Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)

Sorry, this movie sucks

A Masterpiece!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Well, it's Black History Month, so why not start this off with a bang?Thought I would diversify my reviews with my first ever Madea film, though, unfortunately, not my first Tyler Perry melodrama. See, I've seen a couple of other Lifetime Tyler Perry films and they were so heavy handed, I was hoping for a comedy I thought this was. I was wrong.This was billed as a comedy. Everything I heard about it stated it was funny. I smirked once. Something about imaginary rabbits. That was cute. But the rest of it, not funny. Dramatic, sure. Somewhat Christian message, okay. But hilarious, it was not.Just like the other two Perry films I've sat through, it's a heavy drama with some roundabout religious themes. I mean, I kept thinking aside from Passion of the Christ, this has to be the only other Rated-R Christian film I'm seen. Wow, was I surprised when I did research following that this was NOT Rated-R for all the adult themes and scenes.I digress. It's rated PG-13. Fine. Maybe to sell the movie further to the church-going crowds, I guess. But, this boob-sagging, man-in-drag Madea is anything but a role model for Christians, or even non-religious folk. She/He was a good Gallagher, I suppose, with her/his prop gun that was overused for no real reason.So we have a lawyer's prize wife that needs to get over her cheating, soon-to-always-be ex-husband and fall for an incredibly decent man. That's really the entire gist of the way-too-long two hour drama. Oh, and she's such a bad person/character. She starts off as stupid and blind, then turns clingy, then into a thief and vandal, then into selfish ex-rich girl, then a runaway bride…really she's so reliant on men, even men in drag, she really fits the Perry role model. Tyler's movies really emphasize on how MEN are KINGS and WOMEN are ALWAYS SECOND.Surprisingly, I didn't hate on the movie. I loved that new suitor enough to be interested (Shemar Moore's "Orlando.") He was the only good character that I could cling to and root for. Everyone else either tried too hard to be a caricature of a stereotype or idea of a broken person. Luckily, I can see where they where going with the "funny" scenes to know this movie was meant for a singular audience, but probably not for me.Unfortunately, after they had me in the romance of the title character's Mad Black Woman (even though I always thought that referred to Madea's gun-toting "heroine") the last third got so heavy handed and shifted gears into a Sunday School play of impossible odds, they lost me.It's harmless, really. Not fully recommended, but I guess if you like a more Christian Nutty Professor Reboot, you could do worse. ***Final thoughts: I gave Madea a shot. I was open-minded to finally, after 11 years and 68 Madea sequels I avoided, see one of her/his films. Sadly, she/he was so fake and not really funny, I don't think I need to see the follow-ups.

Diary of A Mad Black Woman is the story of Helen, married to an attorney Charles, her high school sweetheart. They both came from nothing and have built a great life for themselves. There is one dark secret: Their marriage is in trouble.After finding out Charles has been unfaithful on their anniversary and dragged out of the house, she has to come home again. Enter Madea, the two go on a journey with Madea in a way guiding Helen. She builds her life on her own terms and meets Orlando (played by the beautiful and hunkalicious Shemar Moore) and begins a relationship with him.But tragedy ins't far off when Charles is shot by a vengeful client and she decides to care for him.Torn between two men, two choices, one path for Helen.Written with a delicate yet powerful touch, this movie definitely shows Tyler Perry as a great storyteller and while Madea can be a bit much, those who have seen the play have a sense of deja vu.

Obviously you can tell by my other reviews that I am a huge Tyler Perry fan. So naturally when my family and I heard that he was making a movie in 2005, we got really excited and went to see it in theaters opening weekend. What did I think of it? It was a great film, and it still is! I love movies and TV shows that are just as good, if not better, than the first time you saw it. This movie is just fantastic! Tyler Perry did an absolutely great job updating this story and transposing it over to film. I love seeing Charles at work; it showed more of his human side. When he's not mean and evil of Helena, he's at work being a good lawyer. I like the side story with Brian and Deborah. I love that Orlando isn't rich in this version! I love the message of forgiveness! I just love this movie! It's funny, it's dramatic, it's musical, it's inspiring! I love it! It's one of my favorite movies.So let's talk about why some people don't necessarily like this movie. I read one review on this website in which the writer stated he or she couldn't understand what this movie is supposed to be: is it a romance, a drama, a comedy? Well, it's life. Again, the strength in Tyler Perry's writing is the realism of the story and characters. Life is funny, life is serious. In life we meet our soul mates and experience romance. This movie is just an imitation of life.It's also really good to see Madea on the big screen! A lot of people got excited for this, but this may also be what some people don't like about the film. Some of you might be surprised to learn that a lot of people don't like Madea. ("WHAAAAAT?!? Madea is unliked?! How is that possible?" I know, just hold on.) One reason this might be is because we've never seen a character like Madea in mainstream entertainment before. We've seen the loving grandparent, the wise grandparent, and the unkind grandparent hundreds of times. We've never seen a grandparent like Madea in movies before, and people will always react differently to something new. You'll have your lovers and your haters alike.I think it's interesting because we all know someone like Madea. Whether it's a man or a woman, a grandparent or a friend, we know someone like Madea. So then, why do people have a problem with a character this real? I don't know, and maybe I'll never know or understand. Regardless, however, this movie is absolutely fantastic! I think you'll enjoy it! BOOYIKA!

Wow...where do I begin??First of all, I'm slowly but surely becoming a fan of Tyler Perry's films. I haven't liked ALL of his films, but for the most part I love a lot of his films like: the "Why Did I Get Married" films, "I Can Do Bad All By Myself", and now...I can add "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" to this list! I have to admit, I held off from watching this movie for YEARS because I thought (just based on the title) that the movie was perpetuating the stereotypical image of the "angry black woman" and frankly I didn't want to support that.Well, I finally broke down and got a chance to watch this movie the other day, and let me tell you....I LOVED it! This movie pretty much changed my life! I have been harboring some resentment and anger over an ex boyfriend who did me wrong for years, and while I had started to get over it, it wasn't until I saw this movie that I truly was moved to COMPLETELY forgive him for how he treated me.What Helen (Kimberly Elise) went through with her husband in the film can in NO way compare to what my ex put me through. What her husband did to her makes the problems that my ex and I went through look like a tiny paper cut. I really admire her character's strength, and ability to FORGIVE towards the end of the film. It just showed me that we as women can overcome any type of adversity if we simply try hard enough, forgive the person, forgive ourselves, and ask for God's help. Now, I have firmly resolved to truly FORGIVE my ex completely for how he treated me and to just move on instead of reliving the past. This film moved me so much. :) Of course the cast was great as always. I saw a different side to Shemar Moore (Orlando) that I don't usually see too often. Steve Harris (Charles) was the guy that you just loved to hate in the film. He made it pretty easy believe me! LOL! And of course Madea was in the film and pretty much stole every scene "she" was in lol. I was howling with laughter at the jokes! Overall, like most of Tyler Perry's films, this film takes you through the ringer, but shows towards the end that you can overcome any type of adversity or trials. It really is a feel-good movie towards the end, and if you're a woman who's ever had a bad break up or had a man do you wrong, you will be able to relate to Helen in the film and this movie will uplift you. :) I'm so glad I watched it! Definitely 8/10 stars for me!