'Diary' DVD a funny flick

I am not female. Nor am I black. But I do have a tendency to get upset sometimes. And I kept a journal for about a month or two in the fifth grade. So I do have two characteristics that could connect me with the protagonist of the film. But whether you're a memoir-keeping, African-American woman with a penchant for angry outbursts or an illiterate, happy-go-lucky white guy, you will enjoy "Diary of a Mad Black Woman."\nThe film, based on one of a series of plays by writer/co-star Tyler Perry, focuses on the story of Helen (Kimberly Elise), an upper-class woman who is kicked out of her house by her husband, Charles (Steve Harris), after eighteen years of marriage for another woman. Helen must go back to the lower-income community that she grew up in, living with her grandmother, Madea (Perry) and great uncle, Joe (Perry). Helen begins to reassemble the pieces of her recently shattered life, including a budding romance with Orlando (Shemar Moore).\nThe movie bills itself as a comedy, but it is really a much more of a dramatic movie. While there are a few hilarious moments (mostly coming from Madea, practically stealing the movie when she is on camera), they supplement the focus of the film -- the fall and rebirth of the spirit of Helen. Excluding the second half-hour of the movie, which drags a little, the movie keeps a good pace and is very entertaining. The movie is not revolutionary, but it gets the job done.\nThe special features are also generally good. Perry's commentary is the highlight of the extras. It is a prime example of how commentaries for low-budget movies (this film's budget was only $5.5 million) are generally more interesting as the viewer learns about the choices that a filmmaker has to make when shooting a film due to limitations (for example, the house that Helen and Charles live in at the beginning of the film is actually Tyler Perry's house). It's more appealing than commentaries where the director, writer, etc. gush about how great the movie is for two hours.\nOther features include a decent "Making of..." featurette that uses interviews with the actors both as themselves and as the role they played. The contrast between the actors being in and out of character hurts the flow of the featurette. It would have been better if they had separated this into two different extras. Also, the outtakes and a lesson on how to do the electric slide are both completely unnecessary.\nYou may not have heard of "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" until now, but that does not mean that is not a movie that should be skipped. While the movie does not make any huge breakthroughs in filmmaking, it is an enjoyable film that can be considered a good way to spend a couple hours.