|
“Diary
of a Mad Black Woman“
|
 |
Reviewed
by: |
Wayne A. Klein |
| Genre: |
Comedy |
| Video: |
1.85:1 Anamoprhic
widescreen |
| Audio: |
Dolby Digital
5.1 |
| Languages |
English |
| Subtitles |
English |
| Length |
116 minutes
|
| Rating |
PG-13 |
| Release Date |
6/28/05 |
| Studio |
Lion’s Gate
Films |
| Commentary:
|
Tyler Perry
|
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
“The Making of Diary
of a Mad Black Woman” |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
“Who is Tyler
Perry?” |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Previews and trailer
|
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
Deleted scenes
and outtakes |
| Music
Video: |
“You Can Do It…Electric”
|
| Other:
|
None |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Kimberly
Elise, Steve Harris, Shemar Moore, Tamara Taylor, Lisa Marcos,
Tiffany Evans, Cicely Tyson, Tyler Perry |
| Written
By: |
Tyler Perry
|
| Produced
By: |
Tyler Perry
|
| Directed
By: |
Darren Grant
|
| Music:
|
Camara Kambon
|
| The
Review: |
Tyler Perry’s film has certainly
polarized both critics and audiences. I believe that most
of those folks that were offended were whites horrified at
African Americans taking the caricatures and stereotypes portrayed
in movies and playing with them. Opening up Tyler’s play actually
improves it and there are some heartrending moments that are
very memorable. It certainly is true that Perry’s script does
occasionally pander to the expectations of an audience used
to seeing stereotypical characters drawn from too many sitcoms
but his play touches on a number of issues that affect the
African American community oday. Despite some limitations,
Perry’s script also creates a number of memorable characters
and Grant’s direction helps open up the play making the play
less stage bound. ***
Charles (Steve Harris) a high profile
lawyer decides to end his marriage to Helen (Kimberly Elise
in a nice performance) on the night of their anniversary.
His wife discovers all this when she returns home to find
that her husband has had all her things packed while she’s
been gone. He ends up dragging her out of the house the very
night he brings home his trophy girlfriend to stay with him.
She ends up going to the only place she can go—to stay with
her larger than life grandmother Madea (Tyler Perry). Eventually
falls for Orlando (Shemar Moore) the man hired to drive her
belongings away in a U-Haul. She turns back to God but when
her husband is injured she wonders if she can forgive him
for how badly he treated her. ---
|
| Image
and Sound: |
A very nice
picture with sharp image, colors and a nearly flawless transfer,
“Diary” looks marvelous on DVD. The 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
Sound format makes pretty good use of the format placing the
expansive sound all around the room. Perry also discusses the
various scenes that were cut for the movie (some of these scenes
can be found in the “Special Features” section. --- |
| The
Extras: |
We get
two very funny long outtakes. We get a pretty good “Making
of” featurette filled with clips from the movie and comments
from Perry’s co-stars on the project. Director Grant and Tyler
give extensive interviews discussing the genesis of the play
and characters. “Who is Tyler Perry” gives a brief bio about
Perry’s life through the eyes of the actors in his film and
Perry himself. Perry describes himself as a “building block”
upon which his carer and his characters are built. Starting
with the play “I Know I’ve Been Changed” Perry began writing
as a result of watching Oprah discussing the value of writing
about what bothers you. “You Can Do It…It’s Electric” gives
the steps to the dance that Madea and her party guests do
at her home. “The Tyler Perry Collection” features clips from
Perry’s plays featuring Madea. We also get the trailer for
the film.
|
| Commentary:
|
Tyler Perry’s
commentary is much more involving and detailed than the commentary
tracks for his plays on DVD. He discusses the challenges of
playing all three characters and how difficult it was shooting
in the real locations of the film. Evidently there were no soundstages
used to recreate the homes that this film takes place in which
may explain the feeling of authenticity. He relates the difficulty
in playing against himself as another character--- |
| Final
Words: |
A funny
movie about revenge and the way African Americans treat others
when they want to forget about their past, “Diary of a Mad Black
Woman” has some very funny moments. While the film does occasionally
fall into the clichés of TV sitcoms, the strong performances
of the cast and seriously undertone at the heart of the film
make it worthwhile. |
