Diary of A Mad Black Woman is the story of Helen, married to an attorney Charles, her high school sweetheart. They both came from nothing and have built a great life for themselves. There is one dark secret: Their marriage is in trouble.

After finding out Charles has been unfaithful on their anniversary and dragged out of the house, she has to come home again. Enter Madea, the two go on a journey with Madea in a way guiding Helen. She builds her life on her own terms and meets Orlando (played by the beautiful and hunkalicious Shemar Moore) and begins a relationship with him.

But tragedy ins't far off when Charles is shot by a vengeful client and she decides to care for him.

Torn between two men, two choices, one path for Helen.

Written with a delicate yet powerful touch, this movie definitely shows Tyler Perry as a great storyteller and while Madea can be a bit much, those who have seen the play have a sense of deja vu.

I had heard so much on this movie, I finally decided to watch it once it came on TV. From what little I knew, I expected it to be just a comedy about the revenge a "mad black woman" takes, with all the funny antics from Tyler Perry's Madea.

Yes, the film is definitely funny in places. But there is some very serious drama here that I wasn't expecting. The treatment of the soon to be ex-wife was horrific and painful to watch. So was her eventual revenge when her ex becomes disabled. That was a definite plot twist I didn't see coming.

There is a wide range of emotions in experiencing this film and I can definitely see the appeal and why it has been so popular. But there is also a side of me that wonders if the black community as a whole gets tired of the stereotyping of their culture. It seems prevalent here, very similar as in Martin Lawrence's "Big Momma" (although the latter being more comedy and less drama). But I know it does represent a segment of the population and Perry treats the matter with respect.

Also, Perry's rags to riches success story is very inspiring. I also appreciate that he places emphasis on faith and Christianity, which is rarely seen in modern movies. Kudos for that, Mr. Perry!

Obviously you can tell by my other reviews that I am a huge Tyler Perry fan. So naturally when my family and I heard that he was making a movie in 2005, we got really excited and went to see it in theaters opening weekend. What did I think of it? It was a great film, and it still is! I love movies and TV shows that are just as good, if not better, than the first time you saw it. This movie is just fantastic! Tyler Perry did an absolutely great job updating this story and transposing it over to film. I love seeing Charles at work; it showed more of his human side. When he's not mean and evil of Helena, he's at work being a good lawyer. I like the side story with Brian and Deborah. I love that Orlando isn't rich in this version! I love the message of forgiveness! I just love this movie! It's funny, it's dramatic, it's musical, it's inspiring! I love it! It's one of my favorite movies.

So let's talk about why some people don't necessarily like this movie. I read one review on this website in which the writer stated he or she couldn't understand what this movie is supposed to be: is it a romance, a drama, a comedy? Well, it's life. Again, the strength in Tyler Perry's writing is the realism of the story and characters. Life is funny, life is serious. In life we meet our soul mates and experience romance. This movie is just an imitation of life.

It's also really good to see Madea on the big screen! A lot of people got excited for this, but this may also be what some people don't like about the film. Some of you might be surprised to learn that a lot of people don't like Madea. ("WHAAAAAT?!? Madea is unliked?! How is that possible?" I know, just hold on.) One reason this might be is because we've never seen a character like Madea in mainstream entertainment before. We've seen the loving grandparent, the wise grandparent, and the unkind grandparent hundreds of times. We've never seen a grandparent like Madea in movies before, and people will always react differently to something new. You'll have your lovers and your haters alike.

I think it's interesting because we all know someone like Madea. Whether it's a man or a woman, a grandparent or a friend, we know someone like Madea. So then, why do people have a problem with a character this real? I don't know, and maybe I'll never know or understand. Regardless, however, this movie is absolutely fantastic! I think you'll enjoy it! BOOYIKA!