TYLER PERRY’S MADEA’S BIG HAPPY FAMILY
A faith-centered family comedy undermined by marijuana jokes and crude humor.
Should You Watch It?
This is a mixed bag. Tyler Perry’s film ultimately values forgiveness, faith in Jesus, family, and the restoration of damaged relationships. Its serious scenes are often more effective than its comedy, and the family’s eventual movement toward peace gives the story a warm moral center.
But the movie surrounds those good qualities with too much marijuana humor, numerous obscenities, family arguing, crude sexual comments, and other mature material. Aunt Bam’s drug use is played largely for laughs even as she presents herself as a Christian. Madea’s destructive behavior is also treated comically.
Because the source rates the movie −2 for family content and only two stars for entertainment quality, this is better saved for discerning adults at home, not chosen for a family movie night.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESShirley, a sweet middle-aged mother, learns that her cancer has returned and gathers her large, clashing family under one roof to share the news.
Instead of listening, her children and their families immediately fall into old conflicts. Madea arrives to take charge, while Aunt Bam brings trouble of another kind. Beneath the arguments are struggles involving marriage, fatherhood, money, crime, and the possibility of forgiveness.
Is It Any Good?
Two stars means the film has worthwhile emotional and moral moments but is too uneven to recommend broadly. Perry is stronger in serious scenes and in drawing out his characters’ emotions than in the over-the-top humor surrounding Madea.
The movie also offers a humorous final showdown that satirizes the morally bankrupt “Maury” reality talk show and turns its destructive portrayal of dysfunctional families on its head. However, the comedy repeatedly leans on marijuana jokes and crude material, which detract from the more heartwarming scenes. The film’s sharp swings between serious and comic moments make it a mixed bag.
The Worldview
The film presents faith in Jesus, family forgiveness, and reconciliation as central to a meaningful life. It also emphasizes the damage caused when fathers and husbands abandon responsibility, and it ultimately shows troubled family members moving toward better moral choices.
The movie’s Christian message is weakened by the behavior it treats as comic entertainment. Aunt Bam proclaims faith in Jesus while defending her marijuana use, and other Christians fail to live consistently with their beliefs. Some wrongdoing is rebuked or resolved positively, but the drug humor, anger, lying, disrespect, vandalism, and sexual joking remain significant distractions.
Tyler Perry’s Madea character is a loud, wisecracking woman whose abusive and destructive behavior is played for laughs. Perry is more effective with the film’s serious emotional portrayals than with some of its broad comedy. Viewers who already dislike the character’s cartoonish drag-centered approach may find her emphasis especially distracting.
At its heart, the film longs for peace in a broken family and presents forgiveness as the path toward it. Scripture says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Very strong Christian worldview with strong moral elements extolling Jesus, faith and family forgiveness as the most important elements of life, as a mother attempts to bring peace to her clashing family when she receives a dire cancer diagnosis, but the movie is marred by an incredible excess of marijuana use by two of its main characters, Madea and Aunt Bam, as well as numerous wisecracks about marijuana use and verbal justifications for it and some Christians misbehave but are also rebuked, one explicitly; nearly 50 light obscenities (mostly the “h” word, with a couple of “d” words), as well as a few mentions of Jesus’ name in vain; some comic violence such as slapping and main character gets angry at fast food people and drives her car through the building when they act lazy and unprepared; some sexual references to fornication and having babies out of wedlock, plus one comical villain lustfully rubs against a handsome young male doctor and makes crude sexual comments; no nudity; some alcohol use; smoking and excessive marijuana references and jokes, plus some references to drug dealing; and, strong miscellaneous immorality and problems, some of it played for laughs and some of it rebuked or resolved positively, including numerous family arguments, lying, uncontrolled anger, vandalism, lack of respect, demanding girlfriend mocks boyfriend, and some Christians don’t live up to their faith, though one is strongly rebuked and another not so much.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The film connects family peace with forgiveness. What makes forgiveness difficult, and how does Jesus’ forgiveness shape the way Christians forgive others?
Ephesians 4:32 · Colossians 3:13Several characters struggle with responsibility in family and marriage. What does Scripture say about serving and honoring one another at home?
Ephesians 5:21 · Ephesians 6:4Aunt Bam claims that marijuana use is no big deal while calling herself a Christian. Why should a believer’s actions agree with his or her confession of faith?
Titus 2:7–8 · James 2:17The story includes lying, anger, disrespect, and the temptation of easy money. Which of these causes the greatest damage, and what would repentance look like?
Proverbs 12:22 · 2 Corinthians 7:10The Final Word
This movie’s faith in Jesus and message of family forgiveness give it a worthwhile center. But the excessive marijuana humor, profanity, crude material, and uneven comedy make it a poor family choice. For discerning adults who want to watch at home, our answer is WAIT FOR HOME — ADULTS ONLY. Families looking for something cleaner can start here:
