Movie Review: A Madea Christmas (2013)

The movie stars Tyler Perry, Larry the Cable Guy, Tika Sumpter, Anna Maria Horsford, Kathy Najimy and Eric Lively.

I'm actually not a big fan of Tyler Perry movies, but my wife is. So, when she wanted to watch this movie this past weekend, I decided to watch it with her.

Overall, I will admit the movie was slightly better than I thought it would be. However, while Tyler Perry's Madea character was, at times, funny, I found this film didn't really change my mind about his movies in general. And, to be honest, I was actually a little disappointed by it.

I think my biggest problem with this movie is it advertises itself as a Christmas movie. While there is, admittedly, a reference to Christmas, I don't think I can truly classify this in the same category as other holiday movies.

The main reason for this is the Christmas portion of the film actually plays second fiddle to the almost obnoxious storyline involving Lacey (Sumpter), her racist mother (Horsford) and Lacey's white husband (Lively). While there were some entertaining moments that were the result of this, mostly because of Larry the Cable Guy as her father-in-law, this part seemed to take up a large amount of the film, to the point it probably could have been a completely separate, non-holiday, movie.

As a result of that part of the plot, the real Christmas-themed portion of the movie, involving the Christmas jamboree and a sponsor who didn't want Jesus to be part of the celebration, was watered down and rushed to the point it just didn't have the same impact it probably could have had if the writers had paid more attention to it.

In fact, Madea didn't even seem to have a role in that part of the movie. Everything happened without her being in the room and the issues were resolved, way too easily, without her help. It's almost as though it was thrown in at the last minute just so the movie could be released around Christmas.

Larry the Cable Guy helps save some of the scenes but, overall, I thought this movie was, at best, misleading. If you're looking for a movie that is about reverse racism, this is a film you might enjoy. If you are looking for a Christmas-themed comedy, there are definitely better choices.

My Grade: C