When Georgia matriarch Mabel "Madea" Simmons' (Tyler Perry) niece Shirley (Loretta Devine) learns that the cancer she has been battling for seven years has returned and that she has maybe four to six weeks to live, she desperately wants to bring her three children—daughters Kimberly (Shannon Kane) and Tammy (Natalie Desselle Reid) and son Byron (Shad Moss) and their families—together for one last, happy family dinner. Easier said than done. Although they all love Shirley, they hate each other. Consequently, Madea is forced to dish out a load of tough love in order to bring this dysfunctional family together, while revealing a few family secrets along the way.
Madea's Big Happy Family is based on a play of the same name, written by the film's director Tyler Perry, who stars as southern matriarch Mabel "Madea" Simmons (among other characters), often the comic relief element (and savior*) in otherwise malaise/tension-filled dysfunctional family dramas, i.e. whenever she isn't the protagonist. Madea's Big Happy Family is preceded by Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005) (2005), Madea's Family Reunion (2006) (2006), Meet the Browns (2008) (2008), Madea Goes to Jail (2009) (2009) and I Can Do Bad All by Myself (2009) (2009), and followed by Madea's Witness Protection (2012) (2012), A Madea Christmas (2013) (2013), Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016) (2016) and Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (2017) (2017)—along with an animated movie Madea's Tough Love (2015) (2015). [*Although Madea has no magical powers, special tools or blatant deus ex machina abilities, she much like Mary Poppins can show up out of the blue with the mission of rescuing a family from itself and she will do just that. This trope forms the basis of the Madea stories in which she is more of a supporting character and not the titular character.]
Following Shirley's funeral, Madea forces the family to sit together in the living room and confronts them with regards to their behavior. First, she tells Sabrina (Teyana Taylor) to shut up with her "Byronnnonnnonnn" and warns her to stop using their child to make his life miserable. She then turns to Byron, warning him to get a job and stop selling drugs because it will land him back in prison or even into an early grave and Renee (Lauren London) will simply move on to the "highest bidder". Consequently, Byron breaks up with Renee. Third, she reveals to the family that Kimberly's hostility is due to the fact that she was raped by an uncle when she was 12. She points out that what goes on in the house doesn't just stay in the house; if it's hurting you and impairing your adult life, you need to stop covering it up and get help. She warns Kimberly to forgive the man who raped her and to sort out her issues with Calvin (Isaiah Mustafa). Cora (Tamela J. Mann) compliments Madea on the way she handled Shirley's family, then dares her to do the same with theirs. The final scene finds Madea, Cora and Mr Brown (David Mann) on Maury (1991) filming an episode of "Who's your baby daddy?" Madea swears up and down that Brown is Cora's father, but the test shows that he is not. In horror, Madea runs off the stage in hysterics.
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- How long is Madea's Big Happy Family?1 hour and 46 minutes
- When was Madea's Big Happy Family released?April 22, 2011
- What is the IMDb rating of Madea's Big Happy Family?4.8 out of 10
- Who stars in Madea's Big Happy Family?
- Who wrote Madea's Big Happy Family?
- Who directed Madea's Big Happy Family?
- Who was the composer for Madea's Big Happy Family?Ras Kass and Aaron Zigman
- Who was the producer of Madea's Big Happy Family?
- Who was the executive producer of Madea's Big Happy Family?
- Who was the cinematographer for Madea's Big Happy Family?
- Who was the editor of Madea's Big Happy Family?
- Who are the characters in Madea's Big Happy Family?Mable "Madea" Simmons, Joe, Tyler Perry, Miss Shirley, Aunt Bam, Kimberly, Calvin, Tammy, Harold, Cora, and others
- What is the plot of Madea's Big Happy Family?The crazy and comical Mabel Simmons, otherwise known as Madea, tries to wrangle her fighting family together for a family dinner regarding the health of her niece Shirley.
- What was the budget for Madea's Big Happy Family?$25 million
- How much did Madea's Big Happy Family earn at the worldwide box office?$54.2 million
- How much did Madea's Big Happy Family earn at the US box office?$53.3 million
- What is Madea's Big Happy Family rated?PG-13
- What genre is Madea's Big Happy Family?Comedy, Comedy Drama, and Drama
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