Buddy: "Did you hear the one about the two rabbis and the black dude?"
Madea: "Did you hear the one about the stray bullet who killed the redneck for telling the story about the two rabbis and the black dude?"
It is very rare to have a Christmas film such as this one that deals with not only the true meaning of Christmas, but forgiveness and a real observation on racism. If your unfamiliar with the Madea character, she is a 6'5" grandmother played by Tyler Perry. Madea is a vindictive, ornery woman who's not shy about causing a stir nor telling it like it is, such as in this scene when she plays Mrs. Claus at a department store:
Madea: "How you doing there? What can I get for you?"
Child: "Does Santa really work at the North Pole?"
Madea: "Uh no, he don't work. He lays on the couch and he drinks all day. He's trifling. I have to pay all the bills. He kinda like your mama, now, bye. Next!"
One of the funniest scenes upon their road trip is when they stop at a small town so Madea can use the bathroom; the gas station attendant leads Madea in the direction of a door, which upon Madea's entering is not a bathroom, but a KKK meeting. Never saw a 6'5'' grandmother in high heels move so quickly!
And, as for their Christmas surprise of visiting Lacey? They are in for a huge surprise when they find out Lacey has secretly married a white man named Connor. Lacey tries to cover up the marriage until the time is right, while Connor's red-neck parents show up to spend the holidays with them as well. Uh,oh.
Larry the Cable Guy plays Connor's dad Buddy, which makes for some hilarious conversations between him and Madea (as per the opening lines of this post). One of his other great liners,
"Lacey's vegetarian? That's alright, I'm Baptist and I still eat possum stew."
Within the tension filled home, it's Madea who uses her humor to stop the family feud and restore some holiday cheer. But not before going through some more funny stints, such as at the school where Lacey teaches and Lacey asks Madea to watch her class for a few minutes:
Madea: "I'm sorry. Watch, watch your class? She wants me to watch her class. Children? Child, me and children don't get along. Now let me see, ankle-biting, disease-carrying little children of God or your mama, satanic, loud mouth, diarrhea woman from hell? I think I'll go with the children. Praise God."
Madea's decision was a wise one because Lacey's mom Eileen is wicked and has difficulty accepting that her daughter is in an inter-racial marriage. But, as I stated, it is Madea who calms the feud.
This film not only deals with inter-racial marriage and the hardships it may bring within families, but the struggles of racism in general. Lacey has a strong connection with one of her students who comes across as gifted, but the boy's father doesn't like Lacey, so we see another true episode of racism.
One of the other stories within this film is the town's struggle to financially bring forth their annual Christmas Jubilee. A sponsor donates $100,000 to the event, but doesn't want Christ or nativity scene within the jubilee.
Overall, this Christmas film is not only funny, but touches on so many subjects that unfortunately still exist today. If your not familiar with the Madea movies, this film would be a good start for you and your family to share.
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