Read Positive User Reviews for Madea's Family Reunion

8

AnnaW.Mar 2, 2006

Tyker Perry addressed issues that are prevalant to African American families. He let his characters mature. Spoon fed his audience wisdom.

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9

RachelH.Feb 25, 2006

The return of African-American Film Without token white characters! Hallelejah! Finally a film about us..by us!

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8

MarkB.Apr 10, 2006

Lions Gate (excuse me, Lionsgate) has got to be the smartest, most market-savvy studio currently operating in Hollywood! Never mind that their relentless, under-the-radar stealth campaign for Crash impressed the Motion Picture Academy more Lions Gate (excuse me, Lionsgate) has got to be the smartest, most market-savvy studio currently operating in Hollywood! Never mind that their relentless, under-the-radar stealth campaign for Crash impressed the Motion Picture Academy more than the somewhat strident and arrogant "this is a cultural phenomenon, and therefore your ONLY viable choice, dammit" psuedo-strategy employed by Focus Features for Brokeback Mountain. (I would've been happy with EITHER movie taking home the big prize.) These guys also knew that the time was right in fall 2004 for a truly "hard-R" horror movie (Saw, which started not only its own franchise but a profitable if regrettable new trend); they grabbed onto a seeming hot potato of a documentary that they realized had great appeal to 49% of the voting public (Fahrenheit 9/11); and with just two Number One movies they transformed a playwright/actor that much of the moviegoing public had never even heard of 18 months ago into one of the few writers whose name alone, like Stephen King's SOMETIMES is, into a real box office draw. As he did with last year's Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Tyler Perry once again gives us a rambunctious, hugely entertaining (and, if you're not a fan, highly schizophrenic) tossed salad of soap opera melodramatics, social commentary, swoony romance, Sunday sermon, African-American wake-up call, and low comedy, with Perry himself providing much of the latter in front of the camera as ne'er-do-well Joe (a distant spiritual cousin to Fred Sanford) and no-nonsense matriarch Madea. Some viewers find Perry's clashing tones jarring and unwatchable; I find his sheer unpredictability bracing and exhiliarating. Where else can you see a movie that gives you in one big package a searing family drama involving rape and incest, a deliciously down-and-dirty conversation between the two villains (played by Lynn Whitfield and Blair Underwood like neither has had so much fun in front of a camera ever at any time) that without the Freudian undertones could've come out of a 1947 Joan Crawford movie, a serious address to the Black community delivered by Maya Angelou and Cicely Tyson, and a bunch of fart jokes? To paraphrase Sally Field, this is the cinematic equivalent of the box of chocolates Forrest Gump was talking about! (My only reservation in this category--and maybe this is a cultural thing--is that I felt uncomfortable watching Perry rightly denounce spousal abuse one moment and then present the whipping of a child to within an inch of her life as the best way to get her to clean up her act the next.) Perry's first outing as a movie director is a surprisingly assured and successful one: he reveals a shocking truth about a major character skillfully and to maximum effect, and I enjoyed his not-exactly-subtle but not-quite-heavyhanded use of colors to suggest and sustain mood: fiery, dangerous reds in scenes involving a deceitful, manipulative mother; warm browns and other earth tones in Madea's household; ethereal whites and blues in a wedding sequence. Perry's work is expanding beyond the African-American audiences that previously made up nearly his entire fan base not only owing to his skill as a very effective, entertaining storyteller, but also because Madea herself is one of those universally recognizable characters that everyone either knows or would sure like to. Be honest: wouldn't YOU love to have someone in your extended family who always tells you the truth, provides a place of comfort and refuge whenever you need it, and either beats the living bejeebers out of your enemies or teaches YOU how to do it?… Expand

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7

BrendanT.Jul 20, 2006

I'd have given it a 9 if not for the fact I watched the DVD version of Madea Goes to Jail prior to watching the DVD verison of this movie. For those who saw 'Madea Goes to Jail' and haven't seen 'Reuinion' the I'd have given it a 9 if not for the fact I watched the DVD version of Madea Goes to Jail prior to watching the DVD verison of this movie. For those who saw 'Madea Goes to Jail' and haven't seen 'Reuinion' the movie, let's just say Mr. Perry decided to recyle alot of lines from it. Also, unlike 'Diary' the movie does not have the same story as its on-stage counterpart. Having seen all of his Madea movies this one was prettymuch 'Reunion' 'Jail' and 'I Can Do Bad All By Myself' rolled in one. For those who haven't seen his other work you might want to skip the next two paragraphs, as they contain MAJOR Spoilers. [***SPOILERS***] Unlike the on-stage version there is an actual reunion but it's not at Madea's house. As in the original the planned marriage never takes place but another couple gets married instead. From 'I can do by all by Myself' Tyler recycled the scenario in which one family member reveals she was raped as a child with her mother's consent. Tyler even went so far as to spoil some of the plot to 'Madea Goes to Jail' by introducing a little girl who must live with her by order of a judge. It's volintary in 'Jail' but what she does and says in 'Reunion' the movie is not much different. Those aside, I can say this is movie calls on Black America to unify itself and stop killing and hurting each other. This was made obvious during the actual reunion but it the message was loud and clear throughout. Like 'Diary' the movie Madea plays comic relief and appears in less than half of the movie. Once again, Tyler plays the role of 3 on-screen characters (Madea, Joe and Brian) and during scenes in which two of them are talking to each other in the same frame, he uses a double to play Madea or Joe. Brian plays Madea's lawyer and Joe can be considered the movie version of Mr. Brown from the on-stage productions. The adding of new characters still does not take away from the fact that Madea's on-stage daughter Cora was absent from the film. I say that because she is a major character in the on-stage version and with her absent from the movie it slowed the momentum quite a bit. Overall, if you've never seen the plays you'll love this movie but if like me you've been following Tyler Perry from his early days you might be disappointed with the recycled material.… Expand

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9

MarceloFeb 25, 2006

Funniest movie I've seen in a long while. Great balance of humor and real world issues.

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10

TracyV.Feb 25, 2006

This film was awesome. It keeps you laughing. To all the critics that down this movie they are just hating on one talented black man.Tyler Perry keep up the good work.

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10

CarolUFeb 24, 2006

This movie Wonderful! This is a must see movie, you will be laughing the entire movie.

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10

DianaFeb 25, 2006

I loved the movie......good old-fashioned, but much needed truths and lots of fun. Can't wait to see it again.

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10

OnekaB.Feb 26, 2006

I love that movie it was very very funny and i love the idea of the movie.

1 of 1 users found this helpful

10

DeidreL.Mar 28, 2006

I loved this movie, Medea was funny. The movie had a great overall message to it. I would definitely go and see it again.

1 of 1 users found this helpful

10

TheateraNerdJul 9, 2012

Give credit to Tyler Perry for not glamorizing drug dealing, criminal activities, selfish actions and the like. Tyler Perry advocates practical Christian and family values, and it ends up making a masterpiece! I love this movie as well asGive credit to Tyler Perry for not glamorizing drug dealing, criminal activities, selfish actions and the like. Tyler Perry advocates practical Christian and family values, and it ends up making a masterpiece! I love this movie as well as every other Tyler Perry films! Of course as expected critics underestimate ANOTHER great movie by Tyler Perry. Of course people will rate this movie low because they're JEALOUS that Tyler Perry is so wealthy and succesfull! Remember jealousy is a sin!!!...… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

All this user's reviews

10

ShelleyN.Jul 19, 2006

It was awsome. I love Madea she is so funny. The movie made a lot of good points.

1 of 2 users found this helpful

7

JeanCarlosN.Feb 23, 2006

Great Movie,but unrealistic acting in terms of the old ladies talking and acting like "gangsters."

0 of 0 users found this helpful

10

JadaG.Mar 5, 2006

I was surprised. Absolutely fantastic.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

10

ErvinW.Feb 24, 2006

This movie is off the chain. and you should go and see it.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

7

LynnB.Feb 25, 2006

This film falls somewhat short of Diary..., however, Madea is always entertaining and I would have preferred to see more of Madea. Blair Underwood did a great job playing the villian as did the Lynn Whitfield. Cicely Tyson was awesome.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

8

greedybadideaJun 13, 2020

After Madea (Tyler Perry) violates the terms of her house arrest (which she was subjected to in the previous film), the judge orders her to take in a rebellious foster child named Nikki (Keke Palmer) in order to avoid jail. At first, MadeaAfter Madea (Tyler Perry) violates the terms of her house arrest (which she was subjected to in the previous film), the judge orders her to take in a rebellious foster child named Nikki (Keke Palmer) in order to avoid jail. At first, Madea and Nikki clash due to the latter's bad attitude and disrespect, stemming from her poor life up to this point, including an absent father, a mother in jail, and a slew of uncaring foster homes. However, Madea tells her that the only way to really overcome her poor life is to work to do and be better than the people who have let and put her down. Nikki takes Madea's words to heart and gradually reforms her behavior over the course of the film.
Lisa Breaux (Rochelle Aytes), one of Madea's nieces, is engaged to Carlos Armstrong (Blair Underwood), an abusive and controlling investment banker. While she desperately wants to get out of the engagement, her conniving gold-digging mother, Victoria (Lynn Whitfield), urges her to go through with the wedding, telling Lisa to avoid doing things that make Carlos angry. Vanessa (Lisa Arrindell Anderson), the other of Madea's nieces, who lives with her, has two children fathered by two different men, neither of whom are involved in their children's lives; Victoria regularly degrades Vanessa for this, even referring to her grandchildren as "bastards". Vanessa is successfully, though through some struggle, wooed by poetry-spouting bus driver Frankie Henderson, who is the single father of a young son, and has a passion for painting. As much as Vanessa likes Frankie, she is emotionally closed off and has a difficult time trusting him.
During the confrontation, Vanessa reveals a shocking secret to her younger sister: Victoria allowed her second husband, Lisa's father, to rape Vanessa in order to keep him in the marriage. Vanessa states that the sexual abuse occurred on a regular basis after that, which as a result, left her closed off emotionally and unable to trust the men in her life, including Frankie. Even more shockingly, Victoria makes no attempt to deny Vanessa's accusations. Instead, she rationalizes her actions, telling her daughters that they would have been destitute if Lisa's father had left, and that after going through a previous divorce with Vanessa's father and working two jobs to support the family afterwards, she was tired of struggling and felt that she deserved better. She also reveals that her own mother, a prostitute and drug addict, regularly traded her for "ten dollars and a fix", essentially almost mirroring what she'd done with Vanessa and Lisa's fathers.
Victoria then states that she would not allow Vanessa to ruin her happiness, and that she would not apologize for the choices she'd made. She then turns on a horrified Lisa, demanding that Lisa begin taking care of her financially as she made sure that Lisa had the best of everything while she was growing up. Vanessa then derides Victoria for constantly controlling her and Lisa as her punching bag and puppet respectively, and how it has left her a mess; she vows not to let the pain and suffering her mother has subjected her to over the years hold her back any longer, and to break their family's tragic cycle by embracing the true love that she has found with Frankie and being a better mother to her own children. Victoria then leaves and later lies to Lisa, telling her that Carlos has agreed to counseling. Lisa eventually returns to Carlos and resumes her wedding plans.
At the family reunion, held at the home of ninety-six-year-old Aunt Ruby (Georgia Allen), Vanessa and Victoria get into another verbal confrontation, which eventually turns into a physical fight after Victoria insults Vanessa about her relationship with Frankie in front of the family.
On the day of Lisa's wedding, Madea tells her that it is time for her to stand up against Carlos and fight back. When he arrives at Madea's house, he asks that he and Lisa be alone. Madea asks Carlos if he'd like something to eat, and tells Lisa to give him some grits on the stove, noting to her that they're hot. When Madea leaves the house with Nikki, Carlos brutally slaps Lisa in the face, but then, in retaliation, she throws the pot of hot grits in his face, scalding him badly, and then beats him with a frying pan, as Madea listens outside with laughter. She then takes off her engagement ring and throws it at an injured Carlos before leaving. At the church, Lisa announces to the guests that Carlos had been beating her every day since they first got engaged and that the wedding is off. Frankie then asks Vanessa to marry him. She says yes, and they're married at the church instead.… Expand

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