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Movies / On DVD / Diary of a Mad Black Woman
Diary of a Mad Black Woman

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Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)

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Reviews Counted:106

Fresh:17

Rotten:89

Average Rating:3.9/10

Consensus: Tyler Perry's successful play can't make the move to the screen; this mix of slapstick, melodrama and spirituality lacks a consistent tone.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for drug content, thematic elements, crude sexual references and some violence

Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins

Genre: Television

Theatrical Release:Feb 25, 2005 Wide

Box Office: $50,382,128

Synopsis: Filled with a mix of comedy and drama, the film Diary of a Mad Black Woman is based on the immensely popular play of the same name written by Tyler Perry. The story focuses on Helen McCarter... Filled with a mix of comedy and drama, the film Diary of a Mad Black Woman is based on the immensely popular play of the same name written by Tyler Perry. The story focuses on Helen McCarter (Kimberly Elise), who has seemingly had the perfect life with husband Charles McCarter (Steve Harris). Over the years, Helen has been a faithful and loving wife, while Charles built a successful and lucrative career as a prominent Atlanta attorney. They wear the latest fashions, drive the nicest cars, have all the possessions they need, and they live on an expansive estate complete with an extravagant mansion, swimming pool, tennis court and all the trappings of wealth – a little piece of paradise away from the city. However, on the eve of their 18th wedding anniversary, Helen’s paradise begins to crumble as Charles announces that he wants a divorce. He abruptly and literally tosses Helen out of the mansion to make room for the other woman. With all of her possessions packed in a moving van, Helen starts on her journey to put the pieces of her life back together. Through the assistance of her friends, family, faith, and a twist of fate, Helen finds the strength and empowerment she needs to get control of her circumstances. She also finds that the tragic events of her life soon become comic, especially with the guidance and help-- mostly unsolicited, by the way--of her pot-smoking, gun-toting, and much beloved, grandmother figure Madea (Tyler Perry). Director Darren Grant brings Tyler Perry’s vision to the screen by intricately weaving together a mix of drama and comedy to tell the universal experience of broken hearts, redemption, forgiveness, recovery, new found love, inner strength and the importance of family and faith as revealed through a cast of colorful and sometimes familiar characters. [More]

Starring: Kimberly Elise, Tyler Perry, Steve Harris, Cicely Tyson

Starring: Kimberly Elise, Tyler Perry, Steve Harris, Cicely Tyson, Tamara Taylor, Shemar Moore

Director: Darren Grant

Director: Darren Grant
Screenwriter: Tyler Perry
Producer: Tyler Perry, Reuben Cannon
Composer: Camara Kambon
Studio: Lions Gate Films

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Release:

Jun 28, 2005

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Reviews for Diary of a Mad Black Woman

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Here is a brand new genre: A black-Christian romantic revenge comedy. It doesn’t quite work, but Tyler Perry is a jewel.

Full Review Source: FilmsInReview.com | comment 1 Comment
02/25/05
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

Helen's chaste swain wants intimacy, not sex. C'mon—even Baptists are interested in sex. They just don't do it standing up, because someone might think they were dancing.

Full Review Source: Seattle Weekly | comment Comment
03/10/05
Tim Appelo
Tim Appelo
Seattle Weekly

Perry's performance as Madea may have worked onstage, but seems out of place on the screen, even though it's clear he has a great deal of affection for the character.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
02/24/05
Mack Bates
Mack Bates
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Diary of a Mad Black Woman is a shambling affair.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
02/27/05
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Those who aren't already converts to Perry's dramaturgy will wonder what elevates this material above, say, a typical episode of '227.'

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
02/25/05
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

The film itself is a touch insane, veering from comedy to cornball melodrama (and torture!) with such startling alacrity that viewers might laugh and not know if they're supposed to.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
02/25/05
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...loudly preach(es) Christian values, then turns around to cheer on its wronged-wife heroine as she takes cruel revenge against her (now crippled and helpless) husband...

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
02/23/05
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

If not for the larger-than-life multitasking by Tyler Perry, Diary of a Mad Black Woman would be just another tedious, over-the-top movie about self-discovery.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
02/24/05
Kit Bowen
Kit Bowen
Hollywood.com

Emotionally satisfying (if a bit simplistic), yet Perry dilutes its potency by casting himself in ... sitcom roles.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
02/23/05
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

One is left with the sense that while Perry has captured certain truths about human experience, he undermines himself by ignoring psychological detail in favor of big gestures and simplistic explanations.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
02/25/05
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

Nobody in the movie seems to know quite what sentiment he or she should be channeling at any given moment.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
02/25/05
Bridget Byrne
Bridget Byrne
Boxoffice Magazine

I'm not sure if Diary of a Mad Black Woman is heartfelt or cynical, but if anyone can write a movie that's both, it's probably Tyler Perry.

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
02/24/05
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

this dismal little potboiler delivers only tedium

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
02/23/05
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

Perry's Madea is so annoying that about halfway through I was wishing the projector would malfunction.

Full Review Source: FromTheBalcony | comment Comment
02/22/05
Bill Clark
Bill Clark
FromTheBalcony

"Waiting to Exhale" crossed with "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps"...laughable, but oddly likeable

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
02/25/05
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Some may question the combination of marital drama and madness with earthy slapstick humor but it, surprisingly, works – at times.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
02/25/05
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Talk about mixed messages. Here's a cruel, mean-spirited movie that's supposed to have a Christian theme.

Full Review Source: KWQC-TV (Iowa) | comment Comment
02/27/05
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
KWQC-TV (Iowa)

A romantic and righteous - but also schizoid - movie.

Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment Comment
02/28/05
Jackie K. Cooper
Jackie K. Cooper
jackiekcooper.com

A lot of it shouldn't work -- and doesn't -- but even while you're sitting there, thinking that it can't go much farther off track, it manages to be fairly involving.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
02/24/05
Randy Cordova
Randy Cordova
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is a film that’s gone way beyond the realm of bad, past disaster. This one’s in the area of all-time grand mistakes.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
06/28/05
David Cornelius
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com
 
 
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