Back when Tyler Perry arrived on the scene with the surprise hit “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” I remember finding the Madea character to be the best part of an otherwise very flawed movie. I guess I wasn't alone as that introduction was only the beginning of a long-running franchise centered around this character. As the character became bigger I found the initial charm of her to be gone. A character more tolerable in small doses and not at the front and center.

The latest “Madea” movie finds the tough-talking granny with a bad attitude (once again played by Tyler Perry) accompanying her niece, Eileen (Anna Maria Horsford), to a rural Alabama community to surprise her schoolteacher daughter, Lacey (Tika Sumpter), for Christmas. Unbeknownst to Eileen, Lacey is married to Conner (Eric Lively), a white man who she tries to pass off as her farmhand as she knows her mother would be disapproving. The charade becomes even more difficult to keep up with the arrival of Conner's parents (played by Larry the Cable Guy and Kathy Najimy). To make matters worse Lacey is dealing with a fallout with the townspeople after the funding she acquired for the annual Christmas jubilee came with a hitch that has everyone up in arms.

The last Madea outing I'd bothered to watch was 2009's “Madea Goes To Jail” so I'm not really sure what possessed me to go see “A Madea Christmas.” But I'm actually glad I did. This was a surprisingly enjoyable holiday romp. The Madea character was funny again and I thought her and Larry the Cable Guy's character played well off each other. I'm not generally a fan of his but I did like him here. And it's always nice to see Kathy Najimy (“Sister Act,” “Hocus Pocus”) in a film. Tika Sumpter (“Think Like A Man,” the upcoming “Ride Along”) was lovely and radiated a real natural appeal. Eric Lively (TV's "Covert Affairs") was very charming as well.

Reviews haven't been too kind to this movie, but I thought it was fairly harmless fun. It still retains some of the flaws that many Tyler Perry movies have. It's chock-full of stereotypes and the writing is kind of weak. I know this isn't high art and it doesn't pretend to be. But quality-wise it's really no better than a made-for-TV movie that you'd find on Lifetime. There's also a distastefully awkward scene where Madea has a run-in with the Ku Klux Klan. It's played for laughs but it felt more out-of-place than funny. On the plus side I appreciated that it was comparatively lighter than the majority of his films. It's less melodramatic. I kept expecting it to take a dark turn. Most of the Tyler Perry films I've seen involve physically abusive husbands so I kept wondering if something like that was going to happen here but thankfully it didn't veer into that territory. It's kind of become a clichéd staple in his movies.

All in all, with options for those seeking a yuletide flick to watch on the big screen being pretty sparse, I would recommend “A Madea Christmas.” Like me, you might find yourself laughing and having a good time despite yourself. It's easily the best I've seen of the “Madea” series and a welcome, if minor, holiday treat with a nice message. You don't have to be one of the Tyler Perry faithful to enjoy this. It works perfectly well as a stand-alone entry.

Grade: B