Viewed once in theaters, May 2011
I'll admit it: I'm a big Tyler Perry fan. Although I've only seen three, I love his films, flawed and conflicted as they are. Madea Simmons is one of the most interesting and fun characters in film today. Perry infuses his films with messages of respect, family, love, God, and muddled Christian values. This film is no different from the rest, but it is hilariously funny. Plugged In caught on to the compare/contrasts in the film: "Messages conflict at every turn: Madea tells us how important it is to respect people—even as she belittles, insults and ridicules everyone. We're told that dealing drugs is bad—even as Aunt Bam smokes enough weed to pay off the loans on three street dealers' new boats. Madea tells Shirley it's not necessarily her fault that her children turned out so bad—then berates Tammy for how poorly behaved her children are...Some of it even feels purposeful onscreen as themes reverberate back and forth, with one batch of characters delving into the seriousness of a subject while another batch makes us laugh at it." It seems that Perry is a master of using comedy to underline drama.
The main gist of the film is that Shirley (one of Madea's nieces) has terminal cancer. She wants to tell all of her children at the same time, but her family has run completely amok. Her oldest daughter struggles with some demons (a hyper-controlling personality among them), which leads to some strife with her husband. The middle child, Tammy, wears the pants in her family and berates her husband, which leads to zero respect from their kids; the two boys are completely disrespectful to adults and each other, including flinging verbal insults at their weak father. The youngest child, Byron, has a criminal record for selling drugs; he also deals with a baby and the comically rude baby mama, as well as a self-absorbed girlfriend who only wants him for his money. Shirley asks the crusty and strong Madea for help to bring her family together--which becomes a problem in and of itself when parentage issues come into play ("Who's my daddy? Who's my momma?") What ensues is a hilarious adventure with the saucy Mrs. Simmons, teaching life lessons in some crazy and unconventional ways. (One of my favorite scenes: Madea realizes just how rude Tammy's children are, and she begins slapping the oldest son repeatedly, telling him to mind his elders. "Don't make me have this conversation again with you!" The boy is immediately respectful to Madea, surprising his overly protective mother.)
NEGATIVES:
>>Profanity: As always, Perry throws in a boatload of "minor" profanities. It's almost like it's a part of culture for them. Plugged In counts over 70 uses of "h-ll," as well as "ho," "a--," "b----rd," and "d--n." The Lord's name is used in oaths and prayers (another example of the curious juxtaposition of extremes). Although the language is used to comedic and dramatic effect, it's foul nontheless. For some reason, Perry always uses profanities liberally in his films. As a result, the strong messages of his films are tainted, like a smoothie with vitamins in it--still good, but tastes nasty sometimes.
>>Violence: The aforementioned slapfest. Madea repeatedly threatens various characters. Some pretty intense conflicts within marriages occur. After being abused by rude employees, an irate Madea drives her Cadillac into (literally, into) a drive-thru restaurant and throws various items at the manager--including food, napkins, and straws. Old Uncle Joe (also played by Perry) spends most of the film rambling about a rap song entitled "1-800-Choke-Dat-Ho", inspired by the baby daddy dramas on TV shows such as Maury Povich. Most of the violence is used for comedic effect, but they produce good results such as respectful children and healing marriages.
>>Spiritual Content: Perry is a strong Christian. His film characters all deal with huge life lessons that find their answers in church. That being said, Big Happy Family has good messages of salvation being found in Christ, Christian faith, and unconditional love. Shirley talks frequently of her faith in God, telling her children, "Feel bad for somebody who don't know Jesus, all right? I'm going home." Her joy in Christ is evident in everything she does. Madea (as always) has an unconventional way of looking at the Christian life: She knows it's the right thing to do and she gets most of her morals from a convoluted view of the Bible, but she repeatedly makes remarks such as, "You know God don't like me," or "You been redeemed. I ain't." She is hugely in favor of the rod of correction, even using an out-of-context Scripture to back up her position. The Christian faith of these characters drives their lives, but it rarely offers correction or discipline. It's more of a comfort or Plan B for them. It's nothing that is contrary to Scripture or non-Biblical, but it's not exactly a guide to living a good Christian life, either.
>>Alcohol and Drugs: Byron is fussed at for selling drugs on the street, but Aunt Bam's preoccupation with marijuana is treated as a silly addiction, much like an addiction to reality TV shows or Facebook. It's used to comedic effect, which presents the problem of mixed messages--Don't sell weed, but smoking it is funny. (What?) She says she wants her grave marked with marijuana plants and her wake to be a puff-and-pass party. Most of the family looks the other way.
>>Sexual content: Plugged In: "Promiscuity is discussed. As is uncertain parentage. One of the film's major characters was raped by her uncle at age 12 and gave birth at 13—a family secret that comes to light at an apoplexy-inducing dinner. Aunt Bam asks a doctor to rub her chest, then rubs her backside against his groin area to determine whether he's heterosexual: Bam concludes that he is. Tammy's husband, Harold, confesses that he's not had sex with his wife in over a year. ("I'd get more love in prison," he says.) Sabrina, who shares a son with Byron, wears very revealing clothing (showcasing her breasts and midriff)."
Overall, although I like this film and I like the messages it presents, I can't wholeheartedly recommend it. It's not appropriate for younger children because of the mixed messages that are sent. However, it might be good for older children as a teaching tool. Handle Madea with oven mitts, because she can be too hot sometimes.
4 out of 6 stars
So that everyone (including myself) may benefit from it, please feel free to leave your own personal opinion of this film.
Plugged In Movie Reviews
The Internet Movie Database
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