Baby-mama-drama, lies, secrets and laughter make for a hilarious Tyler Perry film. “Madea’s Big Happy Family” will have you ROTFL so hard that your head will hurt. Any time Madea is in one of TP’s movies, you can count on side-splitting laughter. You can also bank on a mother, aunt, sister or cousin dealing with the craziness of her dysfunctional family.
Read more and see the trailer here below...
In “Big Happy Family”, everyone was anything but happy. The mother, Shirley (Loretta Devine), had some terrible news to share with her two daughters, Tammy (Natalie Desselle Reid) and Kimberly (Shannon Kane) and her son, Baron (Bow Wow). If you saw the play, which was a stage play just last year, then you already know what Shirley wants to share with her family. But the siblings had so much going on in their own personal lives that they couldn’t see their mother’s pain. She makes several attempts to invite them over for dinner with their families to tell them her life-threatening news, but the bickering and lack of respect proves to be too much.
Speaking of the play, you’ll notice quite a few changes and some twist and turns. The family in the play consisted of three daughters and two sons. The single sister in the play, who ended up dating the doctor, was cut out. Also cut from the movie was the son who had some mental challenges. However, his “family secret” was transferred to Bow Wow’s character. The way it all came out will have you in tears. You really feel bad for Baron. You may even feel bad for Kimberly.
Baron’s girlfriend is played by Lauren London. Her character is not as believable as the character in the play. On the other hand, Baron’s baby-mama, Sabrina (Teyana Taylor) makes up for it all. She brings some serious drama. She is the baby-mama from hell! Just the way she calls Baron’s name throughout the entire movie will be enough to make you want to jump through the screen and choke her!
But it was absolutely over-the-top Tyler Perry. He wins top honors for making us hate a character who we’re just supposed to think is annoying. He brings you there so that when it’s time for revenge, you’re on the edge of your seat waiting for it to happen. I must say I was a little disappointed that Madea didn’t go there with Sabrina. Judging from the extreme measures Madea goes to in the beginning of the movie with the same character, I thought she would rip her to shreds in the end even if it was just a good tongue-bashing. But it was weak.
One other thing that I thought we would get some closure on was Baron’s “family secret”. I didn’t feel it was really addressed in the play. I was looking forward to seeing some type of closure on that, but without giving too much away; I had the same feeling after seeing the scene in the movie.
Just a couple of side notes to mention. I think Cassi Davis’ role (Aunt Bam) could have been cut. She was more believable in the play than she was in the movie. It just looked like she was trying too hard. I must also note that the doctor wasn’t as cute as the doctor in the play.
Tyler Perry is good for taking his characters off the stage and putting them on the big screen. I was hoping to see the same doctor or someone of his muscular ability in his place. This doctor seemed to be older and again, not believable. Maybe that’s why his role was limited in the movie. IDK…
While I’m on a bash-TP’s movie-before-I-praise-it roll, I have to mention one more thing. First, I must confess that when I see one of TP’s plays on DVD, I fast forward through the songs. Unless it’s some good gospel or an old school music jam session like in “Big Happy Family”, I can’t listen to the whole song.
The scene that I thought was just overkill in the play was the mother’s “Heaven” scene. Too much!! I felt like TP was paying some form of tribute to his mother, who had recently passed, but I couldn’t sit through it. I believe he made up for it, though, in the movie with a surprising twist that you will love. And if you liked the “Heaven” scene in the play, the movie will do it just as much justice.
Some other twists and turns in the movie included the addition of Cora, Brown and Joe. They provided all the comedy relief you will ever need in a TP movie or play. I have to give away the joke that had me in stitches.
Joe, who is another one of TP’s personas and also Madea’s brother, was cracking jokes as usually throughout the whole movie. There is a scene where Madea, Cora (Tamela Mann), Brown (David Mann) and Bam are in the kitchen talking. Joe says “Help me,” in a weak voice and then he makes a groaning noise like “Grrrrrrrrrrr.” He repeats it 4 or 5 times as the group in the kitchen ignores him.
Finally, they all ask “Joe, what is wrong with you!” Joe replies “Don’t ya’ll hear the floor boards yelling for help! The floor is about to cave in with all four of ya’ll standing on it!” He goes on to say something about the termites were even trying to get out of the way. In reality, it would’ve been mean; but coming from Joe, who has no couth, it was hilarious! Just the way TP grabs our curiosity and keeps us in suspense makes it even funnier.
But what was even more entertaining was the new twist involving Madea, Cora and Brown. After Madea finishes putting the siblings in their place, she has her own skeletons to deal with. All I’m going to say is it involved Maury Povich and “Dinah”.
All in all, this was an excellent movie. As with all Tyler Perry movies, you will definitely laugh, cry and possibly see yourself in one of the characters. You will be angry at so many of the characters; and despite my disappointment in the baby-mama payback, you will get your revenge. It won’t matter so much that the big family secret is still somewhat unresolved. All you’ll be concerned with is how to hold back the tears, and how to stop your head from hurting from all the laughing. So keep that popcorn butter-filled napkin handy because one way or another for “Madea’s Big Happy Family”, you are going to need it!
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