Diary of a Mad Black Woman

Diary of a Mad Black Woman

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Darren Grant
Produced by Reuben Cannon
Written by Tyler Perry
Based on Diary of a Mad Black Woman
by Tyler Perry
Starring Kimberly Elise
Steve Harris
Shemar Moore
Tamara Taylor
Tiffany Evans
Cicely Tyson
Tyler Perry
Music by Camara Kambon
Cinematography David Claessen
Edited by Terilyn A. Shropshire
Production
company
Distributed by Lionsgate
Release dates
  • February 25, 2005 (2005-02-25)
Running time
 116 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $5.5 million[1]
Box office $50.7 million[1]

Diary of a Mad Black Woman is a 2005 romantic comedy-drama[2] film written by and starring Tyler Perry, which was inspired by the play of the same name. It is Perry's debut feature film, and the first entry in the "Madea" franchise. Directed by Darren Grant, the film was released in the US on February 25, 2005. It is the only Tyler Perry scripted film not directed by Perry himself.

The sequel, Madea's Family Reunion, was released on February 25, 2006.

Plot

Helen and Charles McCarter have money, success, and a fine home. Their lives were perfect – on the surface. Helen is unemployed and bored at home and Charles, an attorney, has been having multiple affairs. On their 18th wedding anniversary, Helen finds all her belongings in a U-Haul, as Charles is kicking her out for Brenda, his young mistress and the mother of his two children.

Helen kicks the driver, Orlando, out of the truck and visits her intimidating grandmother, Madea. Madea takes Helen in and helps her get back on her feet, to the dismay of Madea's brother, Joe. Joe's son, Brian, acts as Madea and Helen's attorney after Charles and Brenda catch the pair breaking into and vandalizing Charles's mansion. Because Madea is a repeat offender, the judge places her under house arrest and sets a $5,000 property or cash bond for Helen.

Brian kicks his addict wife, Deborah, out of their home. Helen cultivates a relationship with Orlando. Meanwhile, career criminal Jamison Milton Jackson asks Charles to be his defense attorney in his trial for shooting an undercover cop during a drug deal and to possibly bribe the judge in his favor. This forces the revelation that Charles received most of his money through drug deals and buying off judges.

In court for divorce, Helen lets Charles keep all the money and property, provided he pay Brian's attorney fees. She also wants Charles to pay for her mother's stay in the nursing home since he made her place her there. Charles agrees to both terms. In the shooting case, despite Charles' efforts, the jury finds Jamison guilty. As Jamison is being led out of the courtroom, he snatches the bailiff's gun and shoots Charles in the back for failing to get him acquitted.

Orlando proposes to Helen. Before Helen can respond, she sees the shooting on the news and goes to the hospital with Brian. They run into Brenda. The doctor says Charles might be paralyzed for life and asks if they should resuscitate him if things deteriorate. Brenda chooses to let Charles die, but Helen, still Charles's legal wife, tells the doctor to do everything they can for him. Charles recovers, returns home with Helen, and resumes his verbal abuse. Helen retaliates for years of verbal and emotional abuse. Brenda is revealed to have emptied Charles's bank account and left with the children. Their maid, Christina, leaves because Charles has no money to pay her. All of Charles's friends and associates have turned their backs on him.

Helen and Orlando argue when he learns she has moved back in with Charles to look after him. He leaves in anger. Charles realizes his mistakes and apologizes to Helen. He becomes a kinder man, while she helps him recover. He regains his ability to walk one day in church, where Deborah, now clean and sober, reconciles with Brian. Charles hopes to start over with Helen, but during a family dinner, she gives him her wedding ring and signed divorce papers and tells him she will always be his friend. She finds Orlando, asks him to propose again, and accepts when he does.

Cast

Music

The soundtrack was released by Motown Records on April 19, 2005.

Track listing
No. TitlePerformer(s) Length
1. "Purify Me"  India.Arie 4:07
2. "Sick & Tired"  Monica 4:19
3. "Different Directions"  Angie Stone 3:39
4. "Things I Collected"  Tamia 5:37
5. "I Wanna Swing"  Cheryl Pepsii Riley 2:25
6. "I Wanna Love Again"  Natalie Cole 4:44
7. "Fallen in Love"  Darlene McCoy 4:28
8. "Ain't It Funny"  Heather Headley 4:03
9. "One of Us"  Cheryl Pepsii Riley 3:31
10. "I Wanna Be Free"  Patti Labelle 4:56
11. "Father, Can You Hear Me"  Tiffany Evans, Cheryl Pepsii Riley, Tamela J. Mann, Terrell Carter, & Anya Washington 4:12
12. "Take It to Jesus"  Tamela J. Mann 2:57

Reception

Critical reception

Diary of a Mad Black Woman received mostly negative reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 16% based on 112 reviews. The site's consensus reads "Tyler Perry's successful play can't make the move to the screen; this mix of slapstick, melodrama and spirituality lacks a consistent tone."[3] Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 36% based on reviews from 30 critics, which the site considers "generally unfavorable reviews".[4] Despite the negative reviews, CinemaScore reported that audiences gave the film a rare "A+" grade.[5] Roger Ebert gave the film one out of four stars, arguing that the Madea character "is not remotely plausible [and] not merely wrong for the movie, but fatal to it." However, Ebert also wrote that Elise, Tyson and Harris offered effective performances and that "[t]here's a good movie buried beneath the bad one."[6]

Box office

On its opening weekend, the film arrived at #1 with $21.9 million. The film grossed an estimated $50.6 million in the United States and Canada with an additional $19,000 internationally for an estimated worldwide total of $50.7 million.[1]

Controversy

In early 2008, playwright Donna West filed suit against Perry, contending that he stole material from her 1991 play, Fantasy of a Black Woman. Veronica Lewis, Perry's attorney, said there was no need for her client to appropriate the work of others.[7]

On December 9, 2008, the case was tried before Judge Leonard Davis in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The jury returned an 8–0 verdict in favor of Perry.[8]

Difference from the play

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005) - Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  2. ↑ RED Interactive Agency. "Diary of a Mad Black Woman — TylerPerry.com". tylerperry.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
  4. ↑ "Diary of a Mad Black Woman : Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
  5. ↑ "Cinemascore :: Movie Title Search". cinemascore.com. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  6. ↑ Ebert, Roger (2005) Diary of a Mad Black Woman, accessed 23 February 2013
  7. ↑ "Actor Tyler Perry Found Not Guilty In Copyright Lawsuit". KSLA. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  8. ↑ "Success in the Courtroom". http://www.velaw.com/uploadedFiles/VEsite/Resources/LitigationNewsSpring2009%20E.pdf. External link in |work= (help);

External links

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