For African-American audiences, Tyler Perry is a household name. His plays are seen by 20,000 to 30,000 people a week. While he's no August Wilson, Perry has almost single-handedly revived an interest in Urban Theatre. So, it didn't surprise me that the Friday night show I missed was sold out and the fist showing on Saturday was near packed as well. It also didn't surprise me that critics have summarily dismissed this movie. 

While I did not see the stage play, my friend Tawanna has assured me that the movie version of Diary of a Mad Black Woman is very different from the play. Helen (Kimberley Elise) gets put out of the house after 18 years of marriage to her husband Charles (Steve Harris). He moves her out and moves his mistress and their two kids into his palatial estate. In a 'compassionate' move, Charles has hired a driver to pack up Helen's stuff and take her wherever she wants to go (lucky for her the driver is played by Shemar Moore). Only, she has nowhere to go, so she ends up at Grandma Madea's (Tyler Perry) house. With the help of sassy, gun-toting, revenge-seeking Madea, and good looking factory worker/mover Orlando (Moore) she begins to put her life back together.

Perry has a lot to say. Mad Black Woman, like last year's Woman Thou Art Loosed, tackles many issues (divorce, drug abuse, forgiveness, Christian values, etc...) at times it almost seems like it's doing too much. This could have easily been two or three movies. As it is, the mood swings wildly between drama, romance, over-the-top comedy and even a bit of courtroom drama. But even if Perry is guilty of trying to do too much, his knack for pleasing the crowd is on point. He knows his audience and how to give them exactly what they want.

In addition to playing Madea, Perry also plays her oxygen tank-carting, weed-smoking, horny brother Joe and sensitive attorney Brian.  But while Madea might be the loudest character, Kimberley Elise steals the show as Helen. In a script that tries in vain to be all and do all, Kimberley finds her character and plays her with earnestness and consistency. Cicely Tyson is also good in her small role as Madea's mother. 

If you liked the play, you will more than likely enjoy the movie. The audience loved it. And with or without critical acclaim, if the audiences I witnessed this weekend are any indication, this movie will make money. Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Woman Thou Art Loosed were both independently financed (produced without the backing of a major studio). Hopefully, the success of these films will encourage more investors to back more African-American films.