Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail
(C- or 1.5/4 stars)
Watching a movie like 'Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail', written & directed by Tyler Perry, is somewhat guilt pleasure-ish. I actually never wind up liking them, and yet, they're watchable enough, & infused with enough intangible positives that they escape being outright atrocities ... every single time. This time, mischievous grandma Madea (Perry) finds herself in jail. There, she meets an eclectic variety of characters. Outside of jail, her family struggles with their own turmoil. Most of the melodrama here is overcooked. Most of the comedy is undercooked. But like I said, there's just something about these movies.
Madea has always been a sinner. And finally, prison has caught up with her. While she creates quite the stir behind bars, some subplots involving (and not involving) her own wacky family are going on at full speed. Assistant District Attorney Joshua Hardaway (Derek Luke) is headed for success. He's rising up the ranks and is poised to marry his fiancee, fellow ADA Linda Holmes (an annoying Ion Overman). But things go wrong when Joshua lands a case that is too hurtful & personal to handle - defending Candace, a childhood friend who happens to be both a prostitute & a drug addict (Keshia Knight Pulliam, of The Cosby Show). He asks his fiancee, Linda, to take over the case. But little does she know the lengths that Josh would go to to ensure Candace's well-being.
Situations arise where Candace winds up in jail (unrightfully so) with motor mouth, shit-stirring Madea. It is in jail with Madea that Candace and a host of other prison mates begin to realize the errors of their ways, how to cope with their misfortunes, & hopefully get out of jail earlier than anticipated. Blah, blah, blah. All of these prison scenes are awful. Most of them (and even a fair share of earlier scenes) involve themes of sin, revenge, redemption, compassion, forgiveness, & self-reliance. I refuse to believe that most of the people who go to a Madea movie want a brunt of it to be melodramatic schlock. They want the funny.
And the funny comes far too infrequently. As Madea, Tyler Perry is great. She's just an ABSOLUTE train wreck. Whether she's going off on a verbal rant, flinging her pistol around, ruining cars, being blatantly hypocritical, going toe-to-toe with a judge, mocking Dr. Phil (yes, you read that correctly), or giving low blows to her burly brother, Joe (also played by Perry) ... we are either outright laughing, or have a satisfying grin running across our face. Tyler Perry handles his several roles quite well. Derek Luke is always good; particularly in a big revelation scene near the end. Viola Davis (recently Oscar-nominated for her role in Doubt) is stellar (though almost misplaced within the context of the script) as a minister. And Keshia Knight Pulliam is both cute & effective as the troubled Candace.
I did not outright hate this movie. Though I often cringed & rolled my eyes, I also laughed. But I've seen better Tyler Perry flicks (and even THOSE wind up disappointing me in some way). I feel like Perry is given a platform (almost every year now) to create stupendous, groundbreaking African-American films ... but he goes too mainstream. It's as if he doesn't trust his talent to write, edit, & produce effectively humorous & dramatic filmmaking. His movies are never as outrageously funny as they could potentially be. And they're always far too melodramatic (simultaneously cramming way too much in). He hasn't struck a harmonious balance. In fact, it's way off here. One moment, something extremely serious is going on, the next ... over-the-top slapstick humor.
Madea has always been a sinner. And finally, prison has caught up with her. While she creates quite the stir behind bars, some subplots involving (and not involving) her own wacky family are going on at full speed. Assistant District Attorney Joshua Hardaway (Derek Luke) is headed for success. He's rising up the ranks and is poised to marry his fiancee, fellow ADA Linda Holmes (an annoying Ion Overman). But things go wrong when Joshua lands a case that is too hurtful & personal to handle - defending Candace, a childhood friend who happens to be both a prostitute & a drug addict (Keshia Knight Pulliam, of The Cosby Show). He asks his fiancee, Linda, to take over the case. But little does she know the lengths that Josh would go to to ensure Candace's well-being.
Situations arise where Candace winds up in jail (unrightfully so) with motor mouth, shit-stirring Madea. It is in jail with Madea that Candace and a host of other prison mates begin to realize the errors of their ways, how to cope with their misfortunes, & hopefully get out of jail earlier than anticipated. Blah, blah, blah. All of these prison scenes are awful. Most of them (and even a fair share of earlier scenes) involve themes of sin, revenge, redemption, compassion, forgiveness, & self-reliance. I refuse to believe that most of the people who go to a Madea movie want a brunt of it to be melodramatic schlock. They want the funny.
And the funny comes far too infrequently. As Madea, Tyler Perry is great. She's just an ABSOLUTE train wreck. Whether she's going off on a verbal rant, flinging her pistol around, ruining cars, being blatantly hypocritical, going toe-to-toe with a judge, mocking Dr. Phil (yes, you read that correctly), or giving low blows to her burly brother, Joe (also played by Perry) ... we are either outright laughing, or have a satisfying grin running across our face. Tyler Perry handles his several roles quite well. Derek Luke is always good; particularly in a big revelation scene near the end. Viola Davis (recently Oscar-nominated for her role in Doubt) is stellar (though almost misplaced within the context of the script) as a minister. And Keshia Knight Pulliam is both cute & effective as the troubled Candace.
I did not outright hate this movie. Though I often cringed & rolled my eyes, I also laughed. But I've seen better Tyler Perry flicks (and even THOSE wind up disappointing me in some way). I feel like Perry is given a platform (almost every year now) to create stupendous, groundbreaking African-American films ... but he goes too mainstream. It's as if he doesn't trust his talent to write, edit, & produce effectively humorous & dramatic filmmaking. His movies are never as outrageously funny as they could potentially be. And they're always far too melodramatic (simultaneously cramming way too much in). He hasn't struck a harmonious balance. In fact, it's way off here. One moment, something extremely serious is going on, the next ... over-the-top slapstick humor.