In "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," a handsome, hard-working, respectful, Christian man (who can also cook) tells a woman: "I know you don't believe in fairy tales, but if you did, I'd want to be your knight in shining armor."

Cue the swoons.

Alfeo Dixon, Lions Gate Films Kimberly Elise plays Helen McCarter, a woman who must pick up the pieces of her formerly perfect life when her husband wants a divorce in "Diary of a Mad Black Woman." Click photo for larger image. Diary of a Mad Black Woman' Rating: PG-13 for drug content, thematic elements, crude sexual references and some violence. Starring: Kimberly Elise, Steve Harris, Tyler Perry. Director: Darren Grant. Tyler Perry rises from the underground

White actors have been starring in storybook romances for years, so why not African-Americans? Debra Messing laps up the lines from her male escort in "The Wedding Date," so why not Kimberly Elise? At least her date didn't drain $6,000 from her 401(k) account.

A daytime drama could keep its audience in soap suds for years with this "Diary": a cheating husband, a brazen mistress, a wife scorned and booted out of her own house (on her anniversary, no less), a sympathetic stranger to the rescue, a family torn apart by drugs, a violent twist of fate and enough scenes of a larger-than-life granny to keep the audience in guffaws.

It also has one thing in short supply on most soaps: a religious undercurrent in the form of gospel music and a motherly reminder, from a character played by Cicely Tyson, to ask God for help.

"Diary of a Mad Black Woman," based on the Tyler Perry play of the same name and set in Atlanta, tries to bring everyone into the tent, both those who want old-fashioned entertainment and new-fashioned nods to raunchy humor. That means an old codger who smokes pot and brags about Viagra and the gun-toting grandma on house arrest who rubs butter on her ankle bracelet in an effort to slide it off.

The old-timers are both portrayed by a heavily made up and padded Perry, who scores a triple play by appearing as a third character, a devoted dad who has all but given up on his drug-addicted wife. He's still a few costume changes shy of Eddie Murphy's record in "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps," but Perry's back story is much better.

During a period of six years, he went from being homeless to selling out theaters with his plays. One featured a character called Madea (short for mother dear), a big-bosomed, brutally honest woman based on his mother and an aunt. She made the transition to "Diary" and is the outrageous crowd-pleaser, stealing the thunder from central character Helen McCarter (Elise) and anyone else in the room.

"Diary" charts Helen's path from meekness to madness as she decides to exact revenge on her cold-hearted husband (Steve Harris). She uses a diary to record her efforts to rebuild her shattered life with a thoughtful man named Orlando (Shemar Moore). As Helen writes in her journal: "Dear Diary, this man is fine."

Directed by music video veteran Darren Grant, "Diary" works better as a comedy than a drama, but it's intended as both. That makes for a rocky road, especially once Helen's revenge takes a sadistic turn, even if a smack in the head she delivers earned her applause from a preview audience.

The story is riddled with improbable turns and sudsy cliches as the greedy show their true colors, the sinners see the light and there's enough forgiveness for the entire Atlanta area code. Perry can't save the movie by himself, but darned if he -- and he and she -- don't try.