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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: Comedies

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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21 - 40 (sorted by date)
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It's a cheap melodrama that presses all the right sentimental buttons.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/18/05
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail

Madea is a way to model a raucous, powerful, but still jokey mad woman-ness for Helen.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
03/11/05
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

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

It must be a hoot when performed live. But it only works in spurts on screen.

Full Review Source: San Antonio Express-News | comment Comment
03/10/05
Larry Ratliff
Larry Ratliff
San Antonio Express-News

it's funny enough to overcome the cliches, and sweet enough to make those cliches feel warm and fuzzy

Full Review Source: WaffleMovies.com | comment Comment
03/06/05
Willie Waffle
Willie Waffle
WaffleMovies.com

Sloppy, insipid mishmash of female empowerment, Christian thought and gun-and-weed jokes is an early front-runner for Worst Film of 2005.

Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
03/04/05
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Netflix

Like Perry's acting, the movie swings from manic comedy to quiet drama in a heartbeat.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
03/03/05
Susan Tavernetti
Susan Tavernetti
Palo Alto Weekly

The humor is so cartoonish that it's impossible to take the "serious" content as being representative of anything remotely real.

Full Review Source: New Times | comment Comment
03/03/05
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times

Selling the gospel with flatulence, horny old men, penis-size jokes, vengeful wronged women, outrageous drag queen grandmas and drug humor apparently pays pretty darned well.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
03/02/05
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

A mess.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
03/01/05
Pete Vonder Haar
Pete Vonder Haar
Film Threat

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

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

Spits in the face of all pretexts to artistry, to craftsmanship, to simple good taste.

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
02/27/05
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

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)

The film strains to be funny just as hard as the audience strains to stay awake.

Full Review Source: Talking Pictures (U.S.) | comment Comment
02/27/05
Tony Toscano
Tony Toscano
Talking Pictures (U.S.)
N/R

Click to read the article

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

I’m at a loss to explain anything about this film.

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
02/26/05
Jean Lowerison
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan

So many disparate pieces cannot be forced into cohesion.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
02/26/05
Donald J. Levit
Donald J. Levit
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

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

Perry doesn't have any delusions of artistry, and potentially, at least, that's refreshing. But any points he earns for lack of pretense are immediately gobbled up by his lack of subtlety.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
02/25/05
Stephanie Zacharek
Stephanie Zacharek
Salon.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date)
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