Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)
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A woman is cast out of her home by her husband on their wedding anniversary and seeks refuge with her formidable grandmother.
The story
Helen Simmons-McCarter and her attorney husband Charles are successful and wealthy. However, Charles is distant and controlling, while Helen is unemployed and deals with loneliness. On the evening of their eighteenth wedding anniversary, Helen arrives at their mansion to find all her belongings in a U-Haul. She discovers Charles is divorcing her and planning to marry Brenda, his young mistress and the mother of his two sons. After kicking the truck driver out, Helen moves in with her grandmother, Madea. The situation escalates as Madea and Helen vandalize the mansion, leading to legal complications for Madea.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Helen Simmons-McCarter and her attorney husband Charles are wealthy, but Charles is controlling and distant. On their 18th anniversary, Helen finds her belongings in a U-Haul and learns Charles is divorcing her for his mistress, Brenda. Helen moves in with her grandmother, Madea, who helps her vandalize Charles's mansion. While Madea faces house arrest, Charles attempts to defend a criminal, Jamison Milton Jackson, but the jury convicts him. During the proceedings, Jamison shoots Charles in the back, leaving him potentially paralyzed. Brenda refuses to care for a paralyzed Charles, but Helen insists on his survival. After Charles is discharged, Helen retaliates for years of abuse, eventually suffering from guilt. She discovers Brenda fled with their sons and the housekeeper. Eventually, Charles apologizes for his past treatment. While Helen helps his recovery, she ultimately decides to end their marriage amicably. She then reunites with Orlando, who proposes to her again, and she accepts.
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 116
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Darren Grant
- Writers
- Tyler Perry · writer
- Cast and characters
- Kimberly Elise · Helen Simmons-McCarter; Steve Harris · Charles McCarter; Shemar Moore · Orlando; Tamara Taylor · Debrah; Cicely Tyson · Myrtle Simmons; Tyler Perry · Mabel "Madea" Simmons; Tyler Perry · Joe Simmons; Tyler Perry · Brian Simmons
- Genres
- romantic comedy drama
- Themes
- Adultery; Divorce; Family dynamics; Retaliation; Redemption
- Tone and mood
- Dramatic; Comedic
- Premise and plot tags
- American films based on plays; African-American comedy-drama films; Films about the upper class
- Source material / true-story basis
- play of the same name
- Franchise connections
- Madea film franchise
- Reception
- The film received generally unfavorable reviews from critics, with a Metacritic score of 36, but it received a rare 'A+' grade from the audience on CinemaScore. Roger Ebert gave it one out of four stars.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 36 · scale: 100 · review count: 30; CinemaScore · score: A+ · scale: A-F
- Production trivia
- It marks Tyler Perry's feature film debut.; It is the only film written, but not directed, by Perry.; The sequel, Madea's Family Reunion, was released on February 24, 2006.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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