Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion - PG-13

Madea is back. Not meant for kids.

Rating: PG-13 for for mature thematic material, domestic violence, sex and drug references. Studio: Lions Gate Entertainment Directed By: Tyler Perry Cast: Blair Underwood, Tyler Perry, Lynn Whitfield Running Time: 107 minutes Release Date: 02/24/2006 Genre: Comedy

Common Sense Note

Parents should know that the film includes several scenes of violence, some dramatic and some comic. A man abuses his fiancée repeatedly, slapping, walloping, and shaking her, threatening to throw her out a window and throwing her to the floor. Madea threatens violence as punishment (she will "tear that ass up," for example), and in some scenes acts on her warning: She slaps a boy in the head and hits her foster child with a belt for skipping school; she advises her niece on revenge for her abuse, and eventually the niece throws hot grits on her abuser and then beats him with a frying pan. At the reunion, the family matriarchs chastise the younger generation for playing craps, arguing, and dancing provocatively (we see examples of all these bad behaviors). Characters refer to sexual activity and use slang ("get some"), including prostitution (one character says her mother was a "whore"). Characters drink beer, wine, and champagne, and refer to "weed," "the chronic," and "a fix."

Families can discuss the strong ties among family members, and the power of forgiveness (why is it important that Vanessa forgives her mother, even though Victoria allowed her husband to abuse Vanessa sexually as a child?). How does Lisa feel trapped in her relationship with Carlos? How is Victoria's determination to have her daughter marry a wealthy man explained, so she remains "sympathetic"? How does Madea promote traditional values with practical/comic solutions (hitting an abuser with a frying pan)?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Cynthia Fuchs

Broadly comic and pushing the PG-13 envelope on content, TYLER PERRY'S MADEA'S FAMILY REUNION showcases the traditional wisdom of vibrant Mabel Simmons (Perry, who also plays her brother Joe and nephew Brian). Directed by Perry, this sequel to Diary of a Mad Black Woman shows more confidence and better production values, but essentially repeats the first plot: Madea must advise an abused relative on how to save herself.

Lisa (Rochelle Aytes) is affianced to the wealthy investment banker Carlos (Blair Underwood), a perfectionist who beats her at home. He blames her for making him angry, leaves bruises, begs forgiveness, and threatens her with murder ("I love you to death," he says, "and I mean that"). When she confesses her plight to her mother Victoria (Lynn Whitfield), Lisa's told that "Women sometimes have to deal with things to be comfortable." Though this concept of settling for an unhappy, even dangerous, relationship is understandable, it's also appalling, and so you are set up to sympathize with Lisa and feel frustration with Victoria.

Victoria's errors in judgment become more pronounced when it comes to Lisa's half-sister Vanessa (Lisa Arrindell Anderson), an aspiring poet and clerk at Bloomingdales who still suffers from her mother's neglect. Vanessa meets a bus driver/painter, Frank (Boris Kodjoe), who seems perfect for her. Both are beautiful and wear nice outfits, have children from previous relationships, and devote themselves to Jesus. Still, Vanessa has reservations, owing to her difficult childhood and still-tense relationship with Victoria (who treats her as a "failure," focusing all her energies on Lisa's upcoming wedding).

As Vanessa is currently living with Madea, the matriarch finds plenty of opportunities to offer opinions on her nieces' situations. She has other foils as well, including Joe (with whom she shares colorful banter, again) and a new addition to her household, foster child Nikki (Keke Palmer). Madea heartily pushes her to do well in school and believe in her own intelligence (this after Madea learns that a previous foster parent told Nikki she could only make a living "on [her] back").

Madea surely provides Nikki with a stable home and emotional encouragement. She serves a different function for the film's audience, performing unsubtle comedy, which involves beating Nikki with a belt, talking trash to her relatives, and threatening (humorously) to beat or kill those who disobey her. It's funny, and sets Madea apart from those she counsels -- they had better not do as she does.

The Madea franchise is premised on this excessive characterization, and audiences love the character. Still, she can be repetitive, and this film is unevenly paced and predictable. Alternately boisterous, syrupy, and endearing, the film bolsters Madea's belief in family strength-in-unity by community-building, history-remembering, spirit-reviving speeches by Maya Angelou and Cicely Tyson, who show up at the reunion and final scene's wedding.

Families who like this movie should also see Diary of a Mad Black Woman, A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (starring Lynn Whitfield and Martin Lawrence), and Woman Thou Art Loosed.

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Content		CS	adults	kids
Content
Sexual Content Carlos removes Lisa's negligee to prepare for her bath (we see her bare shoulders); fiancés appear in bed; a man asks another if he plans to "get some" on a date; an abusive man kisses his fiancé possessively; several references to sex and genitals, a girl is told she's only "smart enough" to "lie on [her] back" a woman reveals her mother gave her (as a child) to her stepfather for sex; teenaged girls wear short shorts, midriff shirts, and dance provocatively.
Violence Includes both dramatic and comic violence: Carlos hits Lisa several times, leaving bruises on her face and chest, threatens to throw her out their window; Lisa eventually throws hot grits at Carlos' face and hits him repeatedly; Victoria slaps Vanessa, who punches her back; Madea slaps a boy who bullies Nikki, hits Nikki with a belt, and several times talks about "tearing that ass up," and other slang for her disciplinary methods.
Language Moderate language, including s-word, "damn," "hell," and "bitch," as well as slang ("crap," "balls," "wide load" for Madea's large behind).
Message
	Social Behavior Madea knows best, phrasing and acting on her wisdom in raucous fashion; her language is crude and her solutions are comically violent.
	Commercialism Heineken beer visible; Bloomingdale's exterior visible; reference to Roc-A-Wear.
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco Drinking of wine and beer at parties and nightclubs; characters drink champagne in a couple of scenes at home; characters refer to "weed," "the chronic," and a junkie mother selling her daughter for "a fix."