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Diary of a Mad Black Woman

Review by: Alexis Tuminello

AlexisTuminello@TheCinemaSource.com

I’ve come to the conclusion that I am the only person in the world who does not know the electric slide. Every sweet sixteen, wedding, or pretty much any party with a DJ I’m forced to feign exhaustion when that familiar beat comes on. Now I’m wondering how I never learned it. I have must seen friends of mine do the ritual dance at least a hundred times and I guess I never paid attention. Next time I see this movie (and yes I’m going to see it again) I’m going to take notes. So for anyone else out there who doesn’t want to admit they are clueless when it comes to this cultural craze go to the movies for the teachings of Diary of a Mad Black Woman. For the rest of you who fit into the group majority of the line dancing public you should see Diary of a Mad Black Woman too. Electric slide aside this movie is one of the best I’ve seen in awhile.

So this morning I’m walking through the subway station on the way to school and I notice an advertisement for Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman. It’s a side photo of the character Madea pointing her pistol classic cop style with a very small caption at the bottom that reads ‘Meet a straight shooter’. I burst out laughing. All I could think of was this movie and Madea’s calibered companion that never leaves her side. The melodrama of this movie is overshadowed by this gun-toting grandma’s levity. (Oh, I should also mention that just before I saw the poster I had just bought tickets for Tyler Perry’s new play ‘Madea goes to Jail’.)

Now I suppose you want to learn a little bit about the movie. If you must – Diary of a Mad Black Woman is the story of a disheartened housewife after her husband of eighteen years kicks her to the curb without so much as a handshake. She seeks refuge with the only relative she has not alienated too horribly over the years, Madea. The movie chronicles this woman’s growth from meek to bitter to empowered through a balance of drama and comedy. She finds new love, comes to terms with her ex-husband, and discovers how incredible family can be.

None of the actors are too well known in the big screen circuit except maybe for Steve Harris whose claim to fame is his role as Eugene Young on The Practice. In Diary of a Mad Black Woman Harris plays Charles McCarter, the extremely cold and calculating husband. He is pure evil and he is

damn good at it. (The irony is that he’s also a attorney making him the perfect candidate for those demeaning lawyer jokes.) I’ve seen Harris play some minor parts in other blockbusters in the past but in this his performance shines. The complete meaning of his terse words is implied and understood from only the slightest shift in the tone of his voice. This quality is further accented by his soulless eyes and stony face. He is a man more occupied with wealth, public opinion and his fickle interests than using any sort of tact with those close to him. His wife and diary author, Helen McCarter (Kimberly Elise), is a sheepish, dependant woman whose life crashes when her husband says ‘get out’ on their anniversary. She had a part in Beloved but it’s a book I never read and a movie I never saw. I’d like to think this is her portrayal of who the script called for Helen to be because the pathetic loneliness she emanates rings true. Helen’s second relationship in this movie is a bit more balanced but other than her brief Misery inspired revenge her strength grows in the disappointing measurements of mere inches. Her standing up for herself seems watered down as if a shift in wind would still wash her away and leave her desperately clinging to the nearest scent of testosterone. Veteran actress Cicely Tyson plays Elise’s influential mother Myrtle. Besides Steve Harris there was only one other familiar face and that was Shamar Moore as Helen pursuer Orlando. A google search informed me that Shamar Moore is a popular model but unless he was on a billboard outside my window I wouldn’t have noticed him. Also he apparently was once a regular on the popular soap opera The Young and the Restless and I definitely don’t know him from there. I would never stoop to watch The Young and the Restless, I’m a One Life to Live gal. So I still have no idea where I know him from but his big screen presence alone is enough to inspire me to write GQ and demand they bring bandanas back into fashion no matter how tacky. Let’s just say in Diary of a Mad Black Woman he’s every easy on the eyes. Oh, and his acting is pretty good too; definitely above soap opera grade.

But I’m leaving out the best acting performance in the entire film. Despite the fact that this is his virgin performance his comfort in front of the camera is evident. Of course I’m talking about producer/writer/actor Tyler Perry. In Diary of a Mad Black Woman Perry tackles the roles of three characters in Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Brian, Madea, and Joe.

Brian is Perry without costume as Helen’s cousin who kinda, sorta, not really sets up Helen with Orlando. Brain has his own set of problems too, dealing with two growing girls and a drug addicted wife somewhere on the nearby streets. Joe is a grandfather figure just added purely for comic relief. The relationship between him and Madea is somewhat volatile one, complete with the scorn of pure hatred. Now we come to Madea, by far the best one in this entire movie. Here Perry puts in an Oscar worthy performance. Okay, not that good but still worth recognition. Madea supplies almost all the punch-lines and even her appearance causes a laugh when she first comes on screen. Her attitude is so endearing that by the end of the movie you love this woman. Everything she does brings a smile to your face. Even if you hate the entire rest of this movie (which I doubt) she’ll make sure you still find it enjoyable. There appears to be no limit to Tyler Perry’s multi-faceted ingenious talents.

I’ve been proved wrong in my original assessment of this movie. I predicted it wouldn’t be a blockbuster but it was number one the weekend it premiered. I usually don’t like to admit that I erred but in this case I make the exception â€" I’m glad I was wrong. This movie without doubt has a number of laugh-out-loud moments delivered with magnificent timing and even those that bait you hook, line, and sinker can’t stifle your amusement. But, on the flip-side, it also has its share of cheesy cutsie scenes where you’re thinking ‘hurry up and be over already’. But if we only went to see cheese-free movies I think Hollywood would quickly go out of business. Plus the comedy in this film outweighs the drama, or at least provides ample relief. Perry even manages to incorporate a number of pop cultural references, but since Diary of a Mad Black Woman was originally a play I wonder how much got diluted in the translation from stage to screen. For example in the first date but not a date scene the lyrics the jazz singer is singing in the background are mirroring Helen’s life and emotion. Most of these type of moments are made completely obvious but in a way that will still have you cracking up.

Two years ago Tyler Perry’s play Meet the Browns was playing for what seemed like forever two blocks away from me. My friend wanted to see it but all I could think was boring and ‘what the hell is this’. Obviously I had no desire to go see it, even when a free ticket became available. Now I

am kicking myself because after seeing Diary of a Mad Black Woman I am a huge Tyler Perry and Madea fan. If I haven’t made it clear I really enjoyed this movie, even with its minimal flaws. Go see Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman. You’ll be glad you did.

Grade – C+