While "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" will not likely have the cross over appeal of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," it too is about the experiences of one ethnic group through which anyone, regardless of background, clearly understands what’s going on. Yes, there are some situations that will mean a lot more to African Americans, but the underlying issue of what to do when you’ve been done wrong still hurts, no matter what the color of your skin. Then there’s the subject of some relatives in the family you’d sometimes like not to claim.

Charles started out by doing legal work for thugs and eventually developed a toney, high profile practice ensconced in plush offices, that allows them to live in a mansion (actually Perry’s home in Atlanta) and be honored by Atlanta’s elite as the lawyer of the year.

It is on this night of the awards dinner, that Charles literally throws Helen out, onto the sweeping stone stairs of that mansion. She signed a pre nuptial agreement when Charles had nothing, but as he says, she married him because she knew that one day he would. Helen has no legal rights to anything and Charles is giving up nothing. She refuses to believe what she knows because she is blinded by what she wants. Helen knows that Charles is in bed with other women frequently. Now he is ready to move his mistress (soon to be wife) in and the two children he has with her!

Charles even hired a van and a man to move her things out. Orlando (Shemar Moore) drives Helen to Madea’s, her grandmother. Helen is a mad black woman¾ no, maybe just bitter. Either way, she is locked into her feelings about Charles and her every move is dictated by how she has been wronged. As her mother Cicely Tyson tells her, "…as long as you are angry, he is controlling you." The issue of forgiveness is handled in this film in a way that may actually save some lives, and for sure, improve many.

Reviews of the movie¾ in most major outlets¾ have ranged from poor to downright awful because people have difficulty with the caricature portrayals of Madea and Uncle Joe. Ironically, Madea is the character who resonates with most theater-goers that flock to Tyler Perry’s tremendously successful stage productions. Perry wrote the screenplay and appears as both Madea and Uncle Joe, as well as Brian, the wonderfully supportive husband, father and lawyer, who loves his drug addicted wife through some very tough times.

Yes, Madea can be distracting and over the top. However, the real subject of the movie is so serious, that without some levity, it would be depressing. Also, while we are somewhat reluctant to admit it we, along with lots of other black folks, have versions of Madea and Uncle Joe in our families, who we kind of forget about unless we start to think about a past family gathering.

It’s truly rare to see an emotionally involved romance between a black man and woman on the screen. Elise and Moore are passionate in their portrayals and both have great sensual appeal. That becomes an exponential observation when we realize that eroticism jumps off the screen in this film without anyone taking off his or her clothes or showing any skin.

There is no profanity in the film and there are plenty of religious and inspirational messages that address what family values are truly about. It’s also one of the few films that deals with the black church in which the minister and those in the pews are not caricatures of news clips we see when presidential candidates are running for office.

This crowd-pleasing movie is destined to become a collectible DVD, especially for a black woman who has had a man do her wrong. They may sell more than a few.