March 11.
Dear diary, my husband of 18 years...
this week is being honored by the city of Atlanta...
as the Jacob Frienstein Attorney of the Year.
I am so proud of him.
He has worked so hard.
I wanna swing
Swing till daylight with you
I wanna dance
Dance the whole night through
Where the beat-beat-beat is jumping
And the crowd is feeling fine
Where the dance-dance-dances are popping
Theirs are flowing like wine
I wanna swing
Swing till daylight with you
I wanna dance...
To look at us...
you would think that we've got it all together.
But looks can be deceiving.
Some days are good and I think he loves me.
Then other days...
I think he doesn't care.
Dancing till daylight
Just us two
Kicking up my heels...
I never thought I'd see this day.
I was just saying to my wife this morning...
that if I died and came back...
that I would want to come back as me.
No, truly it is an honor...
to receive the Jacob Frienstein Attorney of the Year Award.
It's especially an honor because...
He is so into appearances.
What looks one way on the outside...
can be a totally different matter on the inside.
There is no way... no way...
that I could have done any of this...
without my wonderful wife of 18 years.
I don't know this stranger I sit next to.
All I know is that with every dime and every case...
he has changed.
How about l... run us a hot bath?
I left something at the office.
I have to go.
Who is she?
When you get a job and pay one of these bills...
then you can ask me questions.
I am still your wife.
That's cute.
Charles... I don't want to fight.
This is your night. Let's just enjoy it.
Tell me what I need to do, and I will do it.
You really want to know what you ought to do?
Get the hell out of my car.
What a way to start our anniversary.
Tell me...why do I love that man so much?
Maybe if I could stop thinking about...
how good things used to be...
I might be able to find the strength to leave.
Hi, Sarah. How are you?
Hi, Mrs. McCarter.
Hey, Mrs. McCarter.
Kalvin, how are you? How is Joanne?
-She's doing great. -That's great.
-You doing all right? -I'm wonderful. Thank you.
Listen, is he in? Because I brought him, uh...
lunch.
Actually, I'm headed that way--
No, no. Please. Thank you, though. Thank you.
Helen.
What, um...
Um...hi. I'm Brenda Marcos.
How do you do?
Um...we got to go.
You ready, little fella?
It was nice to meet you.
Is that her?
Don't play games with me. Tell me, Charles.
Is that her?
Thank you.
I'll see you at home.
Excuse me. Excuse me!
What?
-What are you doing? -Working.
Where are you going with my things?
Lady, look...I'm just filling in for my cousin because he's sick.
Somebody named Charles McCarter or something like that...
rented this truck, told me to load it up and wait.
So that's what I'm doing.
No. Wait. Wait.
Christina?
Christina. Christina, there--
there is a man out there putting my things in a truck.
What is going on?
Mr. McCarter asked me to pack all your things this morning.
And all these clothes are from the boutique.
I wish I had a man to do something like this for me.
Happy anniversary.
-I have something to tell you. -Your gift first.
Aren't you going to open it? Charles, I have to admit...
I thought you forgot, but I saw all the clothes...
in the closet and...ta-da! Ha ha!
It's not exactly my taste, but I love it.
Helen--
This one, it doesn't really fit quite right, though.
I think I'm going to have to get some alterations--
Helen.
You see how I keep interrupting you?
Charles, I only want to hear the good tonight.
OK?
I need to tell you something.
What is she doing here?
I asked her to come.
Charles, what is going on?
Is she wearing the dress that I just picked out?
What?!
There's no easy way to say this...
but our marriage has run its course.
It's over.
What? What are you trying to say?
I'm saying... it's over.
Charles!
Helen, don't act so surprised.
I mean, I haven't touched you in a year.
I haven't...well...
I haven't been happy for years.
18 years, and you think you can just come in here...
and end it like this?
Charles, what am I supposed to do without you?
You're a bright girl. You'll figure it out.
Charles...please.
-Oh, my God. -Don't do this.
Please tell me you're not one of those weak begging sisters.
Brenda, let me handle this.
You are not leaving.
No...I'm not leaving.
But you are.
There's a truck outside.
It's full of gas, and I hired some guy...
to take you anywhere you want to go.
I can't keep treating her like this. And my children...
not seeing their daddy every night.
I'm staying here and there--
Children?
Two boys. They need me.
Charles.
It's me. How can you say this to me?
How can you do this to me?
Good-bye, Helen. Now, be a lady and leave quietly.
-No. -No?
You would've never had any of this without me.
Now, you better get up out of here...
-before I lose my temper. -No!
No, I am not leaving!
-You what? -No!
You're leaving, all right.
You're leaving. Go on.
Any way you want to do it.
Get up! Get up!
Aah! No! Charles! No!
Come on.
Huh? Come on.
What you doin'?
Get out of here! Get out!
Charles! Charles!
Charles!
Oh, what the hell have they got me into?
Hey, look...
we've been driving around for hours now.
I do have another job that I have to be at in a few hours.
So there's got to be someplace I can take you.
Take me where?
He has alienated me from my entire family.
He made me put my mother in a home bec--
Because she didn't fit into his "American dream."
I don't have anyplace to go.
Lady, I'm really sorry to hear about that...
but it's the middle of the night--
-Just stop the truck! -I'm trying to help you out.
-Just stop the truck! -I'm not stopping the truck.
All you men are just alike! You just think about yourselves!
You don't think about anybody else but yourself!
Just stop the truck, and I will drive myself...
where I have to! Pull the truck over!
Hey! Don't grab the wheel! Hey. Don't touch the wheel.
I'm stopping. I'm stopping.
-Then get out! -We're in the middle of nowhere.
I don't care! Get out of the car!
I'll drive myself!
You know what? Now I see why you're going through...
what you're going through.
Oh, you go to hell!
Have a nice life.
Yeah, you're welcome!
Don't shoot! It's Helen...
your granddaughter! Don't shoot!
What the hell? Girl!
I always open the door this time of night shooting...
'cause there ain't nothing but a crackhead...
or the police knocking on your door this time of night.
What you doing here this late?
I was in the neighborhood and--
You were in the neighborhood?
I thought I'd come by and say hi.
You live in a mansion on the other side of town.
What the hell you doing in the ghetto?
You ain't on that stuff, is you?
Is you over here trying to buy some stuff?
I missed you.
Come by in the daylight here. Don't come by--
Madea, please.
Come on in here.
Who that is at the door?
Shut up, Joe. I got this.
...I'm gonna have to put my foot down.
Kunta Kinte put his foot down, and it got chopped off.
Now shut the hell up and go back to sleep.
I know I had some cigarettes in this--
Harpo.
Harpo, who this woman?
Joe, go in that room and take your medicine.
You know you crazy as hell when you don't take it.
I say hell...no.
What the hell?
Look what you done made me do!
Oh, hell!
Get the hell up.
You didn't come by yesterday.
You got to eat something out there on them streets.
You got to be careful, you hear?
Look at you. Lord help me.
You ain't got no regular clothes, do you?
What?
Helen...hey.
Debrah?
Yeah, girl.
You gonna hug me?
Yeah.
So, how are you doing?
You look good. You look good.
Marrying that rich lawyer.
When we were kids, we both said we'd get a rich man, right?
We both got lawyers.
Deb, what-- what's going on?
Don't. Don't do that. Don't judge me.
Thank you. I got to go.
You take care of yourself out there.
Lord.
You hungry?
I can't eat anything.
You need to eat something.
What happened to her?
Life.
Brian and the kids must really be going through it.
They're doing all right.
But I want to talk about you.
I called Charles this morning...
and he told me, before he hung up...
that you and him is getting a divorce.
But what I can't seem to figure out is why you here.
He put me out of the house.
-Who house? -Our house.
Exactly. How the hell a man gonna put a woman...
out of her own house? He might've put me out...
but he was gonna put me out of half.
I'm gonna go in the other half of the house.
He wasn't puttin' me out of all of it.
The house is in his name, Madea.
Lord have mercy. That's how women get messed up.
Too busy out shopping when you need to be checking the deed.
Whoo! That makes me mad, girl.
I don't have any rights to the money.
No right?
I signed a prenup.
What the hell you sign a prenup--
I ought to punch you in the face.
Who the hell told you to sign a renup?
He didn't have nothin' when you married him!
Charles always knew he'd be successful.
And he said to me...
"l want to know that you're here for love."
And I didn't have a job.
So it's his money.
Is it? What was you doing while he was working, honey?
Taking care of the house, cooking and cleaning.
Exactly. That sounds like a job to me.
Cooking and cleaning-- how long you do that?
18 years.
All right. OK.
18 years...
let's see how much he owes you.
18 years...
you've been cooking...
cleaning...
having sex with him when he wanted.
-Was it good? -No.
Major deduction.
And I didn't tell you that he hit me.
Girl, that man owes you 64 billion...
283 million, 974 trillion...
5 thousand...
and 20 dollars and 82 cents.
Now, you need to get your money.
-That'll never happen. -You want to bet?
I can happen one of two ways, honey.
You can get it from his checking account voluntarily...
or his insurance policy.
Involuntary manslaughter. Which one it's gonna be?
-Madea. -Mm-mm.
I ain't gonna have this. Come on.
-What? Where are we going? -To your house.
Oh, no. The guard will never let us in.
I said come on!
Mayday! Mayday!
Lord have mercy.
Get your stuff.
What the hell is wrong with you?
These your clothes?
They're hers.
Oh, they're hers?
Who is, uh... "Dol...say & Gab-anna?"
Who that is?
Dolce and Gabbana. They're designers.
Oh. She a label ho.
$700 for a damn rag?
Just a rag.
Madea, no, no, no. Don't do that.
This man left you...
for some old floozy.
Madea, what's wrong?
A wire hanger!
Rip it.
Rip it?
-Rip it. -No, no.
Rip it!
-Rip it? Rip it! -Rip it!
Rip it!
What the hell are you doing?
Rip it like this! Get mad at it!
It'll make you feel better! Rip it!
Rip it! Rip it!
Rip something!
-Rip it! -Rip it!
Rip it real good. Rip it.
Wait a minute. What's this gonna solve?
Nothing. It's just gonna make you feel better.
-Rip it! Ha ha ha! -Rip it!
This is for every black woman...
who ever had a problem with a black man!
Goodness.
Calm down, girl.
I'm tired as hell.
OK.
I'm gonna go down to the office.
I forgot some things.
OK...you go down in the office...
because you forgot something.
Find me some oxygen.
And bring me some oxygen!
What are you doing in here?
Charles.
Are you stealing from me?
No. No, I just--
How did you get in here? I changed the locks.
What the--who are you?
Who are you?
I'm the owner of this house.
Wrong answer. My granddaughter Helen...
is the owner of this house.
You're the ho. You ain't got no power or no deed.
Did you do this? This is Vera Wang!
Who that is? She do nails? I need to get my nails did.
That's it! I'm calling the police!
I'm not scared of no popo. Call the popo, ho.
Call the popo, ho!
Charles, please...
I don't have any money, and--
I tried to be nice to you, didn't l?
Didn't l?
I'll just go.
You'll just go?
I'll just take it, and I'll just go.
Oh, you'll just take it and go, huh?
You're gonna take my money and go?!
If I call the police, they're gonna be here in ten minutes.
OK. Then that leaves me nine to beat the hell out of you.
You think? I know tae kwon do.
And I know whoop your ass. Come on. Bring it on.
You don't know me. I'm from the projects.
Come on. What the hell is your problem?
Come on. Shut up. Shut up!
Oh, hell no. Watch out.
Yeah, you keep running!
What? Now you asking me questions?!
You begging now?
Oh, please do it. Please hit her.
Please! I want to see you do it.
What the hell's wrong with you?
Here, now, you bastard. Put your hands on her.
Oh, my God! Don't hurt him!
Oh, I'm not gonna hurt him. I'm gonna kill him.
Putting his hand on my granddaughter.
I'm calling the police.
You call the police, so they can see how you done hit her.
No, just get out.
Charles, I have been nothing but a good woman and wife to you.
I don't deserve this.
You will reap what you sow.
Keep your money.
You crazy as hell.
Just leave it.
I might leave some of it.
It was this that made you the evil bastard that you are.
Get out.
Here, now, the way I see it...
half of everything in this house belongs to her...
and I ain't leaving here till she get it.
-She'll never see it. -What did he say?
Come on, Madea. Let's go.
That's right. Go.
Give me 5 minutes with her in the bathroom, please.
Madea, let's go.
OK. Oh, yeah. I'm leaving.
It's just a matter of time...
before he does the same thing to you.
Never. I could never be you.
I'm a woman who knows how to get and keep her man!
What's that?
Madea...
Half of everything in here belongs to her.
Which half do you want? Do you want this half...
or do you want this half?
Madea.
Your Honor, case number 456790--
the People versus Mabel Simmons and Helen McCarter.
Criminal trespassing, reckless endangerment...
criminal possession of a handgun...
assault with a deadly weapon...
What are you walking so fast for?
Suspended license, expired registration...
reckless driving, and a broken taillight.
Girl, I know that ain't who I think it is.
I know you didn't say Mabel Simmons. Madea?
How are you doing, Judge Mablean?
It's good to see you. Your hair is pretty, girl.
Look at you. You're looking good.
How you been?
You're still at it?
This ain't even my fault. What had happened was--
Save it. Who's here for the defense?
Brian Simmons here on behalf...
of Mrs. McCarter and Mrs. Simmons, your Honor.
-Brian? -How you doing, Judge Ephriam?
I'm getting tired of seeing your aunt.
I'm tired of seeing you.
It won't happen again.
Yeah, I bet.
Bail is set at $5,000 for Miss McCarter...
property or cash. But as for you, Madea...
I'm placing you under house arrest.
You ain't putting me on no house arrest, honey.
I ain't fi'n to to deal with that.
It's either that or prison. What's your choice?
I'll take the house arrest.
Bailiff, call the next case.
The city of Atlanta versus Bobby Brown.
What is this, repeat-offender day?
Bobby! Bobby, I love you! Sit down, Miss Houston.
-OK, you like hot sauce? -Put that lid down!
What the hell? How the hell you do that?
You don't know what we're playing?
Hey, Daddy.
I see you got Thelma and Louise out of jail.
Yeah, I did. Hey, stop running.
Stop running. Say hi to your aunt Helen.
-Hi. -Hi.
That's your son. Tiffany.
-My God. How old is she now? -She'll be twelve tomorrow.
Hey, baby. How you doing?
-Can l? -Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So...
I saw Debrah.
I didn't know she was so bad.
Yeah. She took it pretty hard when you left.
Charles wanted us to move away from anything...
that reminded him of the past, and why I let him do that...
Debrah and I were thick as thieves growing up, huh?
Yeah, you were.
I'll tell you what. Y'all about to be set.
What you got? Oh, hell.
Y'all don't know nothing about playing no cards.
I'm gonna take mine and git.
I could have spent my money in a better place.
Did you hear me, John?
We gonna play, or we gonna talk?
Joe, let me get some.
That's some good stuff.
You want some, John?
I guess not.
Joe, let me get some.
Last time we gave you some of this stuff, Mildred...
we had to call the popo on you.
We had to call the ambulance and everything.
You went crazy as hell.
You ain't supposed to smoke this when you're on lithium.
I'm all right.
All right. Don't wet up my butt, get the lipstick all over it.
You act crazy if you want to. Whose play is it?
Play something. Play something.
Brian, can you handle my divorce?
You don't even have to ask.
I always thought that if I did all I could...
God would bless my marriage.
It takes a lot more than you doing all you can.
And who's to say that this is not your blessing?
You know, sometimes we hold onto the things...
that God himself is trying to tear away.
It's not that easy.
You know women. We love hard.
-And men don't? -Not like a woman.
I don't know if I agree with that.
We don't love as easy...
but when we love, we love just as hard.
You don't see men getting themselves...
in situations like mine.
The mother of my kids is a junkie...
and I love her.
That's a tough situation.
Yeah. I look at Tiff--
she is so much like her. She wants to sing.
I can't let her do that.
She's not Debrah.
Tell that to my heart.
Orlando. O-dawg, what's going on, man?
Big Brian, what's up, man?
Y'all got it smelling real right around here.
That's my deal, man. That's my deal.
Hey, I want to introduce you to somebody.
This is my cousin Helen. Helen, this is Orlando.
Did I miss something? You two know each other?
This is the sweet young lady...
that threw me out of a moving truck.
This is the crazy woman--
That's her.
This town is too small.
I think you owe me an apology.
I don't owe you anything.
I was just trying to help you out the other night.
Oh, yeah, right. You're no good Samaritan.
He paid it. It's not like you're some savior or something.
I'm gonna go... check--do something.
Just another bitter black woman, huh?
Excuse me?
I called you bitter, because now every man you meet...
is gonna have to pay for what he did.
You don't know anything about me.
I know I watched a man drag you out of a house...
and treat you like dirt.
Now there's another story you can tell my cousin.
And I'm not bitter. I'm mad as hell!
Turn that off up there. Turn it off.
Shut up up there, all that music.
How you doing, Henry Lee?
It's good to see y'all.
See, I'm on house arrest.
What is that?
You don't even want to know, baby.
You don't even want to know.
Get somewhere and sit down over there, little boy...
before I knock the hell out of you. Where's your mama?
There you go.
-Mildred, you all right? -Mm-hmm.
Mildred, don't you start acting crazy.
Give me, give me. Here. I'm gonna put this out.
You acting like you crazy. I'll save that for later.
Your play, Mildred.
Play something.
Help! Somebody help me!
I'm out.
What happened to my eyes?
Everything is dark!
Open your eyes, and you might be able to see something, fool.
Crawling all over me! The rabbits!
The rabbits are crawling all over me!
You ain't supposed to be smoking that stuff, Mildred.
Rabbits!
Brian, please take her home to her house.
I don't know why the hell you come over here...
to my yard with that.
Get on, rabbit. Go, rabbit.
Go. Go, rabbit. Go. OK, the rabbit's gone. OK?
All right. No more rabbits.
Hey, Mildred, you forgot your rabbit.
Don't come back over here no more, Mildred!
Don't come back over here!
I don't see no rabbit.
That was good stuff we had.
Is that a rab-- that's a rabbit!
Here. Use this.
What's this, your way of apologizing?
Because if it is, I'm not accepting it.
I'm sorry, mister.
Hey, hey.
My name's Orlando.
Orlando.
Willie, put some music on. Something we can dance to.
You got it.
Let's turn this party up. Y'all, come on. Dance.
Come on. Everybody come on. Come on, Helen.
You and that young man.
Come on, young man. Come on.
March 19.
Dear diary...
I look out at my family having fun and laughing...
and everything in me is screaming for help.
How do I get to that place?
How?
Go, Joe! Go, Joe!
Hello?
Chu