Opinion: Madea's final curtain call brings laughter in wrong places

Every family has that one member who can drive others up a wall. In every family one person is crazy, but you love them regardless. In hindsight, they might even help you become the person you are. Many celebrities, even comedians, use their families as models for their inspiration. One of them is director Tyler Perry.

In 1999, Tyler Perry created a character: an elderly woman with silver hair, but also silver bullets. Inspired by his own mother, Perry transformed into Mabel Simmons, also known as Madea. Madea is everyone’s loud mouth relative with no class, a lot of self-respect and an old-school parent, the last resort for broken families who need a little guidance and a lot of tough love. This iconic character has guided audiences with hilarity, through the good times and the struggles.

Now, after 20 years, Tyler Perry has decided to put this old woman to rest. This spring, Lionsgate and Tyler Perry put the final nail on Madea’s coffin as they invite you to a family funeral you must see to “bereave.”

The Story

Intending to have a joyous family reunion, Madea and her friends head down to the outskirts of Georgia to celebrate the wedding anniversary of one of her relatives. Though the family has its issues, everyone plans to put aside their differences and celebrate with each other. Unfortunately, things take a bad turn when they find one of their guests of honor dead in a hotel room. The family reunion turns into a family funeral. Things go from bad to worse when they ask Madea to lead the service. As the family makes quick preparations to put the deceased six feet under, Madea uncovers some unsavory family secrets.

My Thoughts

Do you ever look at a story and think everything within it has been done before? That’s exactly what you will get with “A Madea Family Funeral.” Right from the start, Madea finds herself wrapped up in melodrama and she uses her words of wisdom to get herself out of it while mending the family wounds. This has been the recurring theme in all Madea films, along with the conflicts of infidelity and losing faith. At some point, the gimmicks are predictable and generate laughter when they’re not supposed to, rushing through the story.

Despite the film having a predictable plot, it is the comedic characters that carry audiences through the end. There was also the film’s editing. Tyler Perry is a chameleon in the roles of four characters, including Madea. With four personalities in the same room, he could have easily made the movie solo.

Conclusion

“A Madea Family Funeral” may not be the proper sendoff for the iconic character; however, it is enough for people to go and have a good time. You can expect Madea to come in and save the day, and by the end, the characters, one way or another, will live better lives. I am giving “A Madea Family Funeral” a rating of five out of 10 and my recommendation varies. If you are a fan of Madea and you need a good laugh, then I would recommend seeing it, but do not expect anything more than a few final laughs from Madea.

Edited by Grace Goodacre and Kaitlin Flippo

Featured image by Pexels