by Tyler Perry. The idea for the film originated from a fictitious Madea Halloween movie that was mentioned in Chris Rock's 2014 film Top Five. It is the eighth film in the Madea series and the second to not be adapted from a stage play as it tells the story of Madea being enlisted by her nephew Brian to watch over his daughter Tiffany as she deals with different horrors and a frat party around the corner. The film was released on October 21, 2016, by Lionsgate and, despite receiving generally negative reviews, grossed $74.8 million against a $20 million budget, making it the third-highest-grossing Madea film.

<i>Boo 2! A Madea Halloween</i> 2017 film by Tyler Perry

Boo 2! A Madea Halloween is a 2017 American comedy horror film written, produced, directed by and starring Tyler Perry and also starring Cassi Davis, Patrice Lovely, Yousef Erakat, Diamond White, Lexy Panterra, Andre Hall, Brock O'Hurn, and Tito Ortiz. It is the tenth film in the Madea cinematic universe, the sequel to Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016), and the third Madea film not adapted from a stage play as it tells the story of Madea going to retrieve a now 18-year-old Tiffany from a lake that is said to be stalked by a serial killer. The film was released on October 20, 2017, by Lionsgate, received negative reviews from critics and grossed $48 million. At the 38th Golden Raspberry Awards the film received three nominations: Worst Actress, Worst Screen Combo and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel.

<i>A Madea Family Funeral</i> 2019 American comedy film directed by Tyler Perry

A Madea Family Funeral is a 2019 American comedy film written, directed, and produced by Tyler Perry. It is the eleventh installment of the Madea cinematic universe, and stars Perry in several roles, including as the titular character, as well as Cassi Davis and Patrice Lovely. The plot follows Madea and her friends as they must set up an unexpected funeral during a family get-together in Maxine, Georgia.

<i>A Madea Homecoming</i> 2022 American film by Tyler Perry

A Madea Homecoming is a 2022 American comedy film produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry and his second film to be released by Netflix. Besides Perry, the film stars Cassi Davis-Patton, David Mann, Tamela Mann, Gabrielle Dennis, and Brendan O'Carroll. It is the twelfth film in the Madea cinematic universe. The film tells the story of Madea partaking in her great-grandson's college graduation party as hidden secrets emerge and surprise visitors show up. It was released on February 25, 2022. It is adapted from Perry's stage play Madea's Farewell Play, the first Madea film to be adapted from a stage play since A Madea Christmas. The film is also a crossover between the Madea franchise and the Irish sitcom Mrs. Brown's Boys.

Madea's Destination Wedding is an upcoming American comedy film produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry and his fourth film to be released by Netflix. Perry reprises his role as Mabel "Madea" Simmons. It is the thirteenth film in the Madea cinematic universe.

References

  1. 1 2 Kaufman, Amy (April 21, 2011). "Movie Projector: Tyler Perry's latest 'Madea' film should trample 'Water for Elephants'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family (2011)". Box Office Mojo . Amazon.com. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  4. Young, John (2011-04-24). "'Rio' tops 'Madea's Big Happy Family'". Cable News Network . Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Retrieved 2011-04-24.
  5. "Madea's Big Happy Family Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 2011-08-31.
  6. "Cinemascore :: Movie Title Search". CinemaScore . Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  7. Amazon.com: Madea's Big Happy Family (DVD)
  8. Amazon.com: Madea's Big Happy Family (Blu-ray)