Movie Review: "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" (2005)

Image Source

Movie: "Diary of a Mad Black Woman"
Director: Darren Grant
Year: 2005
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 56 minutes

A woman tries to pick up the pieces of her life after her adulterous husband kicks her out and tries to leave her with nothing after 18 years of marriage.

"Diary of a Mad Black Woman" is directed by Darren Grant and is written by Tyler Perry. It is based on Perry's own play of the same name. It stars Kimberly Elise as Helen, a woman who, after 18 years of marriage, is suddenly kicked out of her lavish mansion home by her adulterous and mentally, sometimes physically abusive husband Charles, played by Steve Harris. After being forced out, she goes to stay with her grandmother Madea, played by Tyler Perry, who also plays Madea's brother Joe and Helen's cousin Brian. Helen then has to find the strength to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and move on with the help of Jesus, and a new man named Orlando, played by Shemar Moore. Of course, a little revenge won't hurt either.

In an effort to see Madea's humble beginnings, we decided to give "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" a try, even though the description for it sounds nothing remotely related to what and who Madea has morphed into in recent years. This movie might just be one of the most melodramatic, ham-fisted films we've ever seen. Everything about it feels so forced, so over the top, and so unnatural. The performances are downright bad at times, and the characters are more like caricatures as they are so unrealistic. The whole premise of the movie is stupid to begin with, and unless the laws in Atlanta, Georgia are completely different than the ones in any other state, the premise is null from the start. Weirdly enough, the only tolerable thing in "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" is Tyler Perry as Madea and Joe, who offer up the only comedic relief and have almost all of the moments resembling anything fun in the entire film. Since Tyler Perry wrote the rest of this terrible garbage movie, he can't take much credit for only the good parts since everything that's left after you remove him from the acting equation is utter crap. It's at least partially his fault. This movie is like a really bad daytime soap opera in just about every aspect. It lacks focus, has a completely uneven tone, and has actors who, given the chance, might burst into tears for no apparent reason.

Since the only good moments in "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" involve Madea, we can see why she became such a focus of the series. It's odd to see what a shit-storm she rose out of and how utterly out of place she feels trapped in a sea of melodrama with her big, bouncing fake breasts and her penchant for carrying a gun out in the open as her solution for everything. In the end, there is very little that's redeemable about this film. It's too overwrought with contrivances and surrounded by bad....well, everything...to be taken seriously as a drama, and it's far too unfunny to be considered a comedy. And minus an extra point for Shemar Moore's bad wig.

My Rating: 3/10
BigJ's Rating: 2/10
IMDB's Rating: 5.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 16%
Do we recommend this movie: AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!