Diary of a Mad Black Woman

Helen McCarter has spent years as a devoted wife while her husband Charles built a successful career as an attorney. On the eve of their eighteenth wedding anniversary, he tells her he wants a divorce and has her belongings removed from their home; he has been seeing another woman. With nowhere else to go, Helen moves in with her grandmother Madea, a strong-willed older woman, and begins rebuilding her life with help from family and friends, including a new man, Orlando.

The film is a comedy-drama with romantic elements, released in February 2005. It was directed by Darren Grant, the first of three features he has made, and was written and produced by Tyler Perry, who also plays Madea alongside Brian and Joe. Kimberly Elise leads the cast as Helen, with Steve Harris as Charles, Shemar Moore as Orlando, Lisa Marcos as Brenda and Tamara Taylor as Debrah. It runs 117 minutes and was made in the United States by Lionsgate, BET Films, Tyler Perry Studios and Diary of a Woman Inc.

Made for about 6 million dollars, it took roughly 51 million worldwide, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds 5.8 out of 10 from around 17,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.5 from about 245 votes. A critics' rating of 4.1 from 112 reviews places it well below the audience scores.