FAQ

Judge Mablean Ephriam releases Atlanta, Georgia matriarch Mabel "Madea" Simmons (Tyler Perry) from the charge of violating house arrest on the condition that she foster troubled runaway Nikki Graham (Keke Palmer). Meanwhile, Madea's great nieces Lisa (Rochelle Aytes) and Vanessa (Lisa Arrindell) are having troubles of their own and turn to Madea for her down-to-earth advice. Everything comes to a head at Madea's family reunion.

Madea's Family Reunion is based on a play of the same name, written by the film's director Tyler Perry, who stars as southern matriarch Mabel "Madea" Simmons (among other characters), often the comic relief element (and savior*) in otherwise malaise/tension-filled dysfunctional family dramas, i.e. whenever she isn't the protagonist.. Madea's Family Reunion is preceded by Madea, grand-mère justicière (2005) (2005) and followed by eight more live-action movies featuring Madea as one of the characters—Meet the Browns (2008) (2008), Madea Goes to Jail (2009) (2009), I Can Do Bad All by Myself (2009) (2009), Madea's Big Happy Family (2011) (2011), Madea: Protection de témoins (2012) (2012), A Madea Christmas (2013) (2013), Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016) (2016), and Tyler Perry's Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (2017) (2017)—along with an animated movie Madea's Tough Love (2015) (2015). [*Although Madea has no magical powers, special tools or blatant deus ex machina abilities, she much like Mary Poppins can show up out of the blue with the mission of rescuing a family from itself and she will do just that. This trope forms the basis of the Madea stories in which she is more of a supporting character and not the titular character.]

Lisa is engaged to investment banker Carlos Armstrong (Blair Underwood), who abuses her, and Vanessa is afraid to become emotionally involved with Frankie Henderson (Boris Kodjoe), a bus driver who loves her and her two children. As the movie progresses, it is learned that both of their problems stem from choices that their mother Victoria (Lynn Whitfield) made during their childhood.

On the day of the wedding, family and guests have gathered at the church, waiting for the doors to open and for Lisa and Carlos to arrive. When Lisa arrives, however, they are surprised to see that she isn't wearing her gown. Lisa announces that she won't be getting married, explaining that Carlos has been beating her every day since they became engaged and that it's time for her to start living for herself. Victoria immediately begins to berate Lisa, but Madea tells Victoria to shut up and to get her own life. When the wedding planner complains about all her preparations going to waste, Frankie steps forward and asks Vanessa to marry him instead. Vanessa agrees, and the wedding goes on with May (Maya Angelou) reading a poem about loving "in and out of time." Later, as Frankie and Vanessa dance together at the reception, Victoria approaches them to say that they are a "beautiful couple." Without saying a word, Vanessa takes her mother's hands, touches cheeks, and returns to dancing happily with her husband.