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Vol. LXV, No. 17
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Wednesday, April 27, 2011
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Vol. LXV, No. 17
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Wednesday, April 27, 2011
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For more movie summaries, see Kam’s Kapsules.
(Photo by Quantrell Colbert)
I’M SORRY, BUT I’VE GOT SOME BAD NEWS: Shirley (Loretta Devine, left) is telling two of her three children Byron (Shad “Bow Wow” Moss, center) and Tammy (Natalie Deselle Reid) that she only has a few weeks more to live because the cancer that was in remission for the last seven years has returned. Shirley is Madea’s (not shown) niece. Since all of Shirley’s three children are having relationship problems, Madea steps in to help in her usual way, thereby taking some of the pressure off of Shirley.
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Hold onto your wigs and fat suits because Tyler Perry is back in drag as America’s sassiest granny. But don’t make the mistake of attributing the Madea series’ appeal to her bodaciousness alone, since she’s also loved for her sermonizing as well.
The sixth installment has a bittersweet storyline. At the point of departure we find Madea’s niece, Shirley (Loretta Devine), being told by her physician (Philip Anthony-Rodriguez) that the cancer she’s been successfully fighting for the past seven years has returned.
Despite the dire diagnosis she declines further treatment, explaining that she’s simply too tired to go through another round of chemotherapy. And so with only weeks to live, the devout Christian resigns herself to the will of the Lord.
However, she wants to see her three children one last time in order to break the unfortunate news to them in person. However, all of them are currently in bad relationships.
Daughter Tammy (Natalie Desselle) is married to a husband who is a wimp (Rodney Perry) who lets their sons (Stevie Wash, Jr. and Benjamin Aiken) walk all over her. Middle child Kimberly (Shannon Kane) cares too much about her high paying corporate job and its trappings of success and so she ignores her toddler and takes her patient hubby (Isaiah Mustafa) for granted.
Eighteen-year-old Byron (Shad “Bow Wow” Moss), Shirley’s youngest, is being pressured by his girlfriend (Lauren London) to supplement his modest income by selling drugs on the street again. Adding to the recent parolee’s angst is his exe’s (Teyana Taylor) demands for more child support for their son.
Guess whose help Shirley enlists to slap some sense into this dysfunctional menagerie? Madea, of course, who proceeds to browbeat her family into shape in her own inimitable style.
Along for the ride for comic relief are a couple of embarrassing relatives: Aunt Bam (Cassi Davis) and Mr. Brown (David Mann). The former is a feisty septuagenarian who smokes marijuana and flirts shamelessly with younger men. The latter is a master of malapropisms who confuses the words “prostitute” with “prostate,” “carbon peroxide” with “carbon monoxide,” and so forth. As usual Madea miraculously manages to straighten everybody out in time for the closing credits.
Very Good (3 stars). Rated PG-13 for profanity, mature themes, and drug use. Running time: 106 minutes. Distributor: Lionsgate Films.
For more movie summaries, see Kam’s Kapsules.