Madea Goes To Jail (2009)

"Quicker on the uptake than any of Eddie Murphy's fat ladies, quicker even than Flip Wilson's Geraldine Jones.  J.R. Jones, Chicago Reader
"...[pushes] all the right buttons to ensure Perry will be back for another round.  Sam Adams, Chicago Tribune

Editor's Note Multitalented screenwriter, director, playwright, and actor Tyler Perry delivers yet another comedy feature from his popular MADEA film series. Largely concerned with African American family life, Perry splits his efforts between the outrageous Madea films and other, slightly more serious features such as 2008?s THE FAMILY THAT PREYS. As the name suggests, MADEA GOES TO JAIL, based on the 2006 play of the same title, once again stars Perry himself as Mabel B. Simmons (nicknamed Madea), the feisty, gun-loving grandmother audiences have adored on stage and screen since she first appeared in the 2002 play MADEA?S FAMILY REUNION. When Madea ends up in jail following a series of violent outbursts, she finds herself in equally eccentric company and causes chaos among her fellow inmates. In a fat suit and women?s clothing, Perry keeps things light while exploring signature themes of redemption, such as the young attorney (Derek Luke, NOTORIOUS) who sets out to help a prostitute (Keshia Knight Pulliam, THE COSBY SHOW) who holds a special place in his heart. The New Orleans-born Renaissance man once again proves himself to be comfortable wearing many hats: as star, producer, writer, and director, Perry retains a constant presence but is careful not to outshine his talented co-stars, including Viola Davis (Oscar-nominated for her role in 2008?s DOUBT) as a determined social worker. Rivaling Woody Allen with the speed at which he releases films, Perry manages to pack Christian values, positive messages regarding the power of forgiveness, and plenty of laughs into his quickly produced features. This is all communicated through his signature blend of outrageous comedy and almost soap-operatic drama.

	Derek Luke
	David Mann
	Vanessa Ferlito
	Tamela Mann
	Ronreaco Lee
	Ion Overman
	Sofia Vergara
	Tyler Perry
	Keshia Knight Pulliam
	Viola Davis
	Tyler Perry - Executive Producer
	Reuben Cannon - Producer
	Tyler Perry - Screenwriter
	Aaron Zigman - Composer
	Alexander Gruszynski - Director of Photography
	Tyler Perry - Director

Hollywood Reporter
"[With] good acting and resonant scenes....[Perry] certainly knows how to entertain and deliver laughs..." 02/20/2009

Washington Post
"MADEA GOES TO JAIL is both slapstick and social drama, and it is certainly the most confident mix of the two that Perry has managed to achieve with this particular part of his vast media franchise..." 02/21/2009

USA Today
"Perry writes, directs and stars -- in several roles -- and he obviously knows how to create a crowd-pleasing comedy. The bawdy character of Madea has grown more endearing over the course of three movies....She's a hoot..." 03/03/2009

Los Angeles Times 6 of 10
Tyler Perry offers something for everyone, whether it fits together or not. "Madea Goes to Jail," the latest addition to writer-director-actor Perry's ever-growing empire, is, by a conservative estimate, two movies squeezed into one...The first, which occupies far less screen time despite the title, centers around Mabel Simmons, better known as Madea (Perry), a short-tempered, no-nonsense house of a woman whose hair-trigger temper has run her afoul of the law once again. The other involves the relationship between Joshua (Derek Luke), a hardworking, mildly guileless young man who has climbed up from the ghetto to the city prosecutor's office, and his fiancee, Linda (Ion Overman), a fellow prosecutor of blueblood origins whose ambition is matched only by her cunning. Viewers of Perry's other movies, in which powerful women are frequently suspect, have a pretty good idea where this relationship is headed...Lightness of touch is not Perry's forte, nor even his goal. The movie's broad theatrics play to both ends of the scale: Heartstrings-yanking drama bumps square up against buffoonish comedy, with little attempt to unite the two. At least, that is, until the movie's halves collide in the final reel, with little apparent disruption...Over the last few years, Perry has built up enough clout to cast actors like Luke and Viola Davis, in a small role as a recovering addict who helps the down-and-out come to Jesus, although he still rates his own talents highly enough to cast himself in three roles...More competently shot (and less transparently shoestring) than last year's "The Family That Preys," "Madea Goes to Jail" exploits Perry's access to media personalities like Dr. Phil and the hosts of "The View," who appear for little other reason than to prove he has their phone numbers...But if the movie is a mess, it's a purposeful mess, cannily, if not artfully, pushing all the right buttons to ensure Perry will be back for another round. - Sam Adams