Diary of a Mad Black Woman

Grandma Madea’s film debut is actually at its best when Perry’s gun-toting heroine is centre stage – he appears to be having a blast going as far over the top as he can, and while it would seem he would be grotesquely out of place in Elise’s tale of marriage woe, the fact that all elements are presented in the context of *extremely* high-camp melodrama makes Madea just seem like another member of the circus. As with most productions that Perry has behind-the-scenes involvement in, there’s a sledgehammer heaviness to the presentation of some of the story elements, especially an awkward digression into a very Old Testament sense of suffering and redemption in the final act, but this doesn’t entirely mitigate the generally fine performances (including a scorcher from Elise; her opening escort from her home is kind of incredible).