Seen on: February 21, 2009

The players: Director: Tyler Perry, Writer: Tyler Perry, Cast: Tyler Perry, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Derek Luke, Tamela J. Mann, Vanessa Ferlito

Facts of interest: None whatsoever.

The plot: This time, Madea goes straight to jail, where she inspires other prisoners and offers them a valuable life lesson.

Our thoughts: Tyler Perry’s funniest character returns to the big screen in “Madea Goes to Jail,” and while she clearly leads the film’s most hilarious scenes, her onscreen time remains a little too limited for my taste. It’s a shame, really, because Madea’s the only one injecting the film with decent enough comic energy.

The real central character in “Jail” is Joshua (Derek Luke), a successful assistant district attorney whose life gets thrown upside down when he runs into Candace (Keshia Knight Pulliam), an old friend and troubled prostitute who messed up and is facing some time in jail.

Feeling obligated to help her, Joshua does everything he can to get Candy off the streets, a move that deeply bothers his jealous fiancée Linda (Ion Overman). While all this is going on, Madea also faces the judge after being involved in a high-speed chase and destroying an unkind lady’s sports car.

If you’ve previously seen some of Perry’s movies, you obviously know exactly what to expect in “Madea Goes to Jail.” Like most of his flicks, this one follows a bunch of people hitting a few bumps on the way to figuring out how to deal with their personal problems. In short, it’s a film about forgiving and doing the right thing with your life.

As usual, the movie is also pretty melodramatic and preachy, but considering that’s exactly what Perry’s loyal audience expects from him, I can’t really hold it against him. He certainly knows how to entertain his fans, and his fans appreciate what he does. Some like it, others don’t, and that’s just fine.

Personally, I always grow tired of predictability very fast, and that’s why I simply couldn’t enjoy “Jail” to the fullest extent. It’s by no means a boring film, but it just didn’t surprise me enough. Additionally, as I mentioned before, Madea is the only one causing laughter, and we just don’t get to see enough of her.

If I had to pick my favorite moments in the film, I would definitely go with all of Madea’s appearances, especially her hilarious, truly memorable therapy session with Dr. Phil. Perry knows how to make this character work every time she steps in front of the camera, and for that, I applaud him.

Freaky quote: “What the hell is me time?" – Tyler Perry

The final word: Like I said, die-hard Madea and Perry fans will enjoy themselves no doubt, but if you’re looking for something you haven’t seen yet many times before, beware. Also, if you plan on going to see the film solely for Madea, please know you won’t get to see her much.

Article by Franck Tabouring