โHellurโ! Madea, the southern pistol-packing matriarch is back at it for Tyler Perryโs latest film, โA Madea: Homecoming.โ
This time around, viewers can enjoy the wild yet lessonโpacked antics of Madea welcoming her family home in celebration of her great-grandson Timโs (Brandon Black) graduation from college – only buried family secrets threaten to ruin the homecoming.
Interestingly enough, just a few years ago we may not have seen the likes of the sassy southern grandmother grace our screens today. In 2018, Perry, the empire-building media mogul was ready to bid adieu to his iconic character Madea after his box-office hit โA Madea Family Funeral.โ
Fast forward to March 2020: the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. A frenzy of confusion. City-wide shutdowns. Unjust murders and lack of convictions, and most of all fear.
While Perry didnโt originally plan on moving forward with his infamous character and still says he โ[doesnโt] know if sheโs here to stay,โ one thing he was certain of was that the world could use some humor in their lives.
โAfter the pandemic, the selection, the division, and social and civil unrest I wanted to do something that made us all laugh, Perry says. โMy best tool in my toolbox to make us laugh is Madea so, it was a no-brainer to bring her out.โ
A no-brainer indeed.ย
If there’s one thing Madea can do, it’s make an unforgettable entrance that will have you rolling on the floor laughing and simultaneously feel as if youโve just been taught a valuable lesson.
โI wanted [Madea] to actually have something hard to say,โ Perry says.ย
In reference to having Madea combine humor with hard-learned truths in his projects, Perry mentions that he โwanted to wrap comedy in it so that comedy could be the anesthetic and we could laugh but really leave thinking about some of the things she said.โ
In short, itโs just the Madea way and as perry states, โthatโs always been who she is.โ
The blend of spiritual themes, the realities of life, and comedy is a mixture that Perry seems to have mastered quite well, and that isnโt lost on his audience either.ย
Amassing a total of 13 million followers combined on his Twitter and Instagram account, itโs become clear that Perryโs iconic character (among his other numerous box-office hit projects) is giving out exactly what they need to keep his fans tuned in.
โItโs been over two decades and they’re still coming, that for me is like, โwoah,โ Perry says in awe.
Itโs no doubt that audiences worldwide will keep coming to see Perryโs films, which do a superb job of addressing relatable, real-life events that occur in many families of all backgrounds – this is especially when it comes to โA Madea Homecoming.โ
Viewers will find that โA Madea Homecomingโ features its first-ever gay character in a Madea film in the form of Tim (Brandon Black), as he adjusts to life back home from college with his family.ย
In speaking at the purple carpet premiere recently in L.A., Black mentions that characters like his โexist in families, theyโre in everybodyโs family and we havenโt seen it yet,โ and he’s โso happy to be the one to show it.โ
Perryโs ability to tell stories that are relatable that many can find similarities is a reflection of his own life experiences.ย
โThat’s how my life has been, Perry says about the Madea films.
โMy whole life we go to church on Sunday, we deal with hell on Friday, Wednesday weโre laughing, Thursday weโre upset and crying about something so, itโs just art imitating life. Life imitating art. It’s the same moments that I had growing up that I just continue to write about. Those worlds are still rich and I still haven’t tapped the bottom of the well with all the stories that I have.โย
As for Perryโs next story?
โI’m working on a Joe movie,โ Perry says with a chuckle about the character he plays who happens to be Madeaโs brother. โJoe take vegas. Yeah, Joe has got to have his own movie. I love that dude!โ
Get into Tyler Perry’s, A Madea Homecoming today on Netflix!
