Madeas Family Reunion (2006)

"Madea's Family Reunion is a great deal of fun...  Bill Gibron, DVD Verdict

Editor's Note Tyler Perry follows up his DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN with more of his unique fusion of soapy melodrama, poetry, spirituality, romance, and raucous humor based on his popular stage play. This time around, the drama centers on a pair of half-sisters struggling to overcome the oppression of their materialistic mother (Lynn Whitfield). Weak-willed daughter Lisa (Rochelle Ayetes) is being pushed into marriage with an abusive investment banker (Blair Underwood), while Vanessa (Lisa Arrindell Anderson) is unable to trust the love of too-good-to-be-true Brian (Boris Kadjoe). It may be a bit jarring at first to veer from harrowing scenes of domestic abuse to hilarious scenes of Tyler in his dual role as the tough-talking grandma Madea (here also raising a troubled foster kid) and her flatulent brother Joe, but it works, especially when Cicely Tyson and poet Maya Angelou show up as old relatives at the reunion; their powerful presence provides the weight to anchor everything down. Hearing Tyson pour her heart out while addressing the young people at the reunion from the porch of an old slave shack--Angelou at her side--is an unforgettably moving experience. This is the work of a daringly original comedian and filmmaker; fearlessly confrontational and generous of heart (without being corny), MADEA is three kinds of great: gut-bustingly funny, socially progressive, and genuinely inspiring.

	Blair Underwood
	Boris Kodjoe
	Lynn Whitfield
	Tyler Perry
	Reuben Cannon - Producer
	Toyomichi Kurita - Cinematographer
	Tyler Perry - Director
	Tyler Perry - Writer

Variety.com 7 of 10
Making his debut as a feature helmer, Perry evidences an uncertain grasp for the mechanics of moviemaking. (For example, he has yet to fully master the concept of matching shots.) Even so, judging from the audaud response during an opening day screening, he evidently knows how to score with his target demographic. - Joe Leydon