Themes: Single Parents, Family Gatherings, Death in the Family
Main Cast: Angela Bassett, Rick Fox, Margaret Avery, Frankie R. Faison, Jennifer Lewis
Release Year: 2008
Country: US
Run Time: 100 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Prolific playwright Tyler Perry adapts his popular stage play of the same name in this family-oriented comedy concerning a desperate mother who connects with the family she never knew. Brenda is a single Chicago mother of three who has been struggling for years to keep her kids off of the streets. Suddenly let go from her job with no warning to speak of, the eternally optimistic mother begins to experience a suffocating sense of hopelessness for the very first time in her life. When Brenda receives a death notice claiming that the father she has never met has passed away, she quickly gathers up the kids and sets out for Georgia to attend the funeral. Upon arriving in the Deep South, the once fretful mother is pleasantly surprised to discover that there is a whole side of the family she never knew existed. A crass but good-natured clan that welcomes Brenda and her children with open arms, the Browns' lazy summer afternoons and frequent trips to the county fair offer a much-needed contrast to the stress of surviving in inner city Chicago. Writer/director/actor Perry reprises his role as indomitable, law-breaking grandmother Madea in a comedy that proves sometimes second chances come when you least expect it. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Lance Gross - Michael; Sofía Vergara - Cheryl; Lamman Rucker - Will; Tamela Mann - Cora Brown; David Mann - LeRoy Brown; Irma P. Hall - Mildred; Tyler Perry - Joe/Madea; Phillip Van Lear - Michael, Sr.; LaVan Davis - Bus Driver; Mia Butler - Woman; Wes Kennemore - Carnival Worker; Mariana Tolbert - Lena; Chloe Bailey - Tosha; Olumiji Olawumi - Gang Member #1; Tory O. Davis - Man; Mark Russell Gray - Officer; LaNisa Renee Frederick - Bus Passenger; Jonathan Slocumb - Pastor; Robert C. Goodwin - Postman; Allen Edge - Samuel; Keith Kupferer - Supervisor; Jacqueline Williams - Worker; Phil Ridarelli - Power Company Worker; David Kronenwetter - News Reporter; Roy McCrerey - NBA Coach; Shawn Shepard - Doctor; Tom Clark - Press Member #1; Tasia Grant - Press Member #2; Michael Cole - Richard; Adrienne Reynolds - Waitress; Penny Slusher - Woman
Credit
Kim Williams - Casting, Alpha Tyler - Casting, Roger Bobb - Co-producer, Joseph P. Genier - Co-producer, Keith G. Lewis - Costume Designer, Tyler Perry - Director, Maysie Hoy - Editor, Michael Paseornek - Executive Producer, Aaron Zigman - Composer (Music Score), Joel C. High - Musical Direction/Supervision, Ina Mayhew - Production Designer, Sandi Sissel - Cinematographer, Reuben Cannon - Producer, Tyler Perry - Producer, Tyler Perry - Screenwriter, Tyler Perry - Play Author
