UB Film Spotlight: ‘Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral’

UB Film Spotlight: ‘Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral‘
Release Date: March 1, 2019

Over the course of ten movies, Tyler Perry’s equally raucous and righteous matriarch Madea has
gone to jail, hid out in the witness protection program, battled zombies, confronted the KKK, decked the halls and dealt with every conceivable size and stripe of disorderly and dysfunctional family member in her own outsized, inimitable style. But now, as tragedy strikes, Madea must plan a funeral and things are about to turn deadly funny.

In Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral—Perry’s 11th comic tale centered on the meddlesome mama with millions of worldwide fans—Madea and family are called to bury their loved one, only to unbury a whole madcap tangle of personal secrets that threaten to unravel the family peace just when they all need to pull together. It’s all a fresh chance for Perry to stir together his trademark, high-energy mix of irreverent humor, riotous characters and uplifting themes of real-life family love, loyalty, conflict and forgiveness. Because no matter what Madea’s family faces—even death itself—the only way through it is to laugh about it.

As soon as Perry had a first flash of the idea of unleashing Madea into the solemn atmosphere of a family funeral, he could not keep the comedic thoughts from flowing. Though mortality can be a taboo topic for even the boldest of comedians, Perry has never shied away from any untouchable subject that real-life families face. More than that, he had an inkling that if Madea was put in charge of a full-scale funeral service, it would be destined to live on.

“I’ve been to a lot of funerals myself and though they are always sad and moving occasions, there are also a lot of hilarious things that happen at funerals,” Perry observes. “In some ways, there’s nothing funnier than some of the things I’ve seen go on at a black funeral. So I thought there was no better way to poke some fun at those rituals than to imagine Madea planning a big funeral. I mean, who would let Madea plan a funeral?”

‘A Madea Family Funeral’ cast consists of Tyler Perry (as Madea, Joe, Brian and Heathrow), Patrice Lovely (Hattie Love), Cassi Davis (Aunt Bam), Courtney Burrell (AJ), Ciera Payton (Silvia), Rome Flynn (Jesse), KJ Smith (Carol), David Otunga (Will), Quin Walters (Renee), Jen Harper (Vianne), Chandra Currelley-Young (Miss V), Derek Morgan (Anthony), Vermyttya Erahn (Hattie), Christianee Porter (Ms. Shirleen).

Daryl W. Handy, Deedra Jordan, Marisol Correa, Jazmin Johnson, Victoria Hardway, Shaun McMillan, Selena Anduze, Aeriel Miranda, Charles Adams, Ary Katz, Alexa Whitaker, Renah Gallagher, Joel Rush, Bobby Akers, Odin Gomez, Nick Smoot, David Dunston also star. And an appearance by Joanne The Scammer as Herself.

As it turns out, the funeral Madea must suddenly step in to coordinate arises rather suddenly, so to speak. The big event everyone’s expecting is a surprise party—with Madea, brother Joe, Aunt Bam and dear friend Hattie, all arriving in their Sunday best to honor the 40th wedding anniversary of cousin Vianne and her husband Anthony. But when Madea and crew arrive at their hotel, they get a whole other kind of surprise. To their panic and dismay, they discover Anthony in a shockingly compromising position, kicking off a series of events that not only lead to a demise, but the discovery of scandals and skeletons long locked in the family closet. Even as comic chaos erupts, the story touches on motifs of owning up to your mistakes and becoming your own person.

“Once all these crazy secrets come out, the family has to find a way to heal and come together,” explains Perry. “There are themes about learning to take responsibility for how you’ve treated other people. But at heart, I just wanted to make a movie that will keep people laughing.”

To that end, Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral brings together the biggest, most multi-generational cast of familiar faces and exciting newcomers Perry has yet assembled.

Cassi Davis and Patrice Lovely return as Aunt Bam and Hattie, as Courtney Burrell, Jen Harper, Rome Flynn, Ary Katz (Aryeh-Or), Ciera Payton, Aeriél Miranda, Derek Morgan, David Otunga, KJ Smith and Quin Walters join the fun. Also returning as producer is Mark E. Swinton, who, as Vice President of the Atlanta-based Tyler Perry Studios, has partnered with Perry in building an entertainment empire that spans every medium, from theatrical plays and television series to a range of feature films. Swinton expected Perry’s 11th Madea movie would take her antics to the next level. But reading the script, he was struck by how Perry found just the right tone for mixing sheer mayhem into a time of family mourning. “Leave it to Tyler to write a story about a sad occasion but find the comic jewels,” says Swinton. “In the middle of this funeral, Tyler invites us to laugh at ourselves—the good, the bad, the ugly and the ridiculous—and to watch a family coming together under crazy circumstances to support one another.”

Swinton sees Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral as Perry as peak Madea. “People who love how crazy Madea is, how real she is, and all the funny things she says are going to see her in rare form here,” he says. “If you’re a Madea fan you’ll want to see how she deals with a family funeral.”

While outrageousness reigns, Swinton notes that Perry has also woven into the film a story about a family coming to terms with a legacy of adultery, secrecy and unacknowledged selflessness. It’s part of what has, from the very start, set the Madea films apart—that blend of no-holds-barred banter and madcap slapstick with comical candor and a dash of reflection on the wonders and challenges of modern family life. “Non-stop funny as this film is, it also speaks to the challenges of marriage and of family and to putting aside your own needs out of love and for the greater good,” Swinton says. “Any marriage involves two imperfect people doing their imperfect things and Tyler is very honest about that. So, even as you’re sitting there laughing uncontrollably, you’re also getting involved with a family whose problems and love for each other feels real.”