4 of 4

Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) sums it up: "Folks who decide to see Diary of a Mad Black Woman will be getting many films for the price of one. It's a weepy melodrama … a raucous urban … [and] a Christian-oriented morality tale about love and forgiveness. The problem is that those elements don't blend together particularly well, resulting in often jarring shifts in tone and mood."

Only a few mainstream critics think all of this melodrama is a good thing.

Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin (Cinema in Focus) say, "The film's weaving together of faith and life is refreshing. Without being preachy, and with a bawdy humor that balances the seriousness of the topics and religious messages, Perry presents a moral tale. The story is elevated not only by enjoyable gospel music but also by a proclamation of the power of God to heal us from addictions, abusive behaviors, angry revenge and powerlessness. This is a message that can deliver us all from being mad at life."

Copyright © 2005 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

first page |  4 of 4

Related Elsewhere:

Catching the Spirit	Printer view
That's how rookie director Darren Grant describes part of the experience of filming Diary of a Mad Black Woman, which opened last week.