Even aside from the beautiful leads’ romance, the film embraces a spiritual sensibility, as this grounds its most compelling story, that of writer/actor Tyler Perry. Orlando is also upfront about his spiritual commitment, a point that provides much of Diary‘s energy: he insists that his faith gives him strength and a sense of peace, and moreover that Helen deserves all the good that he embodies (he cuddles with her rather than pressing for sex, they spend quality montage time laughing and engaging in outdoors activities). As she’s enticed by what seems the perfect man, Helen’s diary entries detail her doubts, rancor, and healing (“Dear diary: This man is fine… Please let him say something stupid”) She also meets a new man, a factory worker named Orlando (Shemar Moore), also fresh off a bad breakup and showing himself each moment to be remarkably grounded and attentive (and pretty even if he does wear a bandana on his head in every scene). To start, she moves in with Madea, reunites with her assisted-living mother Myrtle (Cicely Tyson), gets a styling new haircut, and starts waiting tables at a restaurant. This moment demonstrates the film’s fondness for broad, obvious, and sometimes slow-moving comedy A first feature by music video director Darren Grant (Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor,” Jewel’s “Standing Still”), Diary follows Helen’s self-recovery, particularly as this process involves family and the community church. In a scene currently circulating in the film’s promotional campaign, the camera pans the room post-Madea, sofa feathers settling and the piano collapsing into two pieces. Armed with a pistol and a chainsaw, she deploys the latter to split the fancy furniture literally in half. Hearing of baby girl’s troubles, Madea comes to help with her flamboyant exit. But she’s soon encouraged to gather herself for payback by her ornery, weed-favoring grandmother Madea (one of the three characters played by screenwriter Tyler Perry, the others being Madea’s skirt-chaser brother Joe and Helen’s amiable cousin Brian). Helen is appropriately horrified and distraught, wondering for a minute whether she’s done something to contribute to this mess. Charles announces that Helen has to move out, because, well, those beautiful new clothes in the closet aren’t hers, but his younger, light-skinned girlfriend Brenda’s (Lisa Marcos). It’s not long before the other shoe drops in Diary of a Mad Black Woman. But that’s all right, she tells herself, because her life is a fairy tale. True, she’s been thinking about children for some time and Charles (Steve Harris) has been too distracted lately to follow through, and true also, Helen has lost touch with family members who live nearby. Helen (Kimberly Elise) is living a good life - ensconced in a big white mansion in the ATL, she fills her closets with designer outfits and shares her bed with an upscale-lawyer husband.
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