Review of film: “MADEA’S BIG HAPPY FAMILY”

2011, 04-30:

Review of film:  “MADEA’S BIG HAPPY FAMILY”

This latest TYLER PERRY film has an IRONIC title:  The “Family” is BIG, but it’s far from “HAPPY” in any way...

...  As the film opens, Madea’s niece, Shirley (LORETTA DIVINE), is at the office of a doctor.  She’s there with Aunt Bam (CASSI DAVIS), who’s very embarrassing to have around with the way she smokes POT & keeps unabashedly “coming on” repulsively to the unflappable physician...

...  It turns out that Loretta gets some very UPSETTING news about her health, & decides that she wants to tell her family the news at a “quiet” dinner at her place...  But, for nearly the whole movie, she never seems able to “CORRAL” them together for it, much less get them to be in any way really “quiet” or to “deal” with the “news” she wants to relate...

...  Loretta is very sweet in disposition & actions, but has an often-MISERABLE family:  her oldest daughter Tammy (NATALIE DESELLE REID) constantly puts-down her husband Harold (RODNEY PERRY) who runs an auto-repair shop.  He never really “speaks-up” for himself & just “takes” her verbal abuse.  To no surprise, their 2 sons are horribly out-of-control and foul-mouthed...

...  The younger daughter is real-estate agent Kimberly (SHANNON KANE).  As kind and good-hearted as her husband Calvin (ISAIAH MUSTAFA) is, she’s the opposite--  almost continually “angry” & an absolute bitch to him and also to her mother Loretta.  Weirdly, NO ONE seems to “call” her on her unacceptable behavior thru almost the whole film...

...  The youngest son is Byron (SHAD “Bow Wow” MOSS).  He’s had some past troubles with drug-dealing, but seems to have “reformed” & tries to hold down a “straight” job...

...  But, although he seems down-to-earth & comparatively “sensible”, he for some reason “puts-up” with 2 horrible GIRLFRIENDS:  One, Sabrina (TEYANA TAYLOR), is a pushy “whiner” who is constantly harping on him to take care of their young SON (which he’s usually happy to do) & to provide her with a continuous stream of money.  She’s clearly “one-dimensional”, threatening, & cares only about HERSELF...

...  As if that one “bad” choice wasn’t “enough”, Bow-Wow has a new girlfriend who’s even worse:  Renee (LOREN LONDON) is an incredibly self-centered “gold-digger” who regularly pushes him to go back to selling DRUGS so he can support her in a “style” to which she’s decided she’s “entitled” (tho she’s done nothing to “deserve” any special treatment)...

...  Into these “matches made in HELL” comes Madea (TYLER PERRY).  She, as usual, is massively “over-the-top”... 

...  There’s a weird “sub-plot” involving her “husband” Mr. Brown (DAVID MANN) and whether he’s really the father of their child Cora (TAMELA J. MANN)...  At one point, they even bring MORRIE POVICH into the matter to report on “DNA” concerning the situation...

...  But, as excessive as Madea (Tyler) can be, she’s comparatively SENSIBLE in doing what’s “NEEDED” to be done in the matter of Loretta & her family.  Madea runs around, uses “TOUGH-love”,  & “forces” various of the family members to agree to come to Loretta’s place for the dinner she wants to have to tell everyone about her HEALTH problems...

...  At the dinner (which includes Madea, Cassi & the others), the daughters are their usual MISERABLE selves, treating their husbands like crap. Madea confronts them about their bad treatment, pointing out their husbands ought to be treated far BETTER by them...

...  While “progress” seems to be made, Natalie suddenly makes a comment that reveals a huge family SECRET that deeply upsets the family dynamic even more...

...  Will the daughters start to treat their husbands better?...  Will Bow-wow “wise-up” to his bad choices in women and “actions”?...  Will there be “DNA” resolution with Mr. Brown?...  Will Loretta be able to tell her family her bad NEWS, & will it be in ‘time” to accomplish what she hopes?...

...  This is an almost “schizophrenic” film:  the ACTING is quite good, with the characters “believable” in their “extreme” roles.  There’s a bunch of mild LAUGHS in the movie (mainly concerning words & actions by Madea)...

...  But, so many of the characters are exceptionally UNPLEASANT and / or DUMB with their actions as people, it’s very hard to “CARE” about them.  I guess I’d say, it’s simply too “EXTREME” to be a really enjoyable or “satisfying” movie-going experience...

...  And thus, I can only rate this film at like 6.25 out of 10 stars...      

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Review of film: "KALAMITY" (about young men with bad relationship problems)

Review of film:  “KALAMITY”

…  I attended an advance screening of this “Indie” film at the venerable Music Box theater in Chicago.  In a postcard type “flyer” handed out there before the showing, it quotes various press reviews about it from New York and national publications, using comments such as:  “An Externalized emotional landscape” & “Psycho-Noir” (= New York Press);  “Stylishly Directed” (= NYC Movie Guru);  “Perverse” (= Variety);  & “Belligerant” (= The Onion A.V. Club)…

…  Others included:  “Psychopathic volatility” & “Menacing hostility” (= Box Office Magazine);  “Volatile anger” ( = The Hollywood Reporter);  and “An emotionally unflinching portrait of insecure young men.” ( = Stephen Holden of the NY Times)…  The “Tag-line” for the film is “What’s tearing you up inside?”…

…  Do these comments really “FIT” the movie?...  I hope to give you a little idea about that in the “Review” below, & in my “ADDITIONAL” comments relating a post-screening TALK held with the writer – director – editor, JAMES M. HAUSLER…

…  As the film starts out, Billy Klepack (NICK STAHL) returns home after an upsetting breakup with his girlfriend Alice (BEAU GARRETT)…  He’s warmly greeted & “encouraged” by his father Tom (ROBERT FORSTER), mother Terry (PATRICIA KALEMBER), & much younger sister Barbie (SAMMI HANRATTY)…

…  One of Nick’s first stops is to see his best friend Stanley Keller (JONATHAN JACKSON), who works at a place that installs car audio systems and the like.  Jon has clearly heard of the breakup, and expresses a bunch of very ANTI-WOMEN comments to Nick…

…  While some of that might be construed as “supportive”, it seems a bit “OFF” emotion-wise:  Jon seems even angrier than Nick himself is about the girlfriend--  to the point that, Jon’s virtually a “POSTER boy” for MISOGYNY…  Nick is a bit indefinite in talking about his “situation” with Beau…

…  The more the story goes along, the STRANGER Jon’s actions and attitudes seem to be…  He easily gets extremely ANGRY for little reason, especially when he sees a mutual friend named Christian Phillips (CHRISTOPHER M. CLARK) talking to Nick about him…

…  Nick himself has a bunch of problems & clearly “unresolved” issues, in that he keeps picturing himself TALKING to his ex-girlfriend when she’s not really there…  Periodically, things get “confused”, because the film flips BACK & FORTH in time--  so, sometimes we’re seeing the “past” elements of their relationship, sometimes he’s “currently” phoning her, & sometimes, he’s just “IMAGINING” things…

…  But, as “perplexed” as Nick is at times, Jon is clearly in much WORSE shape--  seldom being calm, often getting “agitated” over “nothing” situations, & obviously suffering from PAINS in his brain area…  There’s just “TOO MUCH” anger & violence “swirling around” inside him!... 

…  Jon is visibly bitter over problems with his OWN girlfriend, Ashley (ALONA TAL), & we see a disturbing scene of his “STALKING” her, followed by a scene of his being bloodied (which was not a “good” sign in any way)!...  At one point, Jon heatedly threatens Chris & even ATTACKS him physically…

…  Nick & Chris are concerned about the sudden reported disappearance of pretty-but-acerbic Alona (who doesn’t like taking “bs” from anyone)…  But, when Jon goes out of town, after the two friends BREAK INTO his place & find some “incriminating” evidence against Jon, they do NOTHING of consequence-- & in fact HURT the possible prevention of further problems…

…  Rather than contact the AUTHORITIES about what they’ve found (since it’s reported on TV that the police are “searching” for info about Alona, who the guys supposedly “care” about), they go off on their OWN to try to FIND Alona… 

…  When Nick & Chris find something of vital importance during their search, they again “take” what I call “STUPID PILLS” & once more are SILENT about what they find (--  more about that later, in my report on talking to the Director!)…

…  Why has Jon LIED about where he’s going on his trip out of town?...  What critical action is he contemplating about ANOTHER major character in the story?...  Will Chris & Nick “CATCH-ON” to things “in-time” to create a worthwhile ‘response”?...

…  The CONCEPTS behind the story are interesting in themselves--  young men having difficulties with relationships & how they handle their own lives…  But, a bunch of the actions & attitudes shown by Nick & Chris are so damn STUPID, they literally INJURE the film by destroying the believability of the characters…

…  The problem appears to be inherently with the WRITING, rather than in the acting (which seems good by Nick & Jon in that they’re properly “playing” their characters;  it was hard to tell if Chris was overly “weak” & “stiff” because of how his role was written)…

…  In any case, the good “powerful” elements are so impaired by the as-written foolishness of the mind-sets of Nick & Chris (& the destructiveness of Jon), the movie devolves into a sad WASTE of the characters (both figuratively & literally in the “what’s going to HAPPEN now?!” vague end concerning Nick)… 

…  Thus, I reluctantly must grade this film at like 6.25 stars out of 10 (with it’s being above 5 only because the actors are obviously trying hard with the roles they’ve been given)…