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Madea's Big Happy Family

Critics Consensus

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37%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 41

74%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 31,103
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Madea's Big Happy Family Photos

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Movie Info

Adapted from the multi-talented playwright/filmmaker's hit stage play of the same name, Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family finds the cantankerous family matriarch using her unique brand of tough love to help her family weather some particularly rough waters. Madea's niece Shirley has received a frightening medical diagnosis, and she's having a hard time figuring out how to break the news to the rest of the family. Unfortunately she's not the only one in the midst of a crisis, either: Kimberly is suffering from anger issues that are threatening to destroy her marriage; Tammy's marital problems are being compounded by her disobedient children; and Byron is struggling to stay out of the drug trade after spending two years behind bars. Later, as a skeleton in the family closet pops into the picture, Madea and Aunt Bam show that love and laugher can help to overcome even the biggest obstacles. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
  • Rating:
    PG-13 (for drug content, language and some mature thematic material)
  • Genre:
    Comedy, Drama
  • Directed By:
    Derrick Doose
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Box Office:
    $53,311,948
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Lionsgate

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Cast

Tyler Perry
as Madea
Palmer Williams Jr.
Chandra Currelley-Young
as Shirley
Cassi Davis
as Aunt Bam
Cheryl Pepsii Riley
Crissy Collins
Tamar Davis
Jeffrey Lewis
as Choir
Zuri Craig
as Choir
Brandi Milton
as Choir
Chontelle Moore
Danny Clay
as Choir
Rico Ball
Omar Dixon
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Critic Reviews for Madea's Big Happy Family

All Critics (41) | Top Critics (13)

  • Like most of Perry's movies, this one oscillates wildly and shamelessly between raunch and pathos, leaving plenty of room for the performers to work. The lively ensemble includes a scene-stealing Cassi Davis as pothead Aunt Bam.

    Apr 29, 2011 | Full Review…

    Michael Wilmington

    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic

  • Epitomizing the shrill franchise's schizophrenic tonal shifts, Madea metes out Christian life lessons with one hand -- and righteously bitch-slaps with the other.

    Apr 27, 2011 | Rating: 1/5 | Full Review…

    A.A. Dowd

    Time Out
    Top Critic

  • The title is meant to be ironic. Too bad irony is in such short supply in Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family. Sadly, subtlety is also missing.

    Apr 27, 2011 | Rating: 1/4 | Full Review…

    Bruce DeMara

    Toronto Star
    Top Critic

  • If Perry gets on your wavelength, you can forgive him too. He's only the host at a home-cooked banquet of wild emotions.

    Apr 25, 2011 | Full Review…

    Richard Corliss

    TIME Magazine
    Top Critic

  • "Madea's Big Happy Family'' nonsensically knots the spiritual and the salacious, asking gossipy questions then giving pulpit answers so that the movie is wonderfully, woefully absurd.

    Apr 25, 2011 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

    Wesley Morris

    Boston Globe
    Top Critic

  • Perry possesses a superb ear for the themes and emotions that connect him to his core audience, and that's on display again here, though the unconverted might grumble that the movie's many riffs and rants feel recycled from previous offerings.

    Apr 25, 2011 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Glenn Whipp

    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (41)

Audience Reviews for Madea's Big Happy Family

  • Dec 02, 2011
    Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family is a hilarious film, and i'm one of the few people who think the character of Madea is hilarious, but this movie is also just like all the past films juyst with different dramatic situations. The plot of the film makes you want to see how each dramatic stoy ends because they are all so f#cked up, just like every other Tyler Perry movie, and soon it gets kind of boring. The cast is half funny people, and half dramatic actors, now the funny people like Tyler Perry and David mann made me laugh, and all the other actors are sad, and although they played good roles, the old bad relationship acting gets really boring, just a bunch of crying people who are too big a wimps to do anything so madea has to step in. This movie was hilarious and l love the character of Madea, but this movie is also too dramatic and has too many problemns to consider itself a real movie, and overall its just another Tyler Perry film.
    Bradley W Super Reviewer
  • Sep 11, 2011
    The only Madea movie I've seen so far. A mixed bag but I was amused. Wasn't expecting such a sad 2nd half of the movie.
    Sunil J Super Reviewer
  • Sep 11, 2011
    Not the best Tyler Perry movie by any stretch, but it's not the worst either. It's kind of uneven with it's mix of comedy and drama(luckily, this isn't nearly as melodramatic as other Perry movies.) But overall, it's pretty entertaining. The story is about Shirley, a woman who's been battling cancer and her battle is coming to an end. She needs to tell her family, but her family is so broken apart that she can't get them all together to tell them. She gets the help of her Aunt Madea to get her family together, and things go from there. Madea is either annoying or hilarious depending on who you ask, well I find her hilarious. Perry is awesome and has some great one liners as Madea and Joe(his "help me" lines about the floor are awesome). The rest of the cast is good, and they do their jobs well as the "standard Tyler Perry" supporting cast. If you enjoy Perry's movies(and I do), then you will like this. If you don't like them, then you probably wouldn't want to watch this anyway.
    Everett J Super Reviewer
  • Sep 02, 2011
    Tyler Perry is very skilled at his particular brand of family values dramedies, and in this latest effort, his domineering drag persona Madea gathers together her ailing niece's extremely dysfunctional family to try and make peace before her death. Perry brings the laughs with his endearing trademark characters, but the film lacks focus and a strong ending, and doesn't balance humor and drama as well as some of his previous efforts.
    Matthew L Super Reviewer
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