BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Asad Almond A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Benjamin Black This is the second Tyler Perry movie my family and I did not see in theaters, but you can bet we got it on DVD when it came out. What did we think? It was great - I mean, freakin' great! What do I think now? It's good, though, I wouldn't say it's too great.Well, let's start with the good stuff. Like most Tyler Perry productions, there's a good balance of drama and comedy. The drama comes from Joshua, a public defender who is engaged to another public defender, Linda. Their relationship - and especially Linda's patience - is tested when Joshua runs into his old childhood friend, Candy. Why is this troublesome? Because Candy, who used to be smart and determined, is now a prostitute. Joshua feels obligated to help her because (1) they're friends, and (2) their last encounter did not end on good turns. (I won't ruin what happened, but once you see it, you can see why he'd feel obligated to help her.) Linda, of course, becomes jealous and wants Joshua to pay more attention to her. Also, there's a bit of a subplot that reveals Linda wins all of her cases by padding the plaintiffs' charges.The comedy comes from, of course, Madea! This movie really shows how crazy Madea can get! She runs into cars, she forklifts cars, she even drives Dr. Phil crazy! Yes, there's a scene in this movie where Dr. Phil tries to help Madea! It is hilarious! Brown and Cora are in this movie, and they have a lot of funny moments! Uncle Joe is funny! Any scene you have with any of these characters is hysterical! I have a few favorite moments in this movie, too. The scene where Madea faces Judge Mathis is really funny! Did you see the look on Madea's face when he entered the room? Did you hear the music that let you know crap just got real when he entered the room? My older brother says that moment is the best moment in all of cinema history. The both of us also like the moment before Joshua's wedding where he tells his friend Chuck that he suspects something's wrong with the charges Candy received. I love the music that plays, and I love Josh's voice fading out. It's a real mature, defining moment for Chuck, and it's a nice moment. But my absolutely favorite part is the next scene, during the wedding. Look at Joshua's face while Linda's talking! It just looks awesome! But that's not nearly as awesome as what he says! I can't tell you how hard I laughed when he looked at her and said "...You are a conniving, and a manipulating human being, and you disgust me!" Who would think of saying that to someone AT THE ALTAR?!? THAT IS AWESOME!OK, so there are a lot of things I like about the movie. So what don't I like? Well, Tyler Perry has said in interviews that this is supposed to be a comedy, especially after something as heavy as "The Family that Preys." So what's with the drama story? Now, I don't mind the drama story at all; it's just...how do these two stories relate? You have Madea and her family over here, and then you have Joshua and his situations over there. They're not related at all until Madea and Candy go to jail, and until we learn Linda padded their files. To me, that's not a big enough connection for these stories. I was thinking Madea was related to Joshua or something, but nope. They don't even know each other. I think this connection would have worked if it were revealed bigger and earlier. The connection isn't that big compared to the rest of the film, and it comes late in the movie. I like these stories, and I like these characters, but I guess my question is if they don't relate that much, what's the point in having them together in the movie? That's my only problem with the film.Also, nit-pick, is it weird to anyone else that people all over the country are having, advertising, and talking about these "Free Madea" rallies? Just how famous is Madea to the public?You will laugh your head off watching this movie! And Madea also has some wise words about responsibility and ownership in the film. I love it, and you will too. Watch the movie, and be prepared to laugh! BOOYIKA!

DrDesiree Renaud-Hunnicutt I was busy getting ready for the Holiday meal preparing when Madea came on television, it takes a lot to grab my attention but this did. I found this movie to be funny, serious, silly, and a pure joy. I really enjoyed the back to common sense writing mixed in with the crazy antics of a silly senior citizen. Since I've seen this movie I've begun watching all of the crazy antics of Madea, a true pleasure! I look forward to more of Tyler Perry's writings, and please keep it fun and clean like it is now.A fun watch for sure!

elvisfan187 New rule: If Tyler Perry wants to make another drama, he must not advertise it as a comedy.After looking at the DVD case and seeing the trailer, I was expecting to laugh my ax off. I was expecting a comedy. I mean, look at the dang case! Madea is standing in the middle of a bunch of other characters that I quite frankly don't care about. She's standing in the exact center! And don't even get me started on the trailer. The only thing it showed was Madea's talk about "me time," Madea ticked off about the parking spot, and Madea surrounded by a SWAT team. This movie looked funnier than Norbit, which really isn't saying much but still.I have lied to many people in my life, but the way Tyler Perry lied to us is unforgivable. I loved Daddy's Little Girls. Seriously, that movie is at least a 9/10. But the difference is that I was not expecting a comedy. Perry didn't advertise it that way, he was honest about what to expect. I would've appreciated it if I was warned that Madea is in less than half the movie. That's right, LESS THAN HALF! This is one of the movies where you have to program certain chapters in order for it to be a comedy.For Christ's sake, he put Madea's name in the title of the movie! Isn't he aware of the unwritten rule that if a movie is named after a certain character, he/she better be in 50% of the movie. They need to be the main character which Madea clearly wasn't.This movie needed a different title. For example: Pimps & Hoes, On Your Back for a Fix, or In Love with a Ho.Let me ask you a question, did Top Gun advertise Val Kilmer on the front of the movie case? No. Because he wasn't a main character. Tom Cruise was! This movie reminds me of the Sweetest Thing. Remember how the first part of the movie made you laugh and then Cameron Diaz starts crying and you begin to feel uncomfortable because you weren't expecting this. If I wanted to see or hear people cry about meaningless relationships, I would go back to high school.Anyway, let's get back to Madea. I still can't believe the main characters turned out to be a junkie prostitute and a man who doesn't know how to make crying seem believable. My God, it was like he was laughing with his eyes squeezed shut. Then there's the she-male in a women's prison. Does Tyler Perry really think that they would put a man in a women's prison simply because he had a sex change operation? I've read some comments for people who like to hate on Madea. They would be happy if Madea wasn't in the movie at all. I'm not one of those people. The problem with this movie is that it can't make up its mind on who the main character is and what kind of movie it wants to be. Like a 2-year-old who says he needs to pee and wants you to take him to the bathroom just so he can lay on the floor and laugh at how mad you're getting. Wait, where did that come from? Why couldn't this movie just give equal time to each character the way Boogie Nights did? Could you imagine if Dirk Diggler was only in that movie for less than thirty minutes? That's what Tyler Perry and the editors did to Madea. Maybe THEY wanted to focus on the other characters more than her but I think that I speak for many when I say WE DIDN'T! "I lured her to a house full of horny men who surprisingly raped her!" "Did you know that they were gonna do that to me?" "I called out for you and you weren't there!" This is not what I expected and I don't think I can ever trust Perry again after this crap! I voted 5/10 simply because Madea is in SOME of this film.

beregic as i see it, the main problem here has to do with the title itself ; not appropriate since the ACTUAL(and otherwise excellent) plot has not much to do with "Mandea"...i can only assume that Tyler wanted to kill two birds with one stone = the movie is targeting the wrong audience ( the one looking for cheap forgettable laughs that is). therefore i can somehow understand the low ratings for this particular feature even if i do not agree.getting past that, the plot involving the prostitute and the lawyers is just as good if not better then the other social oriented movies Tyler has made for the REAL "working class". keeps true to realism and "good people" morale theme. it has nothing to do with organized religion as some reviewers have implied before me, but rather with having FAITH, a term that is universal just differently interpreted by each of us. the are some VERY sensible scenes and realistic dialoguesacting in itself is good to very good except for...Tyler.he should give up acting he is quiet BAD at that, and should refrain himself to be a great director as he always has...it is good that he does not take too much screening time himself...Keshia Knight Pulliam would be the best actor here as well as Derek Luke and Viola Davis.for mandea plot i a give 5 rating and for the alternative one a full 10, therefore we come to 7-8.reccomended for mature audiences looking for realism in America; this movie also exposes very well the hypocrisies affecting all social classes.