Diary of a Mad Black Woman

This is one of the strangest movies I have ever seen. Based on a play by Tyler Perry, it tells the story of a woman’s (Kimberly Elise) struggles to find herself after the end of her marriage. The film is a straightforward drama for some of its running time, but it is interrupted with strange slapstick that casts Perry in drag as Medea, an elderly female relative of Elise, wielding guns and chainsaws in an effort to win back her relatives’ respect. Medea does garner some laughs, but her presence clashes with the serious drama most of the film offers. By the time the film’s climcatic church scene plays out, it’s become a car crash of styles, with Medea becoming a distraction rather than helping the plot along.