Mea Culpa – Tyler Perry’s New Movie
After the whiplash tonal shifts and hilariously bad wigs of recent output, Tyler Perry is back on track with a new film that feels more cinematically assured. The director’s fifth Netflix project, Mea Culpa, enlists Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight), Kelly Rowland (Think Like A Man), Sean Sagar (The Gentlemen), and Nick Sagar (Nappily Ever After) as stars.
A Madea Family Funeral
After ten movies, Tyler Perry has decided to end his Madea franchise with A Madea Family Funeral. As you might expect, the film has all the hallmarks of a typical Perry production – plenty of schlocky humor and theatrical drama. Still, the final movie in the series is a lazy mess that fails to make sense or say anything worth saying.
The movie kicks off in a small town in Georgia where Madea, her skirt-chasing ex-pimp brother Joe (Perry), straight-arrow nephew Brian (also Perry), and Aunt Bam and Miss Hattie (Cassie Davis and Patrice Lovely) are getting ready for a family reunion. Unfortunately, they find that the party turns into a funeral, revealing scandalous secrets about their family.
Fortunately, the family has a plan, and Madea uses her trademark wit and charm to put things back in order. In one hilarious scene, she helps her family clean the house and slap each other for embarrassment. Then she sets her sights on a sleazy lawyer who has been in the family for years.
Meanwhile, Anthony’s wife, Vianne (Jen Harper), tries to get her husband’s son AJ (Derek Morgan) to stop doing drugs. She and her sister Carol (Jennifer Lopez) try to keep the family together. However, they aren’t successful.
When a family friend dies, the family must confront their sins and forgive themselves for not having loved him enough. But it turns out that the family has been keeping a secret that could tear them apart forever, and they will have to learn how to love each other again if they want to keep their secret.
It’s also a chance to introduce a new character for the franchise – Heathrow (Heathrow), an amputee with an electrolarynx who screams out his thoughts and has a lot of snarky comments. As a bonus, heavyweight champion Mike Tyson unexpectedly appears as a guest.
While the plot of A Madea Family Funeral is a drag and the writing is clumsy, it’s still an excellent way to bid farewell to the character that has built up such a loyal fan base throughout the 10-film series. The best part of A Madea Family Funeral is the voice work from Perry, who manages to capture her soothing high register and make it convincing as a grandmother. This and the madcap ravings of Aunt Bam and Miss Hattie make the most memorable Madea films.
A Jazzman’s Blues
Tyler Perry has been writing A Jazzman’s Blues for nearly 30 years, and now he’s finally ready to give it the big screen treatment. This new movie – which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and will hit Netflix on September 23 – is a period melodrama that centers on forbidden love and racial politics in rural Georgia in the 1940s.
A sweet-tempered young musician (Premature’s Joshua Boone) and a troubled soul with a few secrets (Solea Pfeiffer) form an on-again, off-again romance in the film’s first act. The pair meet under an oak tree strewn with drooping Spanish moss, where they talk about their lives, share secrets and throw paper planes into each other’s windows.
Leanne’s family forbids their union, and the two are torn apart. She moves to Boston and passes as a Caucasian woman while Bayou continues his music career. But a mysterious return from a white scion of a political dynasty brings them back together, and their love is renewed.
The musical elements in the film are resonant and memorable, from juke-joint jams to a couple of stage performances. From renowned jazz composer Terence Blanchard to choreographer Debbie Allen, each musical sequence is a treat, and the vocals are powerful.
With its sweeping scope and resonant, melodic score, A Jazzman’s Blues feels like one of Perry’s most accomplished directorial efforts. But it also marks a shift for the writer-director: his usual heavy melodrama is replaced with a more expansive, chastising drama about racism and antisemitism in postwar America.
But while it may seem a little too reminiscent of other period melodramas, A Jazzman’s Blues offers a powerful and resonant story worth watching. It’s a tale of forbidden love, a complex murder mystery, and the racism of the Deep South that will leave you with a lot to think about.
Streaming on September 23, A Jazzman’s Blues is a compelling melodrama worth checking out. It’s a testament to the power of love and the strength of community, and it’s a reminder that we need to fight against racial discrimination every day.
A Madea Homecoming
Tyler Perry has a history of tackling controversial issues from an unapologetic black perspective. His plays and films have explored everything from drugs to domestic violence to infidelity, but his latest release, A Madea Homecoming, is the edgiest.
As a result, the film isn’t afraid to tackle racial issues often overlooked in mainstream media. This is especially true in the scene where a police officer wearing a uniform to the graduation party wiggles her way into a conversation about defunding the police. It’s a moment that’s both wry and poignant, and Perry is wise to let it play out without being overtly political.
But even with a more serious tone, there’s plenty to laugh at and enjoy. The first half is full of slapstick, with trash-talking altercations and a few more-than-occasional moments where people mistakenly eat chocolate from their purses.
The second half, however, goes all soap operas. We have a surprise pregnancy, an upcoming marriage, and a secret child. This movie has much more than we might think; it takes patience to get through the second half.
This film has a few gems, including the scene where the family discusses the story of Rosa Parks and her bus ride to Oakland. It’s a great example of Perry’s ability to turn challenging conversations into humor.
This isn’t the first time the filmmaker has tackled racial issues, but it does appear to be his most thoughtfully constructed piece. It’s easy to see that Perry isn’t ignoring the fact that police officers are still being killed in America. However, his take on the issue is cleverly hidden underneath the wry lines.
It’s a reminder that, while we may not have the best police force in the country, it’s up to us to ensure they’re well-funded and well-trained. That’s a lesson that we need to remember in these difficult times.
In the meantime, this is one of the funniest Madea movies in quite a while. I don’t know if it’s because the film isn’t trying to be anything but funny or if the chemistry between the cast is a little more organic than in other films, but this is one of the most enjoyable Madea movies in recent memory.
The Family That Preys
Having crafted a series of Madea comedies, Tyler Perry is now trying to attract a wider audience by tackling a more serious topic. This time, he focuses on two families affected by scandal and greed.
Wealthy socialite Charlotte Cartwright (Kathy Bates) and longtime friend Alice Pratt (Alfre Woodard) enjoy a rock-solid friendship despite their class differences. Their families are chaotic when their adult children begin extramarital affairs and unethical business practices.
Alice is a working-class mother who runs a diner and has two daughters. She raises the money to send her spoiled daughter Andrea (Sanaa Lathan) to college. Her other daughter Pam (Taraji P. Henson), resents her mother’s generosity.
When a duplicitous son, William (Cole Hauser), begins an affair with her self-centered daughter, Andrea, Alice cannot hide it from Charlotte. But Chris, her husband (Rockmond Dunbar), still hopes to solicit seed money for his construction business from William, leaving both women’s families in turmoil and confusion.
Amidst all the commotion, Charlotte’s shrewd friend Alice (Woodard) can maintain her faith in God and help her friend through this difficult time. She tries to keep her friend’s life from becoming utterly chaotic by feeding her transient guest, but she also tries to teach her to forgive herself and her friends.
The film’s message is that love and forgiveness are the keys to success in life. Many people need love and support, so being there for them is essential.
This movie also discusses sexuality and teaches about the importance of family. It’s a good movie for family discussion and great to watch with your kids or grandchildren.
The Family That Preys is a Christian movie that is not only uplifting but it is also funny. It is a great movie for families to watch together and an exciting film that will make you think about what happens when someone cheats on their spouse. It is a great movie to watch and is a must-see.