Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- boisterous
- melodramatic
- warm
- family movie night
- feel good comedy night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film a broad, emotionally earnest family comedy whose melodrama and humor received mixed or below-average reviews.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Madea takes charge of Shirley's fractured family and attempts to force honest confrontation through humor and discipline.
Tammy, Kimberly, and Byron each bring separate marital, parenting, anger, and criminal pressures into the family gathering.
Shirley's distressing health news motivates her wish to gather her adult children and share the news collectively.
Madea and Aunt Bam's rambunctious interventions offset illness, incarceration, drug pressure, marriage breakdown, and a family secret.
Films like Madea's Big Happy Family, and why
The Family That Preys
broad family comedy, heightened domestic conflict, and a comic maternal figure confronting fractured relatives
Diary of a Mad Black Woman
tyler perry family melodrama combining relationship problems, comic relief, moral reconciliation, and emotional revelations
Soul Food
ensemble family dysfunction, sharp comic arguments, and a pressured gathering that exposes buried grievances
The Best Man Holiday
warm but melodramatic family conflict centered on illness, secrets, and collective reconciliation
Movie Details
- Director
- Tyler Perry
- Release Date
- 2011-04-22
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (170)
Cast
- Tyler Perry
- Loretta Devine
- Shad Moss
- Cassi Davis
- Shannon Kane
- Lauren London
- Rodney Perry
- Teyana Taylor
- Isaiah Mustafa
- David Mann
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- YouTube TV, Starz Apple TV channel, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Madea's Big Happy Family about?
- A forceful family matriarch corrals feuding relatives into confronting illness, marriage troubles, criminal pressure, and a hidden secret through laughter and tough love.
- What is Madea's Big Happy Family like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Madea's Big Happy Family as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Madea's Big Happy Family violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Madea's Big Happy Family as mild.
- What did critics think of Madea's Big Happy Family?
- Critics generally found the film a broad, emotionally earnest family comedy whose melodrama and humor received mixed or below-average reviews.
- Which films are like Madea's Big Happy Family?
- Films with a similar feel include The Family That Preys, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Soul Food, and The Best Man Holiday.
- How long is Madea's Big Happy Family?
- Madea's Big Happy Family runs 106 minutes.
- Where can I watch Madea's Big Happy Family?
- In United States, Madea's Big Happy Family streams on YouTube TV, Starz Apple TV channel, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel.
