I’ve never seen a Tyler Perry movie. I say this at the outset so I don’t get any “shut up, I bet you haven’t even seen a Madea movie” comments. No, I haven’t, and I probably never will. I guess I am an uninformed hater, but I simply cannot stomach the idea of contributing my hard-earned money to this franchise, even in the name of research and/or irony. Never. Here are the reasons this endless parade of mediocrity needs to end.

1. It’s Making Us Dumber!

A personal pet peeve, but the title character is called Madea. Don’t confuse her with Medea, tragic heroine of Greek drama. I am generally against things that make us dumber, and the thought that tweens today will grow up with THIS as their first impression of Me(a?)dea makes me vomit a little. I hear that Madea is maybe a common name for your grandmother in the South, but still. Is our children learning, people?

2 It’s a Crap Factory! Seriously. A Machine That Cranks Out Crap.

There have been 8 of these movies since 2002. That math alone doesn’t really indicate a quality product so much as an assembly line. The title progression smacks of a children’s book series, along the lines of The Berenstein Bears, Sweet Valley Twins/High, etc. With “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” the franchise was born, to be followed up with “Madea’s Family Reunion,” ”Meet the Browns,” and some other ones I can’t be bothered to look up. Next up, ‘Tyler Perry’s Madea and Too Much Birthday!” and “Madea and No Boys Allowed!” No, no, the latest release, currently in theaters and beating the JONAS BROTHERS MOVIE IN TICKET SALES is ‘Madea Goes to Jail’, and I hear ‘Madea’s Class Reunion’ is in the pipeline. You know why those book series have such simplistic and obvious titles? Because they are FOR CHILDREN, who fall in love with an easy to understand character, and for their parents who want to know exactly what it’s about before they open their wallets. Read More »