A Madea Christmas (2013) User Reviews

Another okay Tyler Perry movie

[tammyaphillips · 6/10 · 27 December 2013]

Let me first say that I am a fan of the man Tyler Perry. His struggles, his perseverance, his rise to fame are inspirational to me and to so many others. He has had a hand full of good movies: A Diary of Mad Black Woman, The Family that Preys and the first Why Did We Get Married. Then, he has several movies that have a character and/or a scene and/or a particular actor/actress I like in them. I usually enjoy these movies and could see them again. Then there are the truly awful movies like the second Why Did We Get Married.

Madea's Christmas is in the second group. I enjoyed this movie more than I expected to. There were some opportunities to laugh out loud. The cast was fine especially Anna Marie Horsford and Larry the Cable Guy. There were the poignant moments and once I actually had a tear trying to pop up in one eye. Seeing Blair from the Facts of Life was nice.

If you are expecting an Oscar worthy movie, you will get your feelings hurt. If you want a movie you can enjoy with your family (they could have edited out the use of a particular curse word), you will be okay.

Not What I Was Expecting, But Good!

[michaelgarykelley1994 · 6/10 · 14 December 2013]

Last night, my mother and I decided to go to the premiere of the newest Tyler Perry film, "A Madea Christmas". We have seen all of the Madea films for the first time in the passed three months, and we have come to love Tyler very much as a writer and director. For me, the last two Madea films, "Madea Goes to Jsil" and "Madea's Witness Protection" just weren't that good. My mother, however, loved them even more than the original two films. "A Madea Christmas" has exactly what the previous films were missing: heart and a message. Tyler truly created a good little play-like film that explores themes still relevant to today. Anyways, let me begin the actual review, rather than my backstory.

When Madea's niece tells her mother that she cannot make it home for Christmas this year, the mother begs Madea to drive her down South to see her daughter for the holiday. Once again, we have a hilarious caper of twists and turns that make us laugh and cry, that touch us and uplift us. I prefer to call this film more of a dramedy than a comedy. It's serious, yet lighthearted.

Tyler Perry's writing is all-in-all brilliant, in my opinion. He knows how to craft characters as well as craft hilarious scenes. Sometimes Perry even drops one-liners that either make us laugh, drop our jaws, and sometimes he makes us do both. The man has a heart, and I love that about him. Tyler's films typically get low ratings for no reason whatsoever. They continually kill me with laughter, and this one shocks me the most. I found it to be the funniest out of all five films, but it is definitely not my favorite. It marches in order after "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" and then "Madea's Big Happy Family".

The acting in this film was excellent, as well! Chad Michael Murray dominates a role as the town tough guy, whilst a small boy (surprisingly playing Chad Michael Murray's character's son) touches everyone's heart who watches the film. I nearly cried at one point, due to how exceptional this young man's acting skills were. He deserves so many awards for what he did with his character. My main attraction for the film was Larry the Cable Guy. That man has done so many awful comedy sketches, but even HE did a fantastic job with his character! The main characters weren't cookie-sheet cut-outs, but legitimate people, in my eyes. They all felt real, and so did this whole caper Madea was drug into.

The plot has many different story threads taking place, as well as many themes Tyler Perry has thrown in that correlate directly with things like "keeping Christ in Christmas" debates taking place in this day-and-age.

The film is absolutely hilarious, yet heartfelt. I laughed, I teared-up, and I cheered in awe at the ending song. My audience was so into the film that no one happened to be texting, or anything! What a wonderful experience! The only thing missing from the film, in my opinion, was Madea's husband. He has always been my favorite character, and I was disappointed that he didn't appear whatsoever, even as a cameo. I couldn't help but take a star away for his absence.

It isn't the best movie of the year, but I'm happy to see Mr. Perry get his footing right, this time around. I will continue to watch these fun-filled movies.

Enjoy, and God bless, my friends! Praise The Lord and Merry Christmas!

This actually is more entertaining than the reviews would imply, emphasis on entertaining over good.

[kevin_robbins · 6/10 · 2 December 2022]

A Madea Christmas (2013) is a movie that I recently watched on Amazon Prime. The storyline follows Madea's good friend that pays her to drive her to the country to see her daughter after the daughter informed the mom she isn't coming home for Christmas. The daughter has a secret she's not ready to share with her mom...she married a white man. When the mother unexpectantly arrives at her daughter's house her new husband has to pretend to not be her husband. Further complicating matters is the husband's family is coming over for Christmas.

This movie is written, stars and directed by Tyler Perry (Diary of a Mad Black Woman) and also stars Larry the Cable Guy (Cars), Tika Sumpter (Sonic the Hedgehog), Anna Maria Horsford (Friday), Lisa Whelchel (The Facts of Life), Chad Michael Murray (Freaky Friday) and Eric Lively (American Pie).

This actually is more entertaining than the reviews would imply, emphasis on entertaining over good. The storyline is fun to watch unfold and the cast is very good. Larry the Cable Guy versus Madea all movie was hilarious. The dialogue was very good and well written. The Mary J Blidge and Joe story about the birth of Jesus had me cracking up, the entire store sequence and firing was hilarious and the white ankles scene was comedic gold. I will say the constant reliance on lies part of the storyline was a bit over used, but the little boy plot was sad but good.

Overall, this is an entertaining watch and slightly better than the reviews would lead you to believe. I would score this a 6/10 and recommend seeing it once.

Typical Sit-Com Humor

[stevendbeard · 13 December 2013]

I saw "Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas", starring Tyler Perry-all the other Madea movies, Alex Cross; Anna Maria Horsford-The Shield-t.v., Minority Report; Tika Sumpter-Sparkle, Salt; Eric Lively-24-t.v. movie- 2008, American Pie and Larry the Cable Guy-Witless Protection, Delta Farce.

This is another of the Madea movies that Tyler wrote, directed and stars as the title character, Madea-he seems to get lots of laughs as a cross- dresser. The movie starts with Tyler working as a department store Santa, with Anna, his/her sister-in-law. Contrary to the previews, this is only at the beginning and changes scenery, quickly. Anna wants to visit her daughter, Tika, who lives in a small Alabama town-of course she takes Tyler along for the company-but when they get there, they meet Eric and his father, Larry, which brings out a lot of typical sit-com type situations. The town has an annual Christmas Carnival that comes dangerously close to being canceled, unless someone can save the day-any guesses, as to whether it continues with the annual tradition? There are a few laughs but it reminded me more of a basic cable t.v. show. Larry even gets in a few jokes about Prilosec and his old touring buddy, Jeff Foxworthy. Bigotry even shows up, but it's mainly from Anna's character, which is a little different. There are a few bloopers shown as the end credits start but nothing is at the very end. It has a "PG-13" rating for language, some crude humor and sexual references-no actual nudity-and has a running time of 1 hour & 45 minutes. It's not one that I would buy on DVD. If you are a big fan, you might want to rent it but otherwise, wait until it comes to cable.

Time to say goodbye to Madea

[carzellako04 · 1/10 · 15 December 2013]

While Witness Protection was a slight deviation in quality from Perry's previous films, I saw this one to give him another chance. This movie was awful! I think Perry touched on interesting subject matter in terms of the relationship between the two main characters and the class and race issues which surrounded them. Madea had about two or three funny lines throughout the movie which can be seen in the movie previews. However, the acting was terrible,the storyline dragged and parts of it seemed completely implausible. Who would believe that a "city girl" from Atlanta ends up living on a farm in rural Alabama and still walks around in 5 inch heels on a farm. The random phone call from her ex which started the movie also seemed unbelievable and caused the movie to get off to a very rocky and slow start. After wasting my time with this movie I think Perry should stop making Madea films. The formula is old and not working anymore. Don't waste your time seeing this.

Christmas is Dead

[okayfrog · 1/10 · 17 December 2013]

For those that like Tyler Perry's films and especially the Madea films -- you know who you are -- I'm sure this would be another enjoyable foray into that world. Nah, this review isn't for you. This is for the other people who for some godforsaken reason might end up having to watch this film. I've sat through a lot of crap, and I just couldn't make it through this. I lasted longer than I thought I would, so I'll give myself that. You're basically paying for a made-for-TV movie you'd see on either BET or Hallmark channel. Incredibly bad script, a narrative that is bland and uninteresting, repetitive jokes that are the opposite of funny, screen transitions you'd expect to see on a sitcom's Christmas special, and lazy camera-work.

The only redeeming quality of this film is the attractiveness of Tika Sumpter, I mean goddamn does she look gorgeous.

Certain characters make it almost unwatchable!

[dawgsfan92 · 7/10 · 7 December 2019]

The mother and the daughter make this movie almost unwatchable! The daughter not telling the mom about her relationship when she had countless times and her mother being SO annoying that you want to smack her! It's absolutely ridiculous! Madea is literally the only saving grace of this movie!

Go and see it but don't expect too much!

[pringlebda · 4/10 · 18 December 2013]

I'm a big Tyler Perry fan and watch his movies purely for entertainment so being pleasantly surprised is always a bonus. No bonuses with this one. I was entertained by the movie which has a cute and credible story line which requires that the focus not be solely on Madea and her antics. This is refreshing however I think there were areas where the storyline could have been flushed out more. I think some of the antics by Madea were just darn-right rude, unnecessary and boisterous (primarily the department store scenes) but at the same time I also liked how Madea showed her intuitive side and brought the warring factions together. Just a little over the top in some places, some jokes generated forced laughter and there was definitely a big opportunity lost to make a good story great. I've never been a big Anna Maria Horsford fan but she was okay in the role. Tika Sumpter is just stunning to look at throughout. JR Lemon... yummy! Can Shonda Rhimes get him on Scandal please!! I love love love Noah Urrea and look forward to watching his star rise. Go and see it but don't expect too much.

Merry Christmas, Madea Style!!!

[Pumpkin_Man · 10/10 · 15 December 2013]

Tyler Perry is a very interesting person. He gives Tommy Wiseau a run for his money. In pretty much all his movies, there is random sub-plot drama that I love to make fun of. There is always some woman in an abusive relationship or trying to better herself, up to a family member slowly dying from a disease. Personally, I just wish he'd stick directly on the Madea character. She's the main star that everyone wants to see. That's what was great about her last outing, Witness Protection. It was basically focused on her and dealing with Eugene Levy's family.

A Madea Christmas kinda returns to the basics with a little family drama, but not overkill. It was the right amount of drama and the right amount of Madea. It's filled with good comedy, cheesy but funny one- liners, good messages, and should hopefully put you in the Christmas spirit.

Madea is working part-time at a department store for the holidays with her friend, Eileen. Eileen is depressed because her daughter, Lacey won't be able to make it home for Christmas. Eileen asks a reluctant Madea to help drive her out to Alabama to Lacey's for Christmas. Lacey is startled because she has not told her mom that she has married a white man named Conner. Lacey soon has to deal with in-laws, keeping secrets from her mom and trying to get the Christmas Jubilee to keep its religious tone. If you love Madea and Christmas movies, I highly recommend A MADEA Christmas!!!

One of the funniest entries, but WOW the editing mistakes!

[maxsideburn · 7/10 · 19 February 2020]

It's probably one of the funniest Madea movies, but there are literally scenes completely out of order and one scene even REPEATS. Don't know who edited but man did they drop the ball on it.

Predictable

[shani_dayo · 4/10 · 6 September 2015]

This Movie brings nothing new to the table, but a different cast. I think Tyler Perry has lost His touch as far as comedy and offering a pleasurable experience. None of the Characters are likable and come off as idiots without an independent thought. The movie as a whole is to dry and meaningless for words, not to mention it only had a few moments that made me chuckle. Half way through the movie I lost interest and couldn't keep my eyes open to finish this sad attempt at a good film. There isn't much to say about it, mediocre at best. I wouldn't waste money or Your day to go see or buy this movie, nothing more but a cheesy mess. Tyler, You have most certainly lost Your touch! Stick to plays from now on!

A Big Laugh For The Holidays.

[pdbodyshop · 8/10 · 24 December 2020]

For some reason my wife and I just got around to watching this one. IMO this is the best one ever and brought much laughter to our hearts.

Another Tyler Perry Madea Comedy With Morals

[leighabc123 · 6/10 · 28 December 2013]

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?

Easily the worst Madea film Tyler Perry has made.

[sweetemotion2 · 5/10 · 1 January 2014]

Let me preface this by saying I absolutely love the Madea series of films, and most of Tyler Perry's work, but this film nearly put me to sleep.

Like most of Perry's films, there are great jokes (though not enough of them) and moral lessons, but where this film falls through is its numerous intertwined plot lines, all of which become muddled as the story takes its turns. What also weakens this film is the odd lack of screen time for the title character, as Madea is obviously the star of the show.

And, unfortunately, Cicely Tyson isn't around this time to add life to a very stale film. Though there are some fun cast members (Kathy Najimy was a nice surprise) it's not enough to make this entertaining.

Wait for it on cable, folks.

Can I send it back?

[The_Film_Cricket · 29 June 2015]

It may be somewhat by design that I'm a little late to the cult of Tyler Perry and by extension to the mysteriously popular fatuous imbecile that inspires him to put on a dress and a grey wig. Either you get on board with this Madea character or you don't. Personally, I don't. I find the character irritating; an outdated stereotype that sets the course of African-Americans back at least three quarters of a century. I know it sounds like I'm being a stick in the mud, but seriously, every time I see this character I feel the need to be anywhere else. She's annoying, a filter-less motor-mouthed battle-axe somewhere in her 70s who perpetually dresses in muumuus and spouts ignorance one minute and biblical platitudes the next.

Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas is my second exposure to this character after the bizarrely ham-fisted I Can Do Bad All By Myself. Both films, to be honest, are a chore to sit through if you aren't in love with Perry's alter ego. While Christmas is slightly better than the previous film, but that's basically comparing ointment to suppository – take a look at my rating. What comes to light in this film, and in last year's laughably clumsy melodrama Tyler Perry's Temptations: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor is how inept Perry is as a filmmaker.

I'm not kidding, A Madea Christmas is so badly shot and so poorly edited that for a time I wondered if I was watching a rough cut of the film. There are moments when characters move out of the frame and the cameraman doesn't know what to do, so he simply zooms in on the actor left on the screen. There are moments during dialogue scenes that the camera focuses on a character who isn't talking and clearly the actor doesn't know he/she is being filmed. There are scenes and dialogue that simply stop as if the actors are signaling for another take.

Not that the story of Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas would have been any better with improved production values. This is a moronic film. It opens with an insufferable comic set-piece that finds Madea working with her great-niece Eileen (Anna-Maria Horsford) in a department store dressed as Santa Claus. I could say that shenanigans ensue except that while the idea of having Madea work customer service would seem to be a perfect comic opportunity for the character, the scene lasts five minutes before she is abruptly dismissed for opening her big mouth.

That idea dropped, the plot quickly moves to a country town where Madea travels with Eileen to visit her daughter. Her daughter Lacey (Tika Sumpter) doesn't want her mother to visit for Christmas because she's hiding the fact that she's engaged to a white man named Connor (Eric Lively). Ho HO! What could come of that is developed in a really offensive subplot in which Eileen becomes convinced that Lacey's fiancé and her parents (Kathy Najimy and Larry the Cable Guy) are members of the Klan. Why? Well, she walked in on her parents while the father had a bedsheet over his head. Yeah! It's also so we can have a lot of speechifying about race relations and getting along, which Tyler Perry delivers in every move with a sledge hammer.

The rest of the plot involves the town, a farming community, that has hit hard times ever since a dam was built by an evil and thoughtless corporation. They're main struggle in the movie is to have an annual jubilee that somehow will keep the town from going under financially. I'm not exactly sure how the jubilee is suppose to help, or why the farmers are harvesting their crops in December. I'm also not sure why Tanner (Chad Michael Murray), one of the neighboring farmers who lives close to Connor, insist that he not grow corn since he himself grows corn despite the fact that Connor has developed a way to grow corn without water. I may not know so much about farming, but I never thought it was a problem for two farmers to grow the same crop.

This is an illustration of a long list of things that – based on the films he makes – that he doesn't know about. In I Can Do Bad All By Myself, it becomes clear that he has a misunderstanding of how not only AA works but how child protective services works. In Temptation, it becomes clear that he has a misunderstanding of how the business world works and how therapy works. Here, it becomes clear that he has a misunderstanding of how agriculture works and how small local governments work. I don't know if it's just him if he thinks his audience won't notice. Rarely have I ever seen a filmmaker who has less respect for his audience's basic understanding of the world.

A Madea Christmas

[Scarecrow-88 · 5/10 · 19 December 2016]

Well, if you enjoy Tyler Perry's brand of Madea humor, with the addition of Larry the Cable Guy's redneck shtick this might be to your liking. It has its message of "accepting those who love each other regardless of race" out there loud and clear. It also is quite vocal about keeping Christ in Christmas. There is plenty to annoy those who might consider Madea a loud and opinionated blunt force instrument, with no willy-nilly from her in regards to nonsense (well, nonsense she considers, that is). If you make it past Madea's outburst in a department store where she berates her boss, customers, and staff "wanting her money" after being fired, then this might be what you're looking for in a comedy. In order to supplement Madea's antics, there's a central plot regarding a school in dire need of help and the town Christmas Jubilee on the skids due to no funding available. It seems a dam stopped up the water that has caused a drought, and the company responsible will be funding the jubilee when a teacher (Tika Sumpter, who is a real beauty) requests financial assistance from an old boyfriend (JR Lemon). The company demands that Christ (or nativity scene tribute) not be mentioned during the jubilee as stipulated in the contracted signed by the city's mayor and city council…the town up in arms, Sumpter is eventually fired at the urging of a student's resentful struggling farmer father (Chad Michael Murray, of One Tree Hill fame) to the mayor. Also in the film is Sumpter's reluctance to tell her overbearing, controlling mom (Anna Marie Horsford; I know her from the Sherman Helmsley show, "Amen") that she is married to a white man who owns the farm she lives. Madea knows about it rather early and tries to urge the truth be spilled as the lies only cause frequent discomfort and aggravation, especially when Sumpter's in-laws arrive (Kathy Najimy and Larry The Cable Guy, who are quite a pair). Unusual and rather welcome is that the hick parents are actually okay with an interracial marriage while the African-American mom is the one who might frown upon such a union. Ultimately, of course, Horsford agrees to try and accept her daughter's choice of a husband. The interracial subplot is obvious in making its message important to the viewing audience, which doesn't bother me at all. In fact, I enjoyed how Madea is the one who tries to get it all out in the open and over with. Horsford and Najimy at odds was a lot of fun to me, and the blow up that eventually is resolved when Najimy and Larry go out to console Horsford in the hopes of getting her back in the house is rather amusing and sweet. If you are atheist, you might want to kind of stay away from this, although Madea does rather butcher the story of Jesus more than a little bit in a class. There's also a minor subplot involving a child Sumpter sees potential in (Murray's hard-working, bullied farm kid, with the mother played by Alicia Witt, who deserves better parts than this). With Eric Lively as Sumpter's "corn scientist" husband, given a lecture on milking cows by Madea and Larry, who was bulled by Murray and eventually retaliates. Included in the film is a groaner of a scene where Murray is pulled from a burning wrecked truck by Horsford so that he can redeem himself to all he's hurt. Perry knows his audience: those who love the wholly honest and unfiltered Madea with her own way of talking will find that character right here. If you don't: skip it or else.

This Madea is rude and contrived

[yahaira-729-694701 · 1/10 · 11 December 2022]

I did not like this Madea seems the script is stereotypical characters from the south i.e., bullies and victims. The acting is bad and stiff. I usually.like TylePerry's comedy. I cant see the actress Tika as a friendly compassionate type rather I see her as the tough selfish . Character she played on "the haves and have nots". The kkk joke was not funny. The over bearing mother Eileen cant connect with her daughter Lacey. Who is in an interrascial relationship. The story Madea tells of the baby Jesus is funny. The Christmas is saved by Oliver who happens to do financial loans. Conners parents are more open and progressive than Lacey's folks who are clueless about Lacey's life.

Not a follower of Tyler Perry, but starting to be a lover

[AlexandraBello · 6/10 · 13 December 2013]

I really enjoyed this movie. I was never a fan of Madea's sequels but after I watched Madea's witness protection, I appreciated the beauty in the dialogs and the punch lines built into the situations.

I respect how Tyler Perry creates and develops a concept and that, of course, has a lot to do with his theater background which is more dialog and story driven than anything else.

From many fan based comments I know, even if I'm am not a follower of his work, that he has over exposed Madea in some of his past movies and plays; a thing that didn't ruin this movie at all, because it was notorious how Madea stayed out of the spot light long enough between scenes for me to find this experience enjoyable.

Anyways the cast was great and the synergy between them made this movie motivate me to watch any movies that are part of this franchise or sequels of this character's first movie.

The lovely things: I enjoy Madea's accent a lot, with all her slang words I don't even know half of the time which word she is saying; however it all makes sense once the sentence is completed. I enjoyed seeing Kathy Najimy in this movie; I think her performance was amazing; she is a long run actress that made the perfect fit. I don't have much reference of Larry the cable guy's acting, just the comedy, but he also did a great job. I also enjoyed seeing Alicia Witt so immersed in her careless fashion mom type of character, she is so beautiful, even when she goes all natural.

The unholy things: Sometimes Tyler Perry was just laughing his ass off while delivering a line, which is so unexpected for such a seasoned theater actor (I'm talking about a serious or regular line with no punch line or implied joke). However, the show must go on, especially if the director is not witnessing how unreal his lines feel, since he is the one delivering them the wrong way and not watching himself. I didn't love JR Lemon's performance because he seemed so into posing all the time; I know that can be a cover-up and they can blame it on the character profiling but it seemed a bit unnatural for me.

Another thing: Was it me or there was NO establishing shot of the school whatsoever. I already know the school was the same farm house, but Tyler Perry could've borrowed a real school's facade for this movie's purposes. A challenge of borrowing an actual school to make a movie is the type of thing that his Studios probably don't face. I am having that issue right now, while shooting a Christmas short film that takes place at a boarding school that we pretty much had to recreate while we were approved to shoot at the school for less days than we really needed to.

A good director like Tyler Perry knows how important establishing shots are in a film, to give the audience that feel of watching content outside of the TV studio or the Theatre setting; but I guess it wasn't possible to find that school on a rush that approved them for taking a facade shot.

In conclusion I give this movie 7 IMDb star and I think is a must watch. If you love Madea, the whole movies' set can be a classic collection for your heirs to own.

The Only Part I Liked About This Is Madea

[jaydadarensburg · 3/10 · 22 August 2022]

Madea was the only interesting/funny thing in here. Idk if anyone agrees but the teacher/daughter lady, Lacie, seemed a little creepy & annoying. Overall, a 3 because of Madea.

His best one..IMHO..

[edgmonjeff · 10/10 · 28 December 2013]

Very funny, didn't drag on too long as some have done, was entertaining throughout, along with adding enough drama to keep you interested. Larry the Cable Guy and Tyler Perry should work together more often, they were very funny in their scenes together. The scene where Madea stopped in and used the rest room, and the klan was gathering was hysterical. I wish Joe Simmons and the Brown's had made an appearance or two, they were some of my favorite characters from the previous movies. Nothing is funnier than when Tyler Perry playing Joe Simmons and Madea start arguing with each other. That kid Noah Urrea who played Bailey in the end is exceptionally talented, his future is very bright.

Madea is Breaking Bad . . .

[pixrox1 · 7/10 · 18 December 2013]

. . . 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.

Decent movie but wow the editing is terrible

[gsmarwa · 5/10 · 6 February 2024]

Tyler Perry's Christmas movie showed promising potential with its festive theme and engaging premise. However, the film fell short of expectations primarily due to its convoluted side stories that detracted from the main narrative. While Madea, portrayed by Perry himself, injected much-needed humor and charisma into the movie, the excessive focus on secondary plots left viewers longing for a more cohesive experience.

Madea's presence was undoubtedly the highlight of the film. Perry's portrayal of this larger-than-life character has always been a crowd-pleaser, and in the Christmas movie, Madea delivered some seriously funny moments that had the audience in stitches. Her unique blend of wit, humor, and unconventional wisdom provided a refreshing contrast to the chaotic side stories that often felt forced and unnecessary.

One of the glaring issues that hindered the movie's overall enjoyment was the haphazard edit, leaving the audience perplexed and struggling to follow the sequence of events. Scenes appeared to be stitched together without proper continuity, creating a disjointed viewing experience. The lack of coherence in the editing compromised the flow of the narrative, making it challenging for viewers to fully engage with the story. This editing flaw significantly detracted from the movie's potential impact and left many scratching their heads.

The side stories, which could have added depth to the plot, ended up being a major downfall. Instead of enhancing the main storyline, these subplots felt like unnecessary detours that only served to dilute the overall impact of the film. The audience was left longing for a more focused approach, where the central narrative could have been explored in greater detail, allowing for a more emotionally resonant and satisfying viewing experience.

Despite the film's missteps, Madea's character managed to salvage some entertainment value. Perry's comedic timing and infectious energy breathed life into the movie, providing moments of genuine laughter that momentarily distracted from the film's overall shortcomings. Madea's interactions with other characters, especially in the holiday setting, created a delightful contrast to the chaotic subplots, making her scenes the saving grace of the movie.

While the Christmas movie had the potential to be a festive crowd-pleaser, it ultimately stumbled due to its poorly executed side stories, lackluster editing, and a failure to capitalize on the strengths of its central character, Madea. Tyler Perry's comedic brilliance shines through, but it is overshadowed by the film's structural weaknesses. With tighter editing and a more focused narrative, the movie could have capitalized on its promising premise and delivered a memorable holiday experience. Unfortunately, the final product falls short of what could have been a holiday classic.

" A Madea Christmas " - 4 Thumbs Up for Christmas Laughs

[iMovieCritic-666-701399 · 10/10 · 15 December 2013]

" The hilarity of Larry The Cable Guy, and Tyler Perry keep this Christmas picture moving with over 115 laughs. ". Russell & Cissy

Madea (Tyler Perry) accompanies her niece, Eileen (Anna Maria Horsford), to the small town of Buck Tussel, Alabama to pay a surprise visit to Eileen's daughter, Lacey (Tika Sumpter), who has refused to come home for Christmas. The real reason Lacey is avoiding her judgmental mother is that she has secretly married Connor (Chad Michael Murray), a white classmate from college. When Eileen and Madea arrive at Lacey's farm, she tells them that Connor is an employee, but her lie soon spins out of control.

R & C Warnings: sexual references, crude humor and language (3).

Audience Emotional Responses ( Based on a near to full house ) Laughs 116, Ooooos 2, Awe moments 1.

Rating: PG-13: Parents Strongly Cautioned

Lions Gate Films - 1:52 - Release Date: December 13, 2013

Russell & Cissy, the Two Movie Critics rate movies based on ENTERTAINMENT VALUE only. Follow and LIKE us on facebook at TwoMovieCritics to receive new review updates.

Tyler Perry's A Medea Christmas goes down easy with the lessons and comedy

[tavm · 6/10 · 14 December 2013]

I've seen some Medea movies but this was the first time I've watched one in a movie theatre. I watched it with my movie theatre-working friend but since he was on call for a possible shift today, we saw it at a cinema for a competitor which meant we both paid admission. Anyway, there was plenty of laughter from the audience including my friend but I, myself, only chuckled during Medea's attempts at his department store job but by the time the scene changed to Alabama and the arrival of Larry the Cable Guy, I laughed plenty especially whenever he had dialogue with the Tyler Perry woman character! There's the putting-in-lessons about racism, a corporation's attempt to put "Christ" out of Christmas, and bullying to stew the pot to contrived effect though because it's meant to go down easy for about 90 minutes, one probably won't get too offended. Anyway, Tyler Perry's A Medea Christmas is indeed pretty entertaining especially if you watched TV during the '80s and liked recognizing Lisa "Blair Warner" Whelchel from "The Facts of Life" or Anna Maria "Thelma Frye" Horsford from "Amen" while viewing this...

Average at best

[mdf-87936 · 5/10 · 13 November 2022]

So basically, A Madea Christmas was nothing more than a Hallmark movie with a higher production value. This was the first Tyler Perry movie I've seen, and I'm pretty sure this will be my last.

The improv scenes including Larry the Cable Guy is this films only saving grace. Other than that, it's a very mundane movie with a weak character arc and and lazy story telling.

I truly believe that Mr Perry used the writers from The Hallmark Channel and asked them to write a generic, by the numbers script and have himself and Larry improvise scenes that add nothing to the story. It just seemed lazy to me.