A Madea Christmas (2013)

As Good As It Gets

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

I don't like men dressing up like women. It's creepy. Also I don't like Eddie Murphy in drag and I am also not a fan of Mrs. Doubtfire either. When a black man dresses up like a woman he demeans and stereotypes black people. Period. I say this in all sincerely as I am "white". Worst movie of this "gender" has to be "White Chicks". Also not a fan of redneck-bashing movies like "Dumb and Dumber". Even the Naked Gun Series insults several minorities. Either I have no sense of humor, or I know what I don't like. "Blazing Saddles" was a break-though movie in this area, but it also opened up "Pandora's Box". The Christmas story here is actually better than expected, but the movie is not really that funny. What's funny about racial hatred? Best caught on cable next year or at Redbox. Save your money.

Once again Madea does many crazy mean things in this movie, such as steal from the job that she was fired from and hang a small child to a cross in the classroom for stealing. Anna Maria Horsford has been type-casted as a silly, whiny, obnoxious woman in every thing that she plays in! Tika Sumpter plays a teacher in a very small school. Larry The Cable Guy plays the redneck father. This movie mixes comedy with serious messages. Interracial marriage. Corruption. Keeping family secrets. An abusive father. Bullying. How can a teacher get fired in a school just because a parent says so without going before the school board? And who signs a contract without reading it?

Is anybody else as creeped-out as I am about Tyler Perry constantly appearing on-screen in drag? The next movie should have Medea as a serial killer because she is most definitely morphing into the look of a crazed serial killer. If you can get over the barrage of horrifying images of that (very much like LeBron James in drag) that this movie brings forth, the remainder is just the ash of what was probably a very weak, misguided idea to begin with. It is apparent from this film that Tyler Perry now considers himself a more serious film maker. But the results are laughable. This movie is three steps back from more relevant, and four steps back from funny. Tyler needs to look away from the mirror and take a careful look at his movies. He is ever more quickly moving toward C movie status.

. . . and going undercover to expose crime and racism in the American South. Though the switch from comedy to docudrama in TYLER PERRY'S A MADEA CHR!STMAS may go against Mr. Perry's forte, he is to be commended for this public service contribution to the citizenry of the U.S. In CHR!STMAS, we see how there are still as many Ku Kluxers as bed sheets in the South. We see a Black family (Eileen and Lacey) struggle to overcome decades of heartbreak after racist Dad has "moved on up" to a White woman. We see how a White man pretends to be a farmer (though he can't tell a bull apart from a milk cow) working on a new "corn syrup" formula, when it is obvious the main reason he married school teacher Lacey was to provide himself with "cover" for his Meth Lab operations. We also are warned that Ford pick-up trucks are liable to crash and burn for no reason at all, and we are shown the necessity for "brushing" away any evergreens planted too close to homes in wildfire country. Perry further exposes the conspiracy to steal Christ out of Christmas, and suggests that the American crime rate can be lowered by a return to crucifixion. The Madea writer\producer\director also lobbies for minimum wage workers to use any means necessary to obtain a "living salary" from their employers, even if it means raiding the till. The main "takeaways" from CHR!STMSAS: be suspicious of EVERYONE, and never sacrifice a "teaching moment" on the altar of humor.