Many critics have said that Madea's Family Reunion script is flawed, it jumps around all over the place, and that it's a lackluster movie at best. I have to 100% disagree with all the overpaid movie critics out there because Madea's Family Reunion is a total winner. And first I have to say that I was never a big fan of the Madea plays. There was too much overacting and I found them only slightly amusing. But after seeing Madea's Family Reunion, I've gained a new and lasting respect for Tyler Perry and his cast of characters.
First and foremost, the movie tells a tale that you might see in a TV daytime drama. The movie focuses on two sisters, Lisa (Rochelle Aytes) and Vanessa (Lisa Arrindell Anderson). Lisa is in an abusive relationship and forced to become engaged to Carlos (Blair Underwood) — a handsome, rich investment banker — by her mother Victoria (Lynn Whitfield). Carlos is repeatedly abusive to Lisa but her mother will not let her get out of the relationship. Meanwhile, Vanessa is a mother of two and meets a handsome bus driver, Frankie (Boris Kodjoe), who takes her breath away. But she has troubles letting go of her past due to the problems she has with her mother. The family is united by the love, courage, strength, and support that Madea brings to the family.
The meat of this movie makes you laugh, cry, and think. In an age when most of our all-black cast movies are centered around drug trade, gun trafficking, and the stylizing of "thug life," it's refreshing to see a movie that deals with real issues in the community, exposes those issues, and offers hope for a better future. Madea is an important character because she is loving but she also delivers that tough love that many of our children are lacking today. Madea serves as the symbol of strength that many women need when dealing with abusive men, a domineering mother, and past childhood ills.
.jpg?t=20120527181101)
Article comments