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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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This movie really touched upon an aspect of black life that we can all identify with. More realistic then all of these ghettofied movies that have been presented as representation of black life previously.

Full Review Source: 3BlackChicks Review | comment 1 Comment
04/27/05
Kamal  'The Diva' Larsuel
Kamal 'The Diva' Larsuel
3BlackChicks Review

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

As is true of so many play adaptations, the theatrically pitched performances don't work as well on the screen.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
02/24/05
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
02/24/05
AV Club

This bizarre movie is many things--a celebration of Christian values, a drag act, a drug plunge, a soap opera, a sitcom revenge fantasy.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
11/18/05
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

Blows to the head are delivered with more subtlety than the message of Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
02/25/05
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
02/26/05
Boston Phoenix

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

Rather sloppily blends melodrama and spiritual uplift with crass comedy, sometimes in the same scene.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
02/25/05
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer

I've been reviewing movies for a long time, and I can't think of one that more dramatically shoots itself in the foot.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
02/25/05
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Tyler Perry, even if he's no church-show Peter Sellers, obviously carves out some kind of niche here. Remember, they laughed at Ed Wood. And they're still laughing at him.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
02/24/05
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Plenty of mad moviegoers will put this in their diaries as one of the worst pictures in ages.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
02/24/05
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

A satisfying end, but it takes a lot of work -- and a lot of suspended disbelief -- to get there.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
11/01/06
LaTonya Taylor
LaTonya Taylor
Christianity Today

I’m not sure if it’s surprising that the film is almost uniformly awful.

Full Review Source: CHUD | comment Comment
02/24/05
Devin Faraci
Devin Faraci
CHUD

Blandly directed and dramatically shameless.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
03/29/05
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Not even Tyler Perry in a dress can save this embarrassing mess of a story

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
02/23/05
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

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)

Watch writer Tyler Perry chew up the scenery in 3 roles.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
02/18/05
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source)
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