As the Black tradition goes, the best Tyler Perry movies or plays were watched on the weekends at Grandma’s or holiday dinners after Cousin Junior returned from his routine store run with Uncle John.
While family members’ names may have varied from household to household, one thing remained: with every production, Perry’s messages resonated with us like no other.
Whether the legendary writer/producer had us rooting for Helen to leave Charles in that tub or wanting to help Sheila toss the infamous bottle across Mike’s head, his plots moved us in a way that stuck to our souls like Big Mama’s after-church suppers on Sundays.
We’re highlighting our ‘Top 9’ films by the New Orleans native below.
These Are the Best Tyler Perry Movies We’ll Never Get Tired of Watching
Diary of a Man Black Woman still has us quoting lines today.
Directed by Darren Grant (Saints & Sinners) and written by Perry, Diary of a Mad Black Woman follows the seemingly perfect life of devoted wife Helen Simmons-McCarter. After her rich, cheating husband, Charles, throws her out of their home to move his mistress in on their eighteenth wedding anniversary, Helen is left to rebuild her life the best way she knows how. The comedy-drama was released in 2005 and starred Kimberly Elise, Steve Harris, Shemar Moore, and Cicely Tyson.
Madea’s Family Reunion made us look at our loved ones in a new light.
Along with its proclaimed sequel, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea’s Family Reunion also served as an adaptation of one of Perry’s stage plays. Perry wrote, directed, and acted in the 2005 blockbuster, which told the story of Madea’s dynamic family and the drama that came along. From abusive husbands to single mothers, the matriarch soon realizes that she has her hands full while preparing for their reunion. The 2006 production featured Blair Underwood, Lynn Whitfield, Boris Kodjoe, Henry Simmons, Lisa Arrindell, Maya Angelou, Rochelle Aytes, Jennifer Lewis, Keke Palmer, and Cicely Tyson.
Single fatherhood gained a newfound respect in Daddy’s Little Girls.
Written and directed by Perry, Daddy’s Little Girls centered on Monty James, a mechanic working to make ends meet for his three daughters who later receives custody when their maternal grandmother (aka guardian) passes away. While dealing with a few run-ins with their deadbeat mother and her drug-selling boyfriend, Monty crosses paths with an attorney and soon falls for her, but his checkered past causes conflict to arise. The romance debuted in 2007, with Gabrielle Union, Idris Elba, Louis Gossett Jr., and Tracee Ellis Ross in the main cast.
The Why Did I Get Married movies had a lot of married people re-evaluating some things.
In 2007 and 2010, Perry wrote, produced, directed, and starred in the famous Why Did I Get Married? movies alongside Janet Jackson, Jill Scott, Malik Yoba, Sharon Leal, Tasha Smith, Michael Jai White, Richard T. Jones, Denise Boutte, and Keesha Sharp. The series chronicled four couples who’d been friends since college and their journey of working through their marital problems.
Madea’s Big Happy Family nearly turned the name ‘Byron’ into a baby mama spiritual.
Madea’s Big Happy Family, the film, was released in 2011. The on-screen tearjerker depicted an elderly woman who discovered that her cancer had returned and worsened after a doctor’s visit. Due to not having long to live, she attempts to gather all her children to tell them the bad news, but things go left when family secrets are revealed. Loretta Devine, Bow Wow, David and Tamela Mann, Cassi Davis, Lauren London, Isaiah Mustafa, the late Natalie Desselle-Reid, Rodney Perry, and Shannon Kane led the phenomenon.
Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor showed us that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013) focused on Judith, a therapist who met a man named Harley on the job. Feeling like something was missing in her marriage, it wasn’t long before Judith fell victim to Harley’s advances and landed herself in a whirlwind of danger she wasn’t prepared for. Jurnee Smollett, Robbie Jones, Lance Gross, Vanessa Williams, Kim Kardashian, and Brandy made up the star-studded cast.
Acrimony sparked debates all over social media.
Perry’s psychological thriller Acrimony graced theaters in 2018. Starring Taraji P. Henson, the movie went into the emotional stages of a woman, Melinda, who’s scorned after she practically built her husband, Robert, up for the next woman. After years of using her, Robert commits the ultimate betrayal, and Melinda snaps. Lyriq Bent, Crystle Stewart, Ptosha Storey, Jazmyn Simon, Ajiona Alexus, Bresha Webb, Danielle Nicolet, and Kendrick Cross were also a part of the cast.
Thanks to A Fall from Grace, we know to stay away from 2989 Sycamore Street.
Perry’s Netflix introduction came with A Fall from Grace in 2020. The mystery saw The Haves and Have Nots star Crystal Fox portraying Grace Waters, a woman who finds herself in a murder case after suffering a marriage gone wrong. Just when she thought her relationship with Shannon had been nothing but darkness, she soon came to understand that there was more hidden in the shadows than what she initially saw. Along with Fox on the big screen were Mehcad Brooks, Bresha Webb, Phylicia Rashad, Cicely Tyson, Adrian Pasdar, and Perry himself.
Divorce in the Black deserved its #1 spot on Prime Video.
Divorce in the Black fictionally documented a wife (Ava) who’d tried so hard to save her husband (Dallas) from his past trauma that she eventually drowned herself. After watching their union fall apart right before her eyes, Ava is left completely broken when Dallas asks for a divorce, but things quickly take an evil turn as he realizes that with their breakup comes a loss of control. Meagan Good, Cory Hardrict, Debbi Morgan, and Richard Lawson spearheaded the 2024 cast.
Main Image: John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images
What are the best Tyler Perry movies in your opinion? Comment below!
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