Synopsis
The Simmons family has a funeral, a wedding, and a family reunion all in the same weekend, and it is up to no-nonsense matriarch Madea to keep things in order.
Just as the southern matriarch Madea buries her younger sister, Irene, her granddaughter Lisa is marrying a successful, rich man named Ronnie at the house. But Lisa's fiancé is secretly beating her, and Lisa's ex-boyfriend and first love, A.J., Madea's mechanic, is going to do something about it. While Lisa is trying to cover up her bruises, her sister Tina is getting into more trouble: neglecting her baby, trying to seduce her cousin Jackie's husband Kevin, and stealing money for drugs from her mother, Cora. Madea's granddaughter Jackie and her ex-con unemployed husband Kevin live with Madea, and Jackie finds out she is pregnant and might have a miscarriage. When she goes to tell Kevin the news, she finds her cousin Tina trying to seduce him. Although she's upset with him, Jackie urges Kevin to get a job for the sake of their child. Meanwhile, Madea's know-it-all niece Victoria is being romantically pursued by her minister. Later, Tina and Lisa tearfully reveal to Cora that when they were kids, their father sexually abused them, and Cora reflects that it will take days of praying to get over this bombshell. Madea must endure the craziness of neighbor Leroy Brown and of the dysfunctional relatives all staying under her roof for the weekend. During the family reunion, Lisa tells everyone that Ronnie has been hitting her. On the wedding day, Lisa decides to marry her first love, A.J.
Diary of a Mad Black Woman is a 2005 American romantic comedy drama film directed by Darren Grant and written by Tyler Perry. Inspired by the play of the same name, it marks Perry's feature film debut and is the first entry in the Madea film franchise. Starring Perry alongside Kimberly Elise, Steve Harris, Shemar Moore, and Cicely Tyson, it tells the story of a woman who is thrown out of her house by her husband on their 18th wedding anniversary and subsequently moves in with her grandmother, and is the only film written, but not directed, by 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 Family Reunion is a 2006 American comedy-drama film and an adaptation of the stage production of the same name written by Tyler Perry. The film is a sequel to Diary of a Mad Black Woman. It was written, directed by, and starring Perry with the rest of the cast consisting of Blair Underwood, Lynn Whitfield, Boris Kodjoe, Henry Simmons, Lisa Arrindell Anderson, Maya Angelou, Rochelle Aytes, Jenifer Lewis, Tangi Miller, Keke Palmer, and Cicely Tyson. The film tells the story of Madea preparing for an upcoming family reunion while dealing with the dramas before and during it. It was released on February 24, 2006, nearly one year following its predecessor, Diary of a Mad Black Woman. The independent film was produced by Lionsgate.
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.
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).
David Anthony Mann Sr. is an American actor and gospel singer who has starred in many Tyler Perry plays, including I Can Do Bad All By Myself, Madea's Family Reunion,Madea's Class Reunion, Meet the Browns, and What's Done in the Dark. His character Mr. Brown is the father of Madea's daughter Cora. Mann also reprised his role as the character in the films Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns, Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail, Madea's Big Happy Family, and A Madea Homecoming.
Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman is an 2001 American stage play written, directed and produced by Tyler Perry. The production starred Tyler Perry as Daddy Charles & Madea and Marva King as Helen Simmons-McCarter. The live performance released on DVD and VHS was recorded live in Atlanta at the Atlanta Civic Center in May 2001.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Laugh to Keep from Crying is an 2009 American stage play created, produced, written and directed by Tyler Perry. The show first opened in the fall of 2009. The play is set at an inner-city building in a predominantly African-American neighborhood. It stars Cheryl Pepsii Riley as Carol, Palmer Williams Jr. as Floyd and Chandra Currelley-Young as Belinda. The live performance released on DVD on August 30, 2011 was recorded live in Atlanta at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in July 2010.
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.
The second season of the Tyler Perry's House of Payne began airing on June 6, 2007, and concluded on August 6, 2008. The season contained 100 episodes.
A Madea Christmas is a 2013 American Christmas comedy film directed, written, produced by and starring Tyler Perry with the rest of the cast consisting of Kathy Najimy, Chad Michael Murray, Anna Maria Horsford, Tika Sumpter, Eric Lively, JR Lemon, Alicia Witt, Lisa Whelchel, and Larry the Cable Guy. This is the first Christmas-themed film from the writer-director as it tells the story of Madea going to the fictional town of Bucktussle, Alabama with her great-niece to spend Christmas with the great-niece's daughter as financial trouble involving a newly-constructed dam threatens the town. This is the seventeenth film by Perry, and the eighth film in the Madea cinematic universe. The film was released on December 13, 2013 by Lionsgate.
D'Atra Hicks is an American actress and singer. Hicks is best known for her role as Jackie Simmons in Tyler Perry's 2002 stage play Madea's Family Reunion. Hicks has also performed as Nurse Trudy in the 2006 stage play What's Done in the Dark and as Niecy in the 2009 play Laugh to Keep from Crying.
Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned is a 2014 American stage play written, produced, and directed by Tyler Perry. It stars Cheryl Pepsii Riley as Anita and Patrice Lovely as Mama Hattie. The live performance released on DVD on November 25, 2014 was recorded live in Atlanta at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in September 2013. The DVD was released alongside A Madea Christmas.
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.
