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After 18 years of marriage and loyalty, Helen (Kimberly Elise) is thrown out of her mansion by her husband Charles (Steve Harris), to make room for his mistress and her children. Broke and heartbroken, Helen moves in with her opinionated grandmother Madea (Tyler Perry) who gives her the strength to fight back, forgive and open her heart to a new love, Orlando (Shemar Moore).
Review:
To understand Diary of a Mad Black Woman, it’s important to know a little about the man behind it. Tyler Perry, writer and executive producer, first shot to fame in America as a writer and producer of plays aimed at the African-American audience. Diary was one such play that became highly successful. Perry grew up in the South where life is about church, reading the bible for recreation and soul food.
Diary of a Mad Black Woman is set in Atlanta so it’s no surprise that the movie is full of all those things. Even though Perry makes it cool to be Christian in the movie, he does not stifle the movie with too much religious preaching. Instead the moral themes and values breath life into the movie and (hopefully) uplift the audience.
Forgiveness is the main value explored throughout the movie. Cecily Tyson character Myrtle best sums it up: “When somebody hurts you they take power over you, if you don't forgive them then they keeps the power.”
Sounds very serious and heavy, but it’s well balanced with side-splitting laughter. Most of the humour is centered around the main character, Helen’s grandmother, Madea, played by Perry himself. His phyiscal comedy and smart, snappy one liners are hilarious. When Helen’s mother, Myrtle, asks Madea when she’ll be coming to church, her response is, “I'll be at church when they get a smoking section.” Another comic character played by Perry is Madea’s sidekick and brother Joe, who provides the family-friendly toilet humour.
Madea isn’t only smart, she’s feisty too. She dishes out advice and has more street smarts than all the members of hip-hop crew NWA put together. Her advice includes encouraging her younger family members to stand up for themselves, forgive, accept others, have patience and be moral. But she doesn’t always practice what she preaches. Madea carries a gun in her handbag to threaten or pistol whip an offender into place. She is quick to produce her gun when Helen tellls her she will not be getting any money when Charles divorces her. Madea’s response is, “You can get 'da money two ways, from his checking account voluntarily, or his insurance policy (taking out her gun) by involuntary manslaughter. What's it gonna be?”
The supporting actors are well cast. Kimberly Elise is convincing as a weak, emotionally and physical abused wife who turns on the rage when scorned.
Steve Harris, formerly of TV’s The Practice, is the antagonist, an absusive husband and cheater, Charles. It’s easy to initiallly hate Charles but, like the other characters in the movie, the audience will soon forgive him.
Eye-candy is Orlando, well played by Shemar Moore. He is the love interest and represents all that is good. Orlando sticks around even when Helen is holding on her all-men-are-the-same baggade.
The movie does have weaknesses. There are several continuity errors such a slightly wet shirt that is soaking wet in the next scene and the microphone makes some unwanted appearances from time to time. Overall, however, this is a nice little feel-good movie, and a great way to while away the time.
- Nomfundo H. Mbaba+Tshabalala
What some women in the audience said:
Gugu Mkhabela, 25, poet/writer
”The movie isn't necessarily about revenge as the title implies, but in a way promotes christianity and about how forgiveness frees you as a person. In my view it's basically a tale on Karma, forgiveness and love, it's hilarious too!”
Linda Mali, 22, musician
“I thought Diary of a Mad Black Woman had the ability to make you go through many emotions in the two hour duration of the film. You feel happy, then sad, then angry, then confused. The film also has a moral and a life lesson that money does not make you, but it certainly can break you.”
