At the unlikely intersection of Douglas Sirk movie, sitcom, trashy romance novel and revival meeting, Tyler Perry has carved out a boxoffice niche of impressive proportions. "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" debuted at No. 1 a year ago, and Perry sticks with the strange formula in his directing debut, "Madea's Family Reunion," the second movie version of one of his wildly popular plays and an even bigger boxoffice performer despite the lack of opening-day reviews (Lionsgate did not screen the film for critics). Brimming with cliches, "Madea," like "Diary," has an undeniable appeal, for those who can stick with it, in its earnest and unfashionable conviction.

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