New Orleans-born writer and actor Tyler Perry’s career in the theatre was spawned by Oprah Winfrey, who encouraged her audience to write about their pain and resentment as a means of dealing with these emotions.
In 1992, Perry turned some of his journal entries into a musical called I Know I’m Black, which was about the adult survivors of child abuse. After years of perseverance, he was able to create a touring theatre company, servicing the neglected “urban” theatre market.
Diary of a Mad Black Woman, his first play to be turned into a film, grossed more than $5million (it cost the same amount to make) on its opening weekend in the United States, eventually earning in excess of $50million.
His follow-up, Madea’s Family Reunion, which was made for about $6million, grossed in the region of $30million during its opening week.
While Perry’s films obviously strike a chord with his predominantly African-American constituency — and operate outside of the Hollywood machine — they are usually driven by cheap satire, lack intellect and play right into mainstream America’s endorsement of black stereotypes, a subject dealt with quite bluntly in Spike Lee’s film Bamboozled. The only reason they have Oprah’s stamp of approval is because of their heavy-handed Christian posturing, a typically southern hangover dating back to slavery days.
In Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Kimberley Elise plays Helen, the ditched wife of a well-to-do lawyer who is searching for redemption and, eventually, exacts revenge. She tries to come to terms with her emotions by confiding in her journal.
Although Elise competently portrays the bitter divorcée, Perry’s jumbled script, which veers between sketch comedy show and romance, makes a mockery of her efforts.
Madea, Perry’s unhinged anti-hero in drag, is in a completely different headspace (think In Living Colour) to Elise’s sensitive, studied approach. One gets the sense that the reticence Elise conveys at Madea’s advice is not only put on, it is an expression of her ambivalence towards her role.
Besides Perry’s overbearing taste for toilet humour, other things about the film just don’t add up. Since Perry’s script is merely bare bones, he attempts to flesh it out with a weak subplot about Helen’s husband (Steve Harris) being stalked by a raging former client who won’t hesitate to kill him. This diversion is clearly forced and is an ill-considered attempt to add extra minutes to an already dismal storyline.
Omnipresent caricatures aside, the lowest moment is the forced ending, where Jesus virtually descends from heaven to quickly heal protracted family battles.
Perry plays three characters in the film, suggesting that he is not completely talentless. There are even funny moments, but they are generally Leon Schuster-like in slant.
While Perry is a raw talent with a receptive market, he essentially delivers nothing new or innovative. The only difference between him and your run-of-the-mill, stereotype-laden Hollywood farce is a few million dollars. Considering that his subject matter is supplying the demand, it is safe to assume that Hollywood beckons.