Lisa dining with her mother
"I've been beaten... everyday since we got engaged. But... It's time I make my own decisions and live... for Lisa."
Character[]
Lisa Breaux is the deuteragonist the 2007 film madea's reunion family reunion. She beautiful, accomplished younger daughter and “golden child” of Victoria Breaux and the younger half-sister to Vanessa Breaux. She is Irene's lineage; her granddaughter. She was engaged to a financial investment banker named Carlos Armstrong. Lisa Breaux takes her role as the main character of the film.
Background[]
Lisa grew up being the favorite child of her mother and supported by her father's finances, but not exactly his validation. After he died, Her mother lived and supported her off her own trust fund. Seeing as how it was almost gone, she arranged for her to meet Carlos, a successful man, and she was able to get him to court her so that the wealth would retain and she could live off of them. Carlos turns out to be abusive and Lisa does not love him the way he "loves" her.
Madea's Family Reunion (the film)[]
Lisa' bath
At the beginning of the film, Lisa is lead out of her bed by a trial of flowers leading to the bathroom. In the bathroom, Carlos is waiting there with an orchestra softly playing and bath water ready. He leads her into the tub and says, "I love you." She looks at him with much uncertainty. This empty look continues well after he leaves. After her bath, she is seen on the phone with her mother making arrangements and her sister, Vanessa and cousin, Donna, come in and pull her to the pool.
Franky comes to up to her, Vanessa, and Donna while they are relaxing by the pool. He says he just dropped off a painting after Donna asking if it was his gym. Franky forwardly gives Vanessa his number saying he would like to go out sometime. Lisa grabs his number and assures him that she will be calling him. Vanessa is too shocked to respond to what her sister had done.
After a checkpoint of events, Lisa and Vanessa are talking at Madea's house and they are talking about love. Lisa admits to not loving him the way he loves her and that he is hitting her. Vanessa screams for Madea hearing this and she teaches the girls how to stand up to an abusive lover. Lisa stays with Vanessa at Madea's house after hearing she was abused by Carlos.
Their Aunt Myrtle appears in the dining room of Aunt Ruby's house talking to other female family members when Vanessa and Lisa walk in the room. They wonder where Lisa's fiance is and when they are going to be able to meet him. As they converse, Lisa and Vanessa's mother, Victoria, walks into the room. Myrtle continues and leads the conversation along with other family members at the table talking about true love. Myrtle remarks goes onto say that she shared a love so strong with William that it seemed they were one soul. She believes that she was not only blessed, but divinely favored that she was able to spend time with a man that God designed himself solely for her. During the conversation, Lisa can be seen with the look on her face trying to grasp what her Aunt Myrtle was explaining about true love.
Towards the end of the film, Carlos finds Lisa at Madea's house and he abuses her some more as Madea is on the way outside ready to depart to their wedding. Finally having had enough of his abuse, Lisa grabs the large bowl of hot grits and splashes Carlos with it followed by seven smashes to the body with a balanced weighted skillet with Madea witnessing the very beginning and laughing in happiness for her standing up for herself. She looks at him angrily as he lies in pain, takes off her ring and throws it on the floor ending their relationship for good.
Later, She explains to her family and friends at the wedding that she had been beaten everyday since she got engaged to Carlos, and wants to make her own decisions. She then witnessed her sister get proposed to by Franky and became her sister's bridesmaid at her wedding along with Donna.
Victoria & Her Daughters Conflict Theory[]
Vanessa is her estranged oldest daughter. Victoria had Vanessa from a man that broke her heart. It is implied that every time Victoria looked at Vanessa, it reminded her of the man that broke her heart. Victoria looked at her like a burden making it easier for her to sacrifice her virtue when she let Lisa's father take advantage of her. Vanessa grew resentment and anger towards her mother in return, but did her best to give respect for her mother.
In the end, Victoria comes to spiritual realization that her oldest daughter married a man she truly loved, something that she truly only wanted. She gives Frankie a kind smile and gestures, and approaches her daughter and says, "You really are a beautiful couple. Really beautiful." Victoria never verbally apologize, but gestures want forgiveness from her daughter. The mother and daughter embrace and they exchange tears which Victoria give a endearing gesture of wiping Vanessa's tears.
Lisa combated what could've been a generation curse of an abusive lover which her father was towards her mother. If their mother would've combated Lisa's father, Victoria may have found her true love, which Vanessa completed her journey. In the end, her daughters completed her romance journey.
Quotes[]
- "He hits me." -to Victoria
- "He just gets so... angry." -to Vanessa
- "I've been beaten... everyday since we got engaged. But... It's time I make my own decisions and live... for Lisa."
- “I’m scared” -to Madea
- ”I did it!” -to Madea
Relationships[]
- Carlos (Ex Fiancée)
- Mable (Madea) Simmons (Grand Aunt)
- Johnny Simmons (Grand Uncle-In-Law)
- Joseph “Joe” Baker (Grand Uncle)
- Heathrow (Grand Uncle)
- Frederick (Grand Uncle)
- Willie (Grand Uncle/Grand Uncle-In-Law)
- Irene Andrews (Grandmother)
- Victoria Breaux (Mother)
- Vanessa Breaux (Sister)
- Franky Henderson (Brother-in Law)
- Brian Simmons (Second Cousin)
- Donna Simmons (Second Cousin)
- Debra Simmons (Ex Second Cousin-In-Law)
- Tiffany Simmons (Third Cousin)
- BJ Simmons (Third Cousin)
- Lisa (Second Cousin)
- Tina (Second Cousin)
- Helen (Second Cousin)
- Jackie (Second Cousin)
- Vianne Griffin (Second Cousin)
- Maylee Griffin (Second Cousin)
- Nima (Niece)
- Jonathan (Nephew)
- Tre (Nephew)
Appearances[]
Notes[]
- Much like her distant cousin, Lisa, they share the same first name, falls for a rich man, and are abused, but finds their strength towards the end of the film.
- Lisa's ending with Carlos symbolizes her defeating a growing generational curse. This was the course of action her mother, Victoria, should have done with her own father if she had found the strength years ago.
- It's possible Lisa did not grow up with her father's full devotion as he may have had older children from his previous marriage.