'Tyler Perry's Madea's Farewell Play' Review: Bittersweet compensation for sassy grandma signing off in style
Spoilers for 'Tyler Perry's Madea's Farewell Play'
Two decades ago when Tyler Perry's Madea had first come to the theatres, it was nothing short of revolutionary. A sassy, overprotective grandma who will do literally anything to solve her family's problems? Not every day you get to see that on the screen and perhaps that's what worked best for the character and its several, equally critically acclaimed appearances on the screen so far. When Perry decided it was time to pull the plug on embracing his snarky alter ego who won't take s**t from anyone, fans were left heartbroken. Especially the ones who hadn't yet managed to witness Perry in all his glory when he last put on the titular character's cap back in February this year, after an iconic sold-out theater tour that ran nearly all of 2019. For every single one of those fans, Perry and BET+ decided to add 'Tyler Perry's Madea's Farewell Play' to its streaming library and buckle up cause the ride is about to be epic.
Written and directed by the soap opera mogul himself, 'Madea's Farewell Play' is every bit as grand as the title suggests. Madea’s great-grandson, Malik (Jacobi Brown) has finally graduated from law school and celebrations are in order. Sadly, his mother Darlene (Alexis Hollins) is left indisposed and thwarted when her ex-husband William (Kendrick Mays) arrives out of the blue and the inevitable sparks fly. When that happens, of course, Madea has to dive headfirst into all the damage control she can ensure, but the final twist in the plot comes when the joyous family reunion ends with Madea and co traveling to Georgia. The reason? A funeral that digs more than just family secrets out of the closet and thus progresses the plot of the two-hour-long comedy that Perry makes sure one can never get enough of.
Some might wonder why Perry would give up the one thing that had turned him into a comedy maestro overnight? The final chapter of Madea's big heart and 6 ft 5 frame of compassion is further proof that she is a gift that keeps on giving and there's no rightful ending to her story. Perry puts on the grey wig and flowery gowns with effortless ease as he steps into his busy body snarky character's shoes one last time for BET+ subscribers and sneaks into our hearts the same way he had in his debut act 'I Can Do Bad All By Myself' back in 1999. His accomplices in stealing hearts and more worldwide are longtime Perry co-stars Casi Davis Patton as Aunt Bam, Tamela Mann as Cora, and her husband, David, as Leroy Brown. And the chemistry between them is testimony to just how brilliantly the cast works with each other even after all this time.
That these people have been constant pillars in Madea's story is proven by how on-point their comedic timing is when it comes to the universe of Madea and her many ways of making sure family and friends never feel left out. As for the character of Madea herself, considering Perry is yet to announce whether or not he will step into her shoes ever again, this final chapter comes as a difficult goodbye. Two decades isn't nearly long enough for all the laughs and joy Madea brings along with ample life lessons into the lives of not just her closest friends and family but to viewers as well. It's a bittersweet sendoff knowing Perry's wonders will still grace BET, its streaming platform BET+ and Oprah Winfrey Network frequently, but one can imagine no on-screen send off can ever match up to the magnanimous grandeur of watching Perry and his co-stars on the stage. As of now, until Perry decides to bless the Madea fandom again, this should rest as a worthy compensation.
'Tyler Perry's Madea's Farewell Play' is streaming currently on BET+.