Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Let me give some background about my anticipation for this movie: This was Tyler Perry's next movie after "For Colored Girls," the best movie he released at the time. This movie is based on "Madea's Big Happy Family: The Play," the best Tyler Perry play he released at the time. I saw the trailer and got excited, but what really impressed me was a teaser which included a hip-hop song called "That's Why There's Madea!" I was really excited to see this film! My roommate and I watched it together, and...I was very unsatisfied. There were so many things working for this movie, and it did not live up to expectation at all! I was greatly saddened.So, what, pray tell, is wrong with this play? Well, first of all, this play does the best job of taking material from stage play...Maybe a little too much. But some of the moments they took from play weren't appropriate for the screen. Take, for example, the first scene with Aunt Bam and Shirley in the hospital; this same exact scene is in the play. But everything from Aunt Bam's first lines to the time she leaves is very awkward when I'm watching it in the movie. On stage, it works fine. Sure, it's not needed, but it works a lot better on stage than it does on screen. I can say the same thing when Aunt Bam sings her "nursery rhyme" to Byron's girlfriend, or when Madea mentions the Bible verse "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so." These moments works so well on stage, but they're so awkward in film. I feel the same way about the 2005 remake of Mel Brooks' "The Producers." There are a lot of moments they pulled from the Broadway musical that worked so much better on stage than it did in the movie.Also, remember how I said Madea spoke a lot of wisdom in the play? She does here, too, and she uses those same lines. But sometimes, those lines are used for comedy. When she's smacking Tammy and Harold's kids around she's using some of the lines from the play, but they're used mostly for laughs. I don't like that. I love Madea when she's funny, don't get me wrong, but when it's time for her to be wise, let her be wise! Finally, I feel really bad for Byron's character here. He's facing a lot of crap, including the mother of his child, Sabrina. What I don't like is that he's doing everything he's supposed to do for his child, but no one is supporting him. Of course Sabrina is yelling at him, but so is everyone else! The only one who acknowledges the fact that he's doing the right thing is Calvin.OK, that's all my bad stuff. What do I like about this movie. Well, I like the subplot with Brown and Cora. The story about Brown possibly not being Cora's father is hilarious, and the way they tell that story is funny, too! Although, first of all, if this is Brown's first ever colonoscopy, why did he say he had one in "Madea Goes to Jail?" Second of all, did anyone notice that the "Meet the Browns" TV show ended around the time or sometime after the movie came out? Was it canceled because there's nothing else they can do with Brown or Cora? I don't know, but seeing the grown, older adults get on TV and act like teenagers or immature young adults is funny as all get out! Also, Isaiah Mustafa is awesome! Who is Isaiah Mustafa? Tell me if you recognize this line: "Hello ladies. Look at you man, now back to me; now back at your man, now back to me." YES! THE OLD SPICE MAN IS IN THIS MOVIE! Just his presence alone here makes this film awesome! Rude to say, I like the part where Madea smacks the boys around. Yeah, I don't like the lines she says taken from the play, but I love seeing good-for-nothing, spoiled, rude kids getting what they deserve.Finally, there are some funny moments here that work well, and there are some dramatic moments that work well, too. But as a whole, I wasn't too impressed by this movie. I'm really unhappy about that because I was expecting something really great due to everything I said earlier. This, in my opinion is worse than "Meet the Browns." Whereas that movie was good with the exception of the exposition, there are a lot of things stopping this movie from being as good as it could be. But, with that being said, I still kind of like this movie. I don't like it as much as the rest of Tyler Perry's movies, but there are still some good moments, even some that I didn't mention. I like it. You might too, but if what I said above turns you off, then it's probably safe to skip. BOOYIKA!

Why not just go ahead and call this movie Soul Food 2? Only this rip off of that nicely done comedy-drama from 1997 is not even close. The brilliantly funny Loretta Divine, who first stole the show in Waiting to Exhale (1995), can't even save this movie. Here Divine play Shirley, a dying matriarch of a very dysfunctional family (just like Soul Food). But the movie never really takes off like Soul Food did. The film is infused with director/producer Tyler Perry's brand of comedy for one thing, which has become way past tired and stale.There were a few good laughs, but overall, the movie just wasn't that funny when it tries so hard to be and all the high family drama is so predictable in Perry's movies to the point that we just don't feel sorry for these individuals when we should because, quite frankly, Perry uses the same formula over and over and over again. He always has these extreme cases of domestic violence or verbal abuse in his movies, only for everything to work out like roses in the end. And to top that off in this movie in particular, there is a high amount of overacting and bad acting. At least in his previous films there was pretty much good performances by the cast. That was the only thing that saved his movies. Not this time.And the whole Medea routine, it's been played to the hilt. I hope Perry realizes soon that there's no more in the tank. Retire the Medea routine. Show us that you are more than a one trick pony. Come up with something new please! Along with Tyler Perry and Loretta Divine, the movie also stars Chad "Bow Wow" Moss, and Lauren London. The rest of the cast is really not worth mentioning. Just think about the characters and plot of Soul Food when you watch this. Or better yet, skip this movie all together and just go rent Soul Food.

I have now seen two Tyler Perry movies in their entirety but this is the first time I've watched him as Madea for an entire picture having previously seen her in brief clips of Tyler's other films. This was perhaps the most embarrassing of Perry's movies I've watched yet but his wasn't the most humiliating character. That goes to this Sabrina (Teyana Taylor) woman who's the ex-girlfriend of this young man character who's unfairly blamed by her for dealing drugs. There's some amusing scenes in the beginning and some nice drama near the end but it's a huge mess in the middle and what a mess! So on that note, Madea's Big Happy Family is only recommended to fans of Tyler Perry and his Madea character and no one else.

AN OPEN LETTER: Mr. Perry... What is this? Being a Black person I admire you're major success,and no one is trying to take that away from you, but this movie sucks. Being an avid fan, at first, and growing up with the plays and movies,I found this movie to be degrading. I'm sick of it! It portrays Black women in a negative way - overbearing, loud, bitter, and domineering - a "sapphire." Now, I know women like this but why must you continue to portray us this way? We are already portrayed as such in many media outlets, why can't you, as a Black man, stop the cycle?!? Black men are also portrayed as dumb, abusive , or weak - a "coon." And some of the White women are also stereotyped as the girl "trying to be black" or "weak." You have the outlet and voice ($225 million dollars in ticket receipts is a pretty large following if you ask me). But still, you lean and depend on these stereotypical characters as a crutch to get laughs. Not funny. It is a new day Mr. Perry, WAKE UP. Your antics, gimmicks and jokes are getting real old, real fast. THE ACTUAL REVIEW: Once you watch the opening credits, you know you are doomed. If anyone doesn't know, this movie recycles the stage play of the same title. He continues to recycle as if no one notices and it's - once again - getting old. I tried to stifle a *full* laugh but I couldn't. Madea, Tyler's alter ego, has no business in this film, it would have fared better without some of her lame one-liners (but don't get me wrong, *some* are funny). The humor is bland and "too loud" at the same time, if that makes sense. The acting, you ask? It speaks for itself. However, Ms. Loretta Divine continues to light up the screen as the sick mother, but even with her pleasant characterization, the movie is...nothing. The kids are bratty and annoying and some are just dumb (One girl's line in the movie consists if her popping gum and saying "BYRONNNNNN!" in the most nauseating manner) and the climax at the dinner table is kind of weird and Soap Opera-y. The only thing funny and epic about the whole movie is the spoof movie posters(Maybe he should have made a spoof movie...I dunno, bad idea?). I don't remember much of this movie, and with good reason. He has really out-done himself this time! But he should be proud of himself for once thing. For making a new kind of blaxploitation for the new era. This is SERIOUS blaxploitation at it's finest! But hopefully, after viewing the movie himself, Mr. Perry will learn the error of his "movie-making" ways. IN THE END... Do yourself a favor and buy it on bootleg at the lowest price available (Come on, you did it before). And after you watch it, to regain you brain cells back, watch a stimulating movie by GREAT black filmmakers, a Spike Lee Joint or John Singleton film. I suggest Do the Right Thing, Mo' Betta Blues, or Poetic Justice. I give it 3 out of 10 stars - One for the ever-so-lovely, Mrs. Divine, another for the movie posters, and one because I like the song "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO in the trailers :)