Tyler Perry's Madea has become a rising star in the past decade. Her cutthroat honesty and unapologetic nature are relatable on so many levels. For most minority viewers, there's at least one family member that mirrors Madea's actions.
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Regardless of her over-the-top antics, Madea cares for her family and is happy to give them the guidance they need.The Madea franchise started as a series of recorded stage plays, which have now spanned over eleven films since 2005.
10 Diary of A Mad Black Woman Started It All (2005)
No one can forget the Madea movie that started it all: Diary of a Mad Black Woman. The 2005 film was Tyler Perry's debut and took audiences by storm through his hilariously raw performance as Mabel Earlene Simmons, affectionately known as "Madea." Her creation pays homage to his mother and aunt, and serves as the emotional pillar in her family and community.
After Helen's husband abandons her, ruining her seemingly put-together life, she visits her grandmother, Madea, who agrees to let her stay. She gradually begins to rebuild her life but still holds a grudge against her ex-husband. The movie does a great job at not only showing Helen's issues, but also delving into other hidden issues within the family.
9 Madea's Family Reunion Built Upon Its Predecessor's Success (2006)
Madea's Family Reunion is a direct sequel to Diary of a Mad Black Woman, making almost ten times its budget at the box office. While his first movie introduced the audience to the no-nonsense Madea, the second was the boost Perry needed in the film industry.
The film explores more of the family issues that overlap with other members of the Simmons family. While planning her family reunion, Madea was granted custody of a teen rebel named Nikki, while also dealing with her niece's struggling love life. In this touching film, Madea must do everything she can to keep the family from falling apart before the big day.
8 Madea Goes To Jail Had A Change Of Scenery (2009)
Besides a few of its predecessors, Madea Goes to Jail has to be one of Perry's most recognizable movies. Instead of an outsider the characters come to for advice or guidance, Madea takes a more active role as the movie's protagonist.
Madea's bad temper gets the better of her, and the judge sentences her to the prison's anger management course. At the same time, she meets a young prostitute named Candace, jailed for drug use. The two come from different backgrounds, but Madea still takes the young woman under her wing.
7 I Can Do Bad All By Myself Takes A Different Turn (2009)
Unlike his plays, Perry decided to create a different storyline for his fifth Madea film: I Can Do Bad All by Myself. It brings a sense of originality and melodrama — with Madea as a supporting character, while including still including her signature humor.
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Madea finds three siblings attempting to rob her and brings them to their only aunt: a nightclub singer named April. Initially, she wants nothing to do with the children and only cares about drinking and mooching off her boyfriend. But after meeting a young man named Sandino, her perspective on life begins to change.
6 Madea's Big Happy Family Gave Fans What They Needed (2011)
After receiving a distressing health diagnosis, Shirley wants to surround herself with her loved ones. However, her three adult children have more important things to worry about in their personal lives. At Shirley's request, Madea is tasked to round them up and bring the family together.
Despite its mixed reviews, Madea's Big Happy Family still made double its budget at the box office. It ranked #2 behind the 2011 3-D animated filmRio and kept Madea fans wanting more of their favorite trash-talking grandma.
5 Madea's Witness Protection Brings In A New Family (2012)
Recognized as one of Perry's most successful Madea movies, after Boo! A Madea Halloween and Madea Goes to Jail, Madea's Witness Protection had audiences roaring with laughter at the box office.
The film is unique since it doesn't focus too heavily on Madea's direct or extended family members. Instead, she hosts a family under witness protection after the patriarch is framed for his company's Ponzi scheme. Hilarity still ensues as Madea is more than happy to keep her new guests in line.
4 A Madea Christmas Is The Franchise's First Holiday Film (2013)
In 2013, Lionsgate blessed Madea fans with the first official Christmas movie: A Madea Christmas. The concept of a Santa Madea was too funny to pass up, as she takes a part-time job as a mall Santa but ends up fired on her first day.
Still, a Madea movie isn't complete without a bit of family drama. Madea goes with her niece, Eileen, to visit her daughter Lacey for the holidays. However, Lacey has been hiding something from her mother, specifically her interracial marriage.
3 Boo! A Madea Halloween Blends Two Film Genres (2016/2017)
A comedy-horror movie is a fun subgenre that delivers a good mix of scares and gut-busting laughs. The Boo! A Madea Halloween two-part movies are perfect for fans looking for something just scary enough to pass the horror checklist while also enjoyable. While both movies received negative reviews, the first one is the third-highest-grossing Madea film to date.
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In the first movie, Madea's great-niece, Tiffany, sneaks out to attend her friends' Halloween party. However, the police and Madea soon shut the function down, much to the ire of Tiffany's classmates. The second movie takes Tiffany and Madea to Derrick Lake for another Halloween party, but this time, they have to deal with some unwanted non-human guests.
2 A Madea Family Funeral Forces Madea To Attend An Unexpected Event (2019)
2019's A Madea Family Funeral definitely brought laughs to an ordinarily somber event. The film is Perry's final production with Lionsgate as he's now partnered with ViacomCBS.
Madea travels to Georgia for what she believes is a family reunion. But instead, it turns out to be an unexpected funeral for her nephew-in-law. What was intentionally supposed to be a celebration has now become a hilariously awkward struggle to honor the deceased.
1 A Madea Homecoming Shows Fans Madea Hasn't Missed A Beat (2022)
A Madea Homecoming is the newest edition to the cinematic franchise, appearing on Netflix in February 2022. It's Perry's second film he created in partnership with Netflix after separating from Lionsgate in 2019.
In typical fashion, another family gathering descends into chaos. Madea struggles to cope with the drama that bubbles up during her great-grandson's college graduation.
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