Image courtesy of www.impawards.com
Director :
Tyler Perry
Cast :
Lynn Whitfield……….Victoria
Tyler Perry……….Mable ‘Madea’ Simmons
Keke Palmer……….Nikki
Rochelle Aytes……….Lisa
Blair Underwood……….Carlos
Boris Kodjoe……….Frank
Lisa Arrindell Anderson……….Vanessa
Tyler Perry is to Christian African-Americans in the past several years what Kevin Smith meant for geeks in the heyday of the “New Jersey” series of films. Whereas Smith made Clerks and the rest has been history, Perry has taken stage productions that received high acclaim and has begun to turn them into successful cinematic ventures. 2005’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman introduced his ‘Madea’ character onto a welcoming audience, as in a limited run Perry’s $5.5 million production brought in over $50 million in domestic box office receipts despite opening on 1,703 screens. Much like both Breakin’ films proved in the 80s, there’s an audience to be found in the African-American community for an uplifting film with a great message to it.
In Madea’s Family Reunion, Perry once again dons the wig and mannerisms of ‘Madea,’ the colorful woman in the midst of all sorts of drama in her family. This time around her nieces Lisa (Rochelle Aytes) and Vanessa (Lisa Arrindell Anderson) have problems with their love lives as well as from their manipulative shrew of a mother Victoria (Lynn Whitfield). To further complicate things is the arrival of Nikki (Keke Palmer), a foster child assigned to Madea. And what Perry has crafted with all of this is a movie with a great message and a lot of heart, as well as some inspired story-telling.
Perry the director, as well as Perry the actor, does a fine job with the material he’s given from Perry the writer. Being in the title role, as well as being a producer of the film, Perry has a solid story to tell and weaves a good tapestry while doing it. Having been wildly successful doing a theatrical version, Perry knows exactly the type of story he needs to tell and how to do it. Going from the more intimate confines of a playhouse to behind a camera is an easy transition, as Perry shows marked improvement from Diary of a Mad Black Woman in his cinematography as well as story-telling. Toning down the mad antics of Madea, the downfall of his first film, has greatly helped his ability to tell a story as he can use that character in a much more constructive way this time around. By taking the focus away from himself, Perry lets a talented cast take over.
And while the cast is filled with few recognizable names, it’s one that’s well put-together. Everyone is on the same page acting wise, as there aren’t any moments when things aren’t working from that standpoint. Perry the director has a knack for story-telling as well as being able to let his actors take over when he isn’t on screen. There’s also a strong selection of music and scoring for the film as well, bringing in a more urban feel without the sort of provocative nature of ‘gangsta rap.’
And in a perfect world, a movie like this with a great amount of story and a positive message for a community that rarely gets one in cinematic ventures would be hard to take away from. But Perry the writer isn’t nearly as developed for cinema as he is for stage productions and the film’s writing shows it clearly. Plenty of scenes that would normally work well on a stage are woefully out of place on the big screen; bad soap opera elements are wildly present on a consistent basis, taking away from what is generally a well-constructed story. For all the great work he does with the camera, his work with the pen still has much room for improvement. He has a message, and that’s understandable, he just has yet to be able to bring it out more completely with subtle things as opposed to other methods.
