Customer Reviews

Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail (Fullscreen Edition)

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

"Tyler Perry's Madea Goes To Jail" is great! This is how the story goes: After a high-speed freeway chase puts Madea in front of the judge, her reprieve is short-lived as anger management issues get the best of her and land her in jail. A gleeful Joe couldn't be happier at Madea's misfortune. But Madea's eccentric family members the Browns rally behind her, lending their special "country" brand of support. Meanwhile, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Hardaway is on the fast track to career success. But Hardaway lands a case too personal to handle - defending young prostitute and former drug addict Candace Washington - and asks his fiancee and fellow ADA Linda Holmes to fill in on his behalf. When Candace ends up in jail, Madea befriends the young woman, protecting her in a "motherly" way as only Madea can.

The cast led by Tyler Perry (back in his roles as Madea / Brian / Joe), Derek Luke (as Joshua Hardaway), & Keshia Knight Pulliam (as Candace Washington) is great! The directing and story and screenplay by Perry (who also produced) (who also produced and directed and wrote the stories and screenplays to "Madea's Family Reunion" (2006, also starred as Madea / Brian / Joe), "Daddy's Little Girls" (2007), "Why Did I Get Married?" (2007, also starred as Terry), "Meet The Browns" (2008, also starred as Madea / Joe) & "The Family That Preys" (2008, also starred as Ben), he also wrote and produced "Diary Of A Mad Black Woman" (2005, also starred as Madea / Brian / Joe) is great!

The music by Aaron Zigman (who also did the music to Perry's "Why Did I Get Married?", "Meet The Browns", & "The Family That Preys" is great! The cinematography by Alexander Gruszynski (who also did the cinematography to "This Christmas" (2007) is great! The film editing by Maysie Hoy (who has been doing the casting to Perry's films since "Daddy's Little Girls") is great! The production design by Ina Mayhew (who has been doing the production design on Perry's films since "Diary Of A Mad Black Woman") is great! The casting by Kim Hardin (who also did the casting to "This Christmas") is great! The art direction by Mark Erbaugh (who also did the art direction to "The Family That Preys") is great! The costume design by Keith G. Lewis (who has been doing the costume design to Perry's films since "Diary Of A Mad Black Woman") is great!

This is an great comedy that is funny and heartwarming at times. This is another hit from Tyler Perry. Madea's back and funnier than ever.

MADEA GOES TO JAIL

I am a Tyler Perry fan and was completely excited when I found out that this film was going to be his next, based on the great play I knew it would be a great film. So it came to theaters and like I thought it was a hit so I knew the DVD would be excellent. Finally when it came out it was bought for my girl for her birthday and we all had a great time watching it. Perry is excellent at delivering heartfelt films with a bit of comedy thrown into the mix. Like before he succeeds here once again and delivers another marvelous film. Perry once again provides a well crafted drama/comedy that will have you hooked for sure.

There are two different stories going on in this film like most Perry films, this like the others blends both stories very well and even brings them together. One follows Madea and her legal battles as she escapes prisons grasp only to fall prey to it later. This is the comedic side of the film as you know and really makes this movie funny. Then we have Joshua Hardaway an Assistant District Attorney who just landed a case that puts him back in touch with a former childhood friend who he elects to help. Since he didn't help at one time when she really needed it in their college days he feels the need now. Of course this does not sit well with his fiancé who has a bit of a secret her self. Of course this is the more dramatic side of things and it is classic Tyler Perry, excellent story with these ones.

Perry has always been an excellent writer and this shows exactly why he keeps churning out hit after hit. The script is full of great believable characters and full of emotion which only brings you into it. Of course his direction is great and keeps the movie moving along at a nice pace. Perry himself is great in three different roles and yes they are the same three he plays in all the Madea movies. Of course the lead character Madea is excellent and one of the most fun characters in film history and Perry as usual is brilliant in the role. Then there is Madea's brother Joe is funny as always especially during the party scene. And then there is Perry with out a get playing Brian who is the family's lawyer, and a member himself.

Derek Luke is great as Joshua and brings a real feel of emotion to the character and is very believable in the role. Keshia Knight Pulliam is absolutely brilliant as lost cause Candace who feels betrayed by Joshua over an incident [a really bad one] in college that led her to a life on the streets and prostitution. She may very well steal the show as far as the dramatic performances. Ion Overman is great as Joshua's girl who does not understand his feelings about his former childhood friend. David and Tamela Mann as always are great as the Browns and bring a lot to the comedic side of this film. Every one in this film did a great job and really bring it on this film. But if there is any one who is also up for show stealer it is Sofía Vergara as T.T. who Perry fans may recognize from the "Meet The Browns" film. Her character is the craziest/funniest serial killer of all time, I loved it.

This is one of the better releases thus far and is very much worth your money, this is a great movie. Tyler Perry is a great filmmaker and an even better writer so you should check this out. This is a great film that we all truly liked here at the house so I assure you that you will to. Go out and buy this now or at the very least rent it tonight because you will like it. And for those who are haters just look at the numbers, this is a number 1 hit baby.

The antics of Madea in and out of jail are ALWAYS fun to watch, but the story about Candy and her meeting Madea gave this movie the seriousness it needed to be solid. We're given comedy and something to think about. And Madea does delightfully in jail, whether she's in class or fighting that big blonde. 4.5/5 stars for a entertaining flick.

When you hear that Tyler Perry is debuting a new movie featuring the character of Madea, you become like a thirsty man in the desert who spots an oasis in the distance. You know that if you can just get there, you will be so refreshed with laughter. There is a hilarity that infuses your senses that you don't want to let go when Madea is breakin it down and servin it up as only she can....And the life stories that accompany this trip do give us food for thought...Thank you Tyler Perry!!!

This is a great movie. It is, by far, my favorite Tyler Perry movie to date. It's laugh out loud funny and the actors are fantastic. I've seen all of Tyler Perry's plays and movies. He's exceptionally talented and I love all of his work but I'm a bigger fan of his movies rather than his plays. I believe that's where the division of the reviews will lie. If you're a bigger fan of his plays, you may not agree with my review.

Most of Tyler Perry's movies have left me wanting... wanting a better script, better dialogue and better acting. Many of his previous movies are exaggerated and stereo-typical, but Madea Goes To Jail is different. The acting is so much better than in many of his previous films (who knew the former Cosby kid had so much talent???) and the Madea character is funnier than ever. This is by far, the best movie Tyler Perry has ever done -- he's getting better and learning his craft as a producer and director and casting better actors in his films. I found myself crying over funny parts of the movie and over sad parts.

A great family or date movie!

some of the Madea bits were funny, but the other story line about the hookers really was the movie...
Madea was more of a sub-sub plot ...

it takes 1:10 min for her to get to jail

i couldn't even finish it...

Tyler Perry's storytelling skills are about as rudimentary as they come. His modus operandi is generally to gather together a group of two-dimensional characters and broad comic stereotypes to act out a simplistic morality tale - then throw in some lowbrow buffoonery and high-minded sanctimony for good measure. In Perry's world, good and evil are real, palpable entities and just about everyone we meet is either a hero or a villain. "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail" is no exception to that rule.

And don't let the title mislead you, for the sassy, take-no-prisoners Madea (played by Tyler Perry in drag) is little more than a glorified second banana in a movie that is all over the map when it comes to plotline, character development and tone. In fact, thanks to its gear-grinding tonal shifts, the film feels more like a series of comic sketches interrupted periodically by bits of social drama - or maybe it's the other way around - than like a fully developed and integrated work in its own right (the scenes in prison are particularly egregious).

The "comic" storyline centers around Madea's apprehension for speeding and resisting arrest (a scene that actually took place in Perry's earlier film, "Meet the Browns"), though the jail time she faces is actually for a subsequent offense. The "serious" plot thread involves Derek Luke and Ion Overman as two impossibly attractive attorneys who are engaged to be married and who keep bickering over just how concerned Joshua (Luke) should be about the people he's left behind in the "ghetto." Joshua wants to lend a helping hand to a female pal from college who's become a drug addict and a hooker (Keshia Knight Pulliam, an all-grown-up Rudy from "The Cosby Show"), while the unscrupulous Linda - a spoiled little "princess" who's always had daddy's money to make things easy for her - thinks Joshua should just do his job and let the young woman die on the streets or rot in prison for the rest of her life. Needless to say, neither plot strand offers much in the way of plausibility or credibility, and the movie isn`t always even true to its own moral code. For example, just after the imprisoned Madea has delivered an impassioned speech about how people ought to take responsibility for their actions and accept the consequences for their wrongdoing, she dances out of prison on a technicality.

The actors do what they can with scene after preposterous scene, but you'd have to be a thespian on the order of a Laurence Olivier to triumph over a script as hopelessly messed-up as this one is.

I found this movie very disappointing. Which is surprising as Madea goes to jail the play is one of my favorites of Tyler's plays.

This movie however strayed too far away from that premise. The sub-plot and plot were not cohesive. It was almost like watching two different movies.

I would have enjoyed it more if Keisha's character had some interaction with Madea prior to going to jail. Especially since they did not go to jail until 3/4 into the movie. Prior to that, there was no connection between those people and what was going on with Madea. It was just random.

I know there are those who won't agree, but I didn't enjoy this movie as much as I have some of the other Perry movies. First, "Madea goes to Jail" was typical Tyler Perry, there was nothing new or exciting. The cookie cutter formula of "man does woman wrong, woman struggles, Madea acts a fool but has a good heart, and everything works out after a great deal of struggle, with a lot of laughs and some serious moments" is still the recipe of this Perry movie. However, there were also some lose ends that seemed to hang out there left unanswered.

Madea is once again facing jail time for actions that she takes when a woman steals her parking space. Willing to do things that the average person is afraid to do, she takes things into her own hands and issues her own brand of justice. Facing a less lenient Judge (Judge Mathis), Madea is sentenced to some prison time. Meanwhile, an over zealous prosecutor, fueled by jealousy, insures a stiff sentence for her fiancée's friend, Candace (played by Cosby show's Keshia Knight Pulliam) by committing prosecutorial misconduct. Surrounded by several interesting characters, both Madea and Candace (rape victim turned prostitute) do what they have to do in order to survive prison.

Although there were some funny situations and lines in this latest Perry production (the Uncle is still a hoot), I don't think it offered anything new or original. Perry's formula of victimization, laughs and someone done someone wrong worked to a point, but would have been better if some of the storylines had been followed through. I thought Madea would pass along some of her wisdom or influence Candace more than she did. Instead, Candace and Madea seem to just be in the same institution with no real interaction. In other Perry movies, Madea was instrumental in helping the main character recognize her victimization as well as provide support for her to do something about it. In this movie, Madea was just in the prison and providing some comic relief but in my opinion not really influencing Candace. Then again, maybe I have come to expect a lot in Perry movies and was just disappointed. Was it the worse movie to watch on a Sunday evening, no...would I have paid to see it in the theater, no.