Movie: A Madea Family Funeral
Produced, directed and starring: Tyler Perry
Showing: Cineplex Scotia Bank Theatre, Gloucester.
Reviewer: Godwin Ifedi, Editor
The Plot
A joyous reunion in small-town Georgia turns into an unexpected nightmare when Madea, Joe, Aunt Bam and other family members gather for an anniversary party that turns out to be a sham. Instead of fun and relaxation, Madea and the gang soon find themselves attending an elaborate funeral that doesn’t quite go according to plan.
I went into this movie expecting the usual fun and games, with ribald humour and a narrative totally outside the box, and I was not disappointed. Tyler Perry’s alter ego, Madea, has a habit of entertaining while offering some life lessons. This movie however, has moved him into unheralded territory. With Perry playing three other characters in addition to Madea, the viewer is literally dragged into the bedrooms of a totally dysfunctional family, with sexual liaisons among close relations. The climax when it came, and I don’t mean this word to be taken literally, was as explosive and shocking as it would get; yes, that happened as the family gathered to mourn the death of their patriarch. Turns out he had suffered a heart attack while frolicking with his mistress, a close family friend! From here the narrative follows unexpected twists and turns, with the disclosure of yet another incident of infidelity within the family, seemingly coming at the viewer at the rate of one every minute! Perhaps Perry was using this story line to make a social commentary; what the viewer got however, was an uneasy blend of slapstick comedy, lewd jokes and sometimes incomprehensible dialogue . If the famed film producer and director was trying to give his vast global audience an upgrade on the original Madea movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, a classic in its own right, then this offering falls far short of his own high standards. However, the viewer would most certainly relish the surprise ending, which featured a cameo appearance by former world heavyweight boxing champion, Mike Tyson. For some viewers, that part alone would be the one saving grace to a movie that the great Tyler Perry would likely prefer not to add to his credits.
Godwin Ifedi, Editor
18 March, 2018