Sommerleigh Pollonais, Senior Writer
Plot: Madea’s back, hallelujer! And she’s not putting up with any nonsense as family drama erupts at her great-grandson’s college graduation celebration.
Review: I have the same issues with Tyler Perry that I do with M. Night Shyamalan. Both directors (and writers) started out by delivering movies that were entertaining and original in their own ways with characters we initially wanted to see again and again. Then something went very, very¸ wrong and a dozen films later we somehow ended up with a bunch of movies from them that are varying degrees of stale, mediocre or straight-up lazy with characters that range from forgettable to straight-up annoying. Secondly, and I don’t know if it’s just me, but both directors somehow still manage to make us interested enough in their work to keep coming back, even when we know chances are we’re going to end up with another forgettable flick.
So here I am once again watching another “Madea” movie. Call me a fool or a glutton for punishment but I couldn’t help myself. And while I truly AM NOT a fan of Perry’s films, there’s just something about this ridiculous character that keeps me coming back.
Madea is always the strongest element of each and every one of these films as all the other personalities are thinly written. The story itself comes across like a first draft instead of a fleshed out screenplay, and the acting is weaker than watered-down whiskey. I honestly didn’t expect anything from Homecoming and that’s why I was genuinely surprised to find myself laughing out loud for the majority of the runtime. I guess the 12th time is the charm (can you believe this is the 12th Madea movie?!) as this was one of the funniest Tyler Perry movies I’ve seen since the introduction of the character to the big screen. It seems like Perry finally remembered the reason people enjoyed these movies was because of Madea as he makes sure the character has more screen time here even if the story’s focus is on her great-grandson’s college graduation.
There is a subplot centered around said great grandson coming out as he brings his “friend” Davi to the celebration with him, which presents us with Davi’s family in the form of his Aunt Cathy and his great aunt Agnes. Agnes is basically the Irish version of Madea portrayed by Brendan O’Carroll. It was a stroke of genius on Perry’s part as this character actually does exist in her own real life Irish television show called Mrs. Brown’s Boys where O’Carroll, like Perry, dresses in drag to portray the matriarch in a similar style to what we find in the Madea movies. Both actors worked really well together and the addition of this character does add genuine humour to the story.
The pacing here is also the best I’ve seen in a Madea movie in years and surprisingly at no point was I overly bored by it. Now I’m not going to pretend this is stellar filmmaking or “must-see” TV (or in this case Netflix) as it still has all the same nonsense you’ll find in Perry’s films such as poorly written characters who do nothing worth remembering and a story that plays more like a 90’s television show episode than a fully fleshed-out movie. But I would be lying if I didn’t admit this is by and far the funniest Madea movie I’ve seen in years. And just when I though this character was completely played out, Perry proved there are still some genuine laughs to be found at the big lady’s homestead.
If you’re not a fan, nothing here will change your mind. But Madea’s hardcore followers will find a lot to enjoy and for those just in the mood for some easy laughs to pass the time I’m sure there’s a scene or two that will get a grin out of you. Hallelujer!
Score 6 out of 10
So are you a fan of the Madea films? Which is your favourite? And you can check out more comedy reviews below:
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.
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