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"TYLER PERRY'S MADEA GOES TO JAIL"
(2009) (Tyler Perry, Derek Luke) (PG-13)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Heavy Minor Extreme Moderate Moderate
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Mild None Minor None Moderate
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Heavy Mild Mild Heavy Moderate


QUICK TAKE:
Dramedy: As an outspoken and impulsive woman ends up in jail due to her anger management issues, a young assistant D.A. tries to help his childhood friend who's now a drug-addicted prostitute.
PLOT:
For outspoken and oversized Mable "Madea" Simmons (TYLER PERRY), her latest run-in with the law might just be the straw that finally breaks the back of her continued luck of not serving any jail time. It seems that after having eluded the police with her pot-smoking brother, Uncle Joe (TYLER PERRY), Madea beat them up, all of which was recorded. Accordingly, family members Cora (TAMELA J. MANN) and Leroy Brown (DAVID MANN) hope that family lawyer Brian (TYLER PERRY) can prevent her from being sent away.

At the same time, things are looking good for Atlanta assistant district attorney Joshua Hardaway (DEREK LUKE). His career is continuing to grow with the help of his friend and assistant Chuck (RONREACO LEE), and he's engaged to fellow prosecutor and coworker Linda Davis (ION OVERMAN). But he's thrown for a loop when he recognizes a woman from his past, Candace "Candy" Washington (KESHIA KNIGHT PULLIAM), who's now up on prostitution charges.

Due to the conflict of interest predicament in which he finds himself, he turns over the prosecution to Linda who's understandably curious about how he knows this woman. He doesn't immediately let on, but is determined to help his former friend and thus enlists the aid of Ellen (VIOLA DAVIS), a former hooker turned preacher and social worker who tries to get the likes of Candy and her friend, Donna (VANESSA FERLITO), off the streets and out of that line of work.

As Joshua's continued efforts to help Candy end up putting a strain on his relationship with Linda, Madea's anger management issues eventually land her in jail, where she must put with other inmates such as eccentric serial killer and bunkmate T.T. (SOFIA VERGARA) as well as Big Sal (ROBIN COLEMAN) who thinks she runs the place.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
If they're fans of other films by Tyler Perry and/or anyone else in the cast, they might.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13
For mature thematic material, drug content, some violence and sexual situations.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • DEREK LUKE plays the assistant D.A. in Atlanta whose life is turned upside down when his former friend, Candy, shows up back in his life, now as a drug-addicted prostitute. Despite Linda's misgivings, he strives to help Candy, mostly out of guilt regarding something that happened to her in the past that was indirectly his fault.
  • KESHIA KNIGHT PULLIAM his former childhood friend turned prostitute and drug addict who initially doesn't want his or Ellen's help, despite knowing better.
  • TYLER PERRY plays an outspoken and oversized grandmother who's constantly in trouble with the law and doesn't regret one bit of that. Living by the "do onto others as they do onto you" mantra, she doesn't take abuse from anyone, and thus has anger management issues. She uses profanity, gets into fights, and smokes a few times.
  • TYLER PERRY also plays Madea's pot-smoking brother who throws a party at her place attended by strippers and such.
  • TYLER PERRY also plays the family lawyer who tries his best to keep Madea out of jail.
  • ION OVERMAN plays Joshua's fiancée, a fellow prosecutor from a privileged background who shows no compassion toward Candy and eventually breaks the law to get her out of her and Joshua's lives.
  • RONREACO LEE plays Joshua's assistant who's always trying to give him advice about how to behave around Linda and is forced to keep quiet regarding a secret about her.
  • VANESSA FERLITO plays Candy's fellow hooker friend who's also a junkie.
  • VIOLA DAVIS plays a former junkie and prostitute turned preacher who tries to help get prostitutes off the street.
  • SOFIA VERGARA plays Madea's eccentric bunkmate in prison who admits to being a serial killer.
  • ROBIN COLEMAN plays a hulking female inmate who intimidates others, sexually comes on to Candy, and clashes with Madea.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
    Then read OUR TAKE of this film.


    (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).


    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    The following is a brief summary of the content found in this dramedy that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of a slang term each for sex and breasts, while many minor expletives (61 hells and more) and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some non-explicit, but sexually related dialogue is present, much of it concerning prostitutes who are seen selling their wares, while off-screen sex is implied, and varying amounts of cleavage are seen.

    Violence consists of a pimp roughing up a hooker and then apparently raping her while she's unconscious (off camera, but we see her wake up nude with him on top of her, although no explicit nudity is viewed), while there's a story of a past gang rape. Some comedy-style hitting of others occurs in other scenes.

    Some of the behavior might be enticing for kids to imitate, while an older man smokes pot on several occasions and various hookers are noted as being drug addicts (no use is seen, but there's related talk as well as withdrawal symptoms). Drinking and regular smoking also occur in various scenes. Various bad attitudes are present, as are various thematic elements, as well as some tense family material.

    If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.


    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • Uncle Joe smokes pot while also on oxygen. He's called on that, but he says pot is good for you and is a gift from God, and that the way to take a woman to Heaven is with that, oxygen and Viagra. Moments later, he states he can't feel his toes (presumably from the pot smoking) and then jokes about being "so high."
  • People drink at a party where we see a keg, as well as Uncle Joe with a small bong around his neck attached to his oxygen tube (we hear it bubbling away). He also wears glasses that have mugs of beer on them.
  • We see Candy hanging out on the corner with fellow hooker Donna, and Ellen stops by. She asks Candy if she's on drugs and if that's heroin or coke (there's no answer) and then if she needs any clean needles. Candy doesn't take any, but Donna does (but no use is seen).
  • While shivering, Candy states that it's not from the cold (meaning she's going through withdrawal of some sort).
  • Madea asks Uncle Joe if he's been smoking weed again.
  • We see Candy going through more withdrawal symptoms.
  • Ellen states she's a former addict and hooker.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • Candy has some small cuts on her face from where a pimp beat her.
  • Madea calls Uncle Joe a "rusty old bastard" and tells him, "You fart and dust comes out."
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • We see reports and such about Madea's criminal record, and then see footage of her eluding and then fighting with the police, including kneeing one (three cops are later seen in court, with various injuries, such as wearing neck braces and such). We then hear that through her life, she's also been charged with fraud, ID theft, insurance fraud, attempted murder and more.
  • Helen introduces a 14-year-old girl to Joshua who she states was put on the streets by a pimp until Helen saved her.
  • Madea breaks her promise to go to church if she got off the charges.
  • While she's away in court, Uncle Joe throws a party at Madea's house where many of the attendees are prostitutes and such.
  • Candy doesn't appreciate Ellen trying to help her, and doesn't initially thank her for a free handout of condoms until that lack of manners is pointed out to her.
  • Linda doesn't show any compassion toward Candy or Joshua's desire to help her, including stating that Candy's current state is her own fault.
  • A pimp physically abuses Donna and Candy, and apparently rapes the latter while she's unconscious. When she comes to, he informs her that she's now his slave.
  • Candy tells Joshua that she met a man in the past who told her that if she loved him, she'd sleep with him and his friend. She then adds that the situation then kept expanding to more and more people.
  • A guy cuts off Cora while driving and then tells her to "go to hell" when she confronts him. In response, Madea causes Cora to smash into the back of the guy's car, sending his car off the road and into a sign.
  • Rather than answer questions posed by Dr. Phil in anger management therapy, Madea refuses to play along, instead often just repeating his question back to him.
  • Ellen arranges for Candy to go on a job interview, but the man suddenly turns that into a sexual barter, asking how bad she wants the job and (after standing behind her) that he's not asking her to do anything she hasn't done a million times before.
  • Madea tells Uncle Joe that she can't wait until he goes down into the ground as maggot food.
  • A jerk of a lady follows Madea through a parking lot, blowing her horn at her, calling her "grandma" and such. She then steals the parking spot Madea was waiting for and is even ruder about that. In response, Madea uses a forklift to grab the woman's car and then drop it to the parking lot (with the woman calling her "Jemima the hut"). We later learn this was a handicap parking spot and that Madea had every intention of taking it despite not qualifying to do so.
  • Linda pads the case and related charges against Candy to result in an even longer prison sentence for her. She then threatens Chuck's legal future if he tells anyone.
  • Joshua finally admits that while in college, he was talked into inviting Candy to a party where, while he was absent, she was gang-raped. He then adds (while crying) that he did nothing about that after the fact.
  • T.T. offers some brownies to Madea (who's black), saying, "Brownies for my brownie" (but she's so eccentric, the racial slur doesn't seem terribly mean-spirited). In addition, T.T. states she's in prison for murdering 18 men.
  • Big Sal is the unofficial queen of the prison and tries to exert her power over both Candy and Madea, but Madea won't have any part of that (and constantly refers to Sal as a man and "you big heifer" due to her hulking size).
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • Donna's pimp chases after her and Candy in his truck, eventually cornering them. He gets out and confronts them, striking Donna on the face. Candy jumps on his back, but he gets her off, pushes her back against a fence, and then chokes her into unconsciousness. When she comes to, she finds herself lying nude under him on a bed, apparently after he raped her in that state (not seen). He then has her by the throat in bed as he informs her that she's now his slave.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • From outside Madea's house, we hear the sound and see the flashes of machine gun fire as she uses that to make people leave a party she didn't authorize (played for laughs).
  • In therapy, Madea states that when people mess with her, she wants to get her Glock.
  • Cops aim handguns and automatic weapons on Madea as they arrest her.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "She was an ugly baby," "What the hell /you talking about/is this?" "She's a whore," "You lost your mind?" "Get the hell out of here," "Your weak ass," "Weak ass lawyer," "Tore the hell up," "Sucker," "If you don't shut the hell up..." "Put the shut to the up," "Hey sexy," "Who the hell /are all these people/you think you're talking to?" "Why are you all in my business?" "Who is that fool?" "Are gonna flip out," "Get your ass out of here," "You gotta man up," "Fool," "Go to hell" ("You go first"), "Hell to the yeah," "Let's get the hell out of here," "Shut up (bastard), "Where the hell you at?" "I'm a grown ass woman," "Shut the hell up," "(You) crazy as hell," "Rusty old bastard," "You fart and dust comes out," "I know damn well," "Are you insane?" "Jemima the hut," "God doesn't like you...he grew you in a Petri dish," "Is that who the hell I think it is?" "Oh hell no," "Hell wrong with you?" "Brownies for my brownie," "Get the hell up," "Run like hell," "Back the hell up," "You big heifer," "Suck it up and shut the hell up," "Hell yeah," "Whoop that ass" and "Open a can of whoop-ass."
  • The way Madea acts and speaks might be enticing for kids to imitate (as might dressing up in drag since it's a man playing her).
  • A pimp has a tattoo on his back.
  • Rather than answer questions posed by Dr. Phil in anger management therapy, Madea refuses to play along, instead often just repeating his question back to him.
  • In response to a woman stealing her parking spot, Madea uses a forklift to grab the woman's car and then drop it on its side on the parking lot.
  • Big Sal has tattoos.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • None.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • A little bit of suspenseful music plays in one scene.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • None.
  • PROFANITY
  • At least 1 slang term for sex ("freaky deaky"), 1 for breasts ("t*tty"), 61 hells, 11 asses, 9 damns, 3 uses of "Oh my God" and 1 use each of "Lord" and "Oh Lord" ("Lord Have Mercy" is also used, but more in a request than an exclamation).
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • We see paraphernalia about Madea's stripper/escort past, including a silhouette style drawing of her on a stripper pole, as well as a photo of her that shows some cleavage.
  • Uncle Joe smokes pot while also on oxygen. He's called on that, but he says pot is good for you and is a gift from God, and that the way to take a woman to Heaven is with that, oxygen and Viagra.
  • We see miscellaneous cleavage.
  • Candy shows some cleavage while in the courtroom.
  • After Joshua has bailed her out of jail, Candy asks, "Where do you want to do this?" asking in the car or house, etc. He then realizes she thinks he expects sex in exchange for bailing her out, but he says that's not the case although she doesn't believe it.
  • While she's away in court, Uncle Joe throws a party at Madea's house where many of the attendees are prostitutes and such. One older man comes on to Cora (who shows some cleavage), saying "Hey sexy" and then "Now you want to get kinky...I like that" after she says she's going to hit him with something. An older hooker (who also shows cleavage) then comes on to Leroy, asking if he wants to be her client, while Uncle Joe holds a mug that reads "pimp" on it.
  • We see Candy hanging out on the corner with fellow hooker Donna and other such women (dressed in standard attire, including showing cleavage), and Ellen stops by, handing out condoms to them and others. After Ellen leaves, Donna comments on being on the streets since she was 16.
  • We see Donna get out of a man's truck, suggesting she just serviced him in some sexual way.
  • A pimp physically abuses Donna and Candy, and apparently rapes the latter while she's unconscious. When she comes to, she discovers him on top of her, and she's apparently fully nude beneath him (he's in boxers or shorts, all seen in an overhead view where the top of her bare chest and bare leg, etc. can be seen, but nothing else explicit is). She then gets up to go into the bathroom (we don't see any nudity) and then escapes through the window, later to be seen in the rain wearing just a towel around her.
  • Candy tells Joshua that she met a man in the past who told her that if she loved him, she'd sleep with him and his friend. She then adds that the situation then kept expanding to more and more people.
  • Ellen shows some cleavage on several occasions.
  • Ellen arranges for Candy to go on a job interview, but the man suddenly turns that into a sexual barter, asking how bad she wants the job and (after standing behind her) that he's not asking her to do anything she hasn't done a million times before.
  • Candy shows cleavage.
  • A man pulls up and Candy offers her services to him for $50 (he says he's looking for a good time), but when she gets into the car, he reveals he's a cop and she's busted.
  • When Madea meets T.T., the latter's accent makes Madea think she said something different, causing her to point to her own clothed chest and ask, "Like two of these?" Later, Madea comments on that, saying she thought T.T. said "t*tty."
  • After T.T. acts a bit too friendly in jail toward Madea, the latter says T.T. isn't "getting any of this" or some "freaky deaky" just for making her bunk and some brownies.
  • Madea tells Big Sal that she'll reach over the table and tear out her urethra tube. She later jokes that she won't let Big Sal take her virginity.
  • Big Sal comes on to Candy several times in prison.
  • Ellen states she's a former addict and hooker.
  • We see miscellaneous cleavage.
  • Joshua briefly kisses Candy on two occasions.
  • SMOKING
  • Madea smokes a few times, is seen in a photo with a cigarette, and comments on smoking when she was taking a forklift to another woman's care. A handful of minor/miscellaneous characters also smoke in a few scenes.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • Family members worry about Madea being sent off to prison.
  • Due to having just learned of Linda's treachery, Joshua calls off the wedding during the ceremony.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • Prostitution.
  • Drug addiction.
  • Rape.
  • The fact that Madea gets off from battery charges due to failure of the arresting cops to read her Miranda rights to her.
  • Madea's mindset that things should operate in an "eye for an eye" fashion and that she won't bother anyone who doesn't bother her.
  • Leroy goofs up the pronunciation of colonoscopy (saying he had one) and then says that maybe Madea should have a prostate exam (even after Cora tells him women don't have that organ).
  • Candy being the kind of person who needs help, but adamantly doesn't want any.
  • Linda doesn't show any compassion toward Candy or Joshua's desire to help her, including stating that Candy's current state is her own fault.
  • Joshua finally admits that while in college, he was talked into inviting Candy to a party where, while he was absent, she was gang-raped. He then adds (while crying) that he did nothing about that after the fact.
  • The comment that forgiveness is for the person giving that, not the recipient.
  • The comment to stop being a victim (in one's mindset) and take responsibility for one's actions.
  • The fact that Madea, Candy and others have their sentences thrown out due to Linda's illegal actions, despite them having obviously broken the law.
  • VIOLENCE
  • We see reports and such about Madea's criminal record, and then see footage of her eluding and then fighting with the police, including kneeing one (three cops are later seen in court, with various injuries, such as wearing neck braces and such).
  • Donna's pimp chases after her and Candy in his truck, eventually cornering them. He gets out and confronts them, striking Donna on the face. Candy jumps on his back, but he gets her off, pushes her back against a fence, and then chokes her into unconsciousness. When she comes to, she finds herself lying nude under him on a bed, apparently after he raped her in that state (not seen). He then has her by the throat in bed as he informs her that she's now his slave.
  • A guy cuts off Cora while driving and then tells her to "go to hell" when she confronts him. In response, Madea causes Cora to smash into the back of the guy's car, sending his car off the road and into a sign.
  • Ellen arranges for Candy to go on a job interview, but the man suddenly turns that into a sexual barter, asking how bad she wants the job and (after standing behind her) that he's not asking her to do anything she hasn't done a million times before. We then hear the sound of Candy as she kicks him in the crotch, and Ellen goes in, finding him on the floor in pain, and then hits him with her purse.
  • In response to a woman stealing her parking spot, Madea uses a forklift to grab the woman's car and then drop it on its side on the parking lot.
  • Cops aim handguns and automatic weapons on Madea as they arrest her. She then briefly tries to fight them until they get her under control.
  • We hear that Candy was gang-raped in the past at a party in college.
  • After being sentenced, Madea briefly struggles with the bailiff and a cop/guard.
  • When Big Sal comes on to Candy once more in prison, Madea has finally had enough. She hits her in the face with something, attacks her, holds her face down on a laundry press and closes the lid, and then throws her into a large laundry basket (where Candy elbows Big Sal several times).



  • Reviewed February 20, 2009 / Posted February 20, 2009

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