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Madea's Big Happy Family (film)

Madea's Big Happy Family is a 2011 American comedy-drama film based on Tyler Perry's 2010 play of the same name. It is the 11th film in the Tyler Perry film franchise and the sixth in the Madea film franchise. Tyler Perry reprised Madea and Joe, and the other cast members include Loretta Devine, Bow Wow, David Mann, Cassi Davis, Tamela Mann, Lauren London, Isaiah Mustafa, Natalie Desselle, Teyana Taylor, Rodney Perry, and Shannon Kane. It tells the story of Madea finding out that her niece is dying from cancer as she gathers her niece's children and their family members together to deal with the news while contending with the different issues between them. Madea's Big Happy Family grossed $53.3 million.

Madea's Big Happy Family
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTyler Perry
Written byTyler Perry
Based on
Madea's Big Happy Family
by Tyler Perry
Produced byTyler Perry
Reuben Cannon
Roger M. Bobb
Starring
CinematographyToyomichi Kurita
Edited byMaysie Hoy
Music byAaron Zigman
Production
company
Distributed byLionsgate
Release date
  • April 22, 2011 (2011-04-22)
Running time
106 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million[1]
Box office$53.3 million[2]

Plot

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Shirley is visiting the hospital with her aunt, Aunt Bam. Dr. Evans notes of how the cancer Shirley has, had progressed, and how she may have certain weeks left of life. Aunt Bam sees her niece Cora Simmons in the hospital lobby, in which Cora tells of how her father Leroy Brown is getting diabetes treatment. Cora returns to the respective room, where Dr. Evans expresses to Mr. Brown, of needing a colonoscopy. Madea calls Cora on her phone, while in the drive-through lane of Smax. The manager, Sabrina, delays the order and responds dismissively to Madea. In result, Madea uses her cadillac, to nearly drive over the customers, alongside throwing products at Sabrina and her employees.

The children of Shirley are; Byron, who was previously on probation for selling drugs, having a son from a previous relationship, while dating his current girlfriend Renee, who relentlessly orders money from him; Tammy, who berates her husband Harold, with the couple also having unruly children; and Kimberly, who resents both her husband Calvin and their son C.J., while she have a strained relationship with her side of the family. While outside preparing the ice for the dinner, Harold tells Byron and Calvin, how Tammy resented them since they met, while Calvin notes of her marriage with Kimberly progressively failing. Sabrina arrives, in which she is actually the ex-girlfriend of Byron; in which she uses the child support money to supply for herself and tries to goad Byron back into illegal activities in order to get more. The dinner had mostly failed, with Tammy, Harold, and their children, being the only ones available for dinner.

Later on, Joe calls out Madea for nearly knocking off, and breaking the TV, while walking near the television during the Maury broadcast. Bam, alongside Mr. Brown and Cora, visits, to tell Madea of their respective occurrences, including Mr. Brown being scheduled for biopsy surgery. Bam also prompts Madea to help her and Shirley with the subsequent dinner and to address the surrounding dysfunction, in which it is revealed of Shirley, also being the niece of Madea. Joe is in a nearby room, where he fat-shames the four who are inside the kitchen.

Shirley declines the chemotherapy, offered during the night appointment. The same night, Byron and Renee sneaks into the house Shirley resides in, with Byron arrested on the scene for the child support aspects. Shirley visits Kimberly and asks for bail money, in which Kimberly declines. Calvin volunteers to help, and it is the next day, Calvin bails out Byron with help from one of his lawyer friends. The arrest also leads to Byron being fired from his job. Madea visits Shirley, to announce her plan in helping to gather the children. Madea arrives to each workplace of the children, inviting them for the dinner. Madea also uses this to attempt to have her damaging cadillac addressed, at the garage shop owned by Tammy and Harold, while entering into the real estate shift that Kimberly is doing.

The dinner occurs later during the night; in which Sabrina arrives to take her son from Byron, and Kimberly arrives the same time as Sabrina leaving. Kimberly and Calvin argues, in which Calvin threatened to leave Kimberly and to take C.J. with him. The argument escalates, with Tammy revealing, of how Kimberly became pregnant at age 13 and had Shirley to raise the child, in which this reveal is used to shame Kimberly of her overall demeanor. Kimberly leaves the scene, and Byron discovers on how he is the child after he questions the details. In result, Byron also leaves the house, with Shirley attempting to consult him. Harold calmly calls out Tammy for allowing the scene to escalate, in which she aggressively responds back. Madea encourages Harold to stop being weak. In result; after Tammy continues to argue with him, Harold demands her to respect him. Tammy guiltily apologizes, and she reluctantly submits to the orders Harold gives. Calvin expresses his anger in the secrets, while packing his belongings and diverging his connection. Kimberly admits that she does not need him, and demands Calvin to not C.J with him while leaving the house, with Calvin expressing his need to protect C.J.

The next day; Byron and Renee are in the city streets, with the pair expressing the devastation of the parentage reveal, which revolved around Kimberly. The couple also discovers that Sabrina is on a Maury broadcast, to call out Byron for his actions. Madea and Joe expresses their sympathy for Byron, while viewing the broadcast. Cora and Mr. Brown arrives, telling how the progressing diabetes treatment, which Mr. Brown had been receiving, revealed of how their blood match is shown to not be a match. Madea expresses her confusion, before leaving the scene. Joe chooses to be serious, where he points and whispers to Mr. Brown and Cora, to call the phone number. in which Maury Povich is advertising during the broadcast, with Mr. Brown and Cora looking in despair.

Shirley eventually gets treatment, while her cancer progresses overtime. One night she is in the hospital, in which Shirley reveals to her children (sans Kimberly) of her cancer. She gives her completing words to her children, in-laws, and Aunt Bam. Shortly after this; she dies. Kimberly arrives, and calls out Calvin for him and Tammy repeatedly calling the phone number that Kimberly uses, after the traumatic experience which happened periods earlier. Calvin announces to Kimberly, of how Shirley had died.

It is days later, where the church funeral service is held for Shirley. During the subsequent repast, Madea calls out Sabrina, Byron, and Renee for the results of their love-triangle, and notes of how Renee would eventually discover another figure with money. Madea reveals of how Kimberly had been raped by one uncle during the age of 12, using this revelation to indirectly explain how she got pregnant at age 13. Madea also indirectly calls out the act of Shirley allowing the effects of the occurrence to take presence, while encouraging Kimberly to receive professional help, to forgive her uncle in order to find peace, alongside bluntly calling her out on openly resenting Calvin.

Calvin tells Kimberly, of how Shirley expressed on how she felt of she had failed Kimberly, while attempting to have the apology delivered while she was on her deathbed. Calvin subsequently encourages Kimberly to get professional help, with the couple exchanging hugs, alongside Kimberly sobbingly apologizing to Calvin. Byron mirrors the given-words under Madea, and chooses to diverge his relationship with Renee, after being prompted to continue his drug trade work while in grief. Aunt Bam expresses her appreciation to Madea for her involvement in the traumatic period, while Cora reminds Madea of needing to know the paternity aspects, involving Mr. Brown.

Periods later; Cora announces to Maury Povich on a Maury broadcast, on how she was told of Mr. Brown being her father, when she was likely in her ages of forties, in which Maury Povich and the audience reacts in shock. Madea is on a confrontational pre-recorded video, before she arrives and argues with Mr. Brown. Maury Povich confirms the blood test from the treatment, to be true. Madea rushes to the backstage and hysterically sobs, while Joe watches the scene on TV with expressed-amusement.

Cast

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  • Tyler Perry as:
    • Mabel "Madea" Simmons, Shirley’s tough aunt and grandaunt of Shirley’s children.
    • Joe Simmons, the brother of Madea
  • Loretta Devine as Shirley, the niece of Madea and Aunt Bam
  • Bow Wow as Byron, an ex con, and the son of Shirley and a grandnephew of Madea and Aunt Bam, later revealed to be her grandson (as well as Madea and Aunt Bam’s great-grandnephew) and Kimberly’s son from being raped by her uncle
  • Tamela Mann as Cora Brown, the daughter of Madea
  • David Mann as Leroy Brown, the supposed father of Cora Simmons
  • Cassi Davis as Betty Ann "Aunt Bam" Murphy, the cousin of Madea and the aunt of Shirley
  • Lauren London as Renee, the gold-digging girlfriend of Byron
  • Shannon Kane as Kimberly, a real estate agent, the daughter of Shirley, a grandniece of Madea and Aunt Bam, and the biological mother of Byron upon being raped by her uncle
  • Isaiah Mustafa as Calvin, the husband of Kimberly
  • Natalie Desselle-Reid as Tammy, the daughter of Shirley, a grandniece of Madea and Aunt Bam, and co-owner of an auto-repair garage
  • Rodney Perry as Harold, the husband of Tammy and co-owner of an auto-repair garage
  • Steven Wash Jr. as H.J., the elder son of Tammy and Harold, as well as a grandson of Shirley, and a great-grandnephew of Madea and Aunt Bam
  • Nicholas Milton as Will, the younger son of Tammy and Harold, as well as a grandson of Shirley, and a great-grandnephew of Madea and Aunt Bam
  • Benjamin 'LB' Aiken as C.J., the son of Kimberly and Calvin, as well as the grandson of Shirley, and a great-grandnephew of Madea and Aunt Bam
  • Teyana Taylor as Sabrina, the nagging ex-girlfriend of Byron and manager of Snax
  • Philip Anthony-Rodriguez as Dr. Evans, a doctor who oversees the medical treatments of Shirley and Mr. Brown
  • Palmer Williams Jr. as Mr. Mills, the manager of Lam Co. Imports
  • Ron Grant as Pastor Jackson, a pastor who oversees Shirley's funeral
  • Chandra Currelley as Sister Laura; the actress also portrayed Shirley in the original stage play.
  • Maury Povich as himself; he hears the different cases of Sabrina and Cora

Release

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Box office

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Madea's Big Happy Family was released on April 22, 2011. It pulled in $25,068,677 on its opening weekend, ranking #2 at the box office behind Rio.[3] By the end of its run, the $25 million[1] film grossed $53,345,287 in the United States.[2]

Critical reception

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Based on 41 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 37% with an average rating of 4.60/10.[4] Metacritic gave the film an average rating of 45 based on 15 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[5] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an A grade.[6]

Home media

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Madea's Big Happy Family was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 30, 2011. The DVD features four featurettes: "By-reen: The Baby Mama from Hell", "Ties That Bind", "Madea's Family Tree", and "Brown Calls Maury".[7] The Blu-ray contains these features as well as a digital copy.[8]

See also

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References

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