I'm a long-term, die-hard, and original fan of Tyler Perry...so stop me if I go a bit fangirlish. ^^;
In all honesty, I HATE Tyler Perry's movies. They are EXTREMELY poor renditions of his plays (after the movie, Madea's Family Reunion, he stopped screen-adaptions and started making whole new storylines for the films, but keeping the basic elements from the original plays of the same name), and I'm not impressed. BUT, of the movies, these are what I think of them:
Dairy of a Mad Black Woman - EXCELLENT transition to the big screen. It's still a favorite of mine, as far as his movies go. This movie has the least amount of tinkering as far as the script changes from play to film.
Madea's Family Reunion - An okay edition. I was disappointed with this one after the greatness of DMBW. Although, the performances were super, but the storyline wasn't the standard of Tyler Perry. It also had NOTHING in common with the play...which then becomes a major trend in his movies. But I do like this movie, and in this case I'm glad it deviates from the play...MFR wasn't my favorite of his plays. :/
Daddy's Little Girls - A TPP made strictly for film. I can't hate this movie. It stands on its own in Tyler's resume, just like 'A Family That Prays'. Plus, I loved Idris Elba in it. ;D
Why Did I Get Married? - The play version was on of my favorites. I wasn't disappointed with this one, though. It deviated enough from the play for it to stand alone, but it kept close enough to the original story that the theatre fans fell in love with it. Plus, I loved the characters Angela and Marcus that were added into the movie.
Meet The Browns - The play killed my ribs....the movie, not so much. At this point, Leroy Brown's antics were wearing thin on me, and the craziness (plus the poorly constructed plot) really convinced me that this was Tyler Perry's WORST movie.
A Family That Prays - Like 'Daddy's Little Girls', this movie has no play it's based off of...and I love it. I HONESTLY think this is the movie that convinced Oprah to go the 100% with producing 'Precious' with Tyler. This movie was just heartwarming...while still carrying a suspenseful plot that made you want to stab a few characters. xD
Madea Goes to Jail - I think this is Tyler's second worst movie, barely losing the title for "Worst Tyler Movie" to 'Meet The Browns.' The play had me laughing so hard, and it introduced Cassi and LaVan Davis (siblings), two of my favorite people that Tyler eventually gives them their own TV show (House of Payne). The movie, though..didn't attract me once Madea entered. There was just something about the way Madea was used in this movie that killed the movie for me.
I Can DO Bad All By Myself - THIS is my FAVORITE Tyler Perry movie to date. He OUTDID himself with this movie: the plot, the cast, the soundtrack (which he didn't release a separate soundtrack to purchase. CURSE HIS CREATIVITY FOR MAKING ME WATCH IT OVER AND OVER TO HEAR THE MUSIC!), and the acting had me coming back for more...and more...and more!
Why Did I Get Married Too? - A good sequel. Granted, the very end of it kind of hand me go "WTF? Was that even needed?", but the overall performances had me spiraling. Tyler was especially creative in Janet Jackson's role, for during filming, Michael Jackson died. So, being the amazing man Tyler is, he REWROTE the script for the Patty & Gavin characters in order to give Janet the much needed venting session she needed. It. Was. Phenomenal.
Again, I love the plays more than the movies, and I WHOLLY recommend getting his plays on DVD. A list of his plays are:
-I Know I've Been Changed (not available in stores. Tyler's first play tour)
-I Can Do Bad All By Myself
-Diary of a Mad Black Woman
-Madea's Family Reunion
-Madea's Class Reunion (one of my favorites)
-Why Did I Get Married?
-Meet the Browns
-Madea Goes to Jail (my favorite play)
-What's Done in the Dark
-The Marriage Counselor
-Laugh to Keep from Crying
Note: 'Laugh to Keep from Crying' just ended their tour, so expect the DVD either late this year (like December) or early next year.