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Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail

Play trailer Poster for Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail PG-13 2009 1h 43m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
27% Tomatometer 51 Reviews 95% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
After a high-speed car chase, Madea winds up behind bars because her quick temper gets the best of her. Meanwhile, Assistant District Attorney Josh Hardaway lands a case that's too personal to handle: that of a young prostitute and former drug addict named Candace. When Candace winds up in jail, Madea takes the young woman under her protective wing.
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Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail

Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail

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Critics Consensus

Divided between sincere melodrama and populist comedy, Madea Goes to Jail fails to provide enough laughs -- or screen time -- for its titular heroine.

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Critics Reviews

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Candice Frederick Reel Talk Online 09/12/2017
D+
Unfortunately the movie isn't about Madea going to jail at all. That would have been a funny movie. Go to Full Review
Melissa Anderson Village Voice 02/25/2009
As ridiculous as his films frequently are, Perry, a shrewd yet benevolent showman, knows and loves his audience. Go to Full Review
Wesley Morris Boston Globe 02/23/2009
2/4
The women's prison dramedy I wanted never really happens. Go to Full Review
Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com 09/15/2020
2.5/4.0
Continues Perry's improvement as a filmmaker and will undoubtedly please his growing legion of fans. Go to Full Review
Micheal Compton Bowling Green Daily News 05/22/2019
D+
Until Perry decides one way or another what tone he is going to approach with his projects, the results will continue to be frustrating. Go to Full Review
Dustin Putman TheFilmFile.com 11/26/2013
2.5/4
A half-silly/half-moralistic story about how it is never too late to turn things around, "Madea Goes to Jail" is as wispy as whipped cream, but also as easy to consume. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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TheMovieSearch R @TheMovieSearch 4d Madea Goes to Jail isn’t a perfect comedy, but it’s easy to see why it helped cement Madea as one of Tyler Perry’s most beloved characters. Perry once again delivers a hilarious performance, blending outrageous comedy with surprising heart. Madea’s sharp wit, unforgettable one-liners, and fearless personality make every scene entertaining. My favorite moment remains the iconic "Brownies for my brownie" quote, which perfectly captures the film’s humor. The jail scenes are easily the funniest part of the movie, and I found myself wishing the story spent even more time there instead of shifting toward the dramatic subplot. While the emotional storyline adds themes of forgiveness, redemption, and second chances, it occasionally slows the comedy. Some supporting characters, especially Big Sal, don’t leave much of an impression. Overall, Madea Goes to Jail is a funny, heartfelt comedy that’s worth revisiting and remains one of the stronger entries in the Madea franchise. See more Aquiles C @Aquiles_Castro Jul 15 Amazing movie!! Love how rainbow dash saves Madea at the end💜💜 must-watch See more Anthony H @Hardy Jul 15 Madea goes to jail has a great story with a lot of emotional elements, but this is less of a Madea story than expected. This film dives deep into trauma, drug abuse, and corruption. It tells an actual important story and serves a great purpose while also giving us that humor that makes Madea movies so great. See more Kaitlin H @RT85312076 Jul 11 This is probably the worst Tyler Perry movie I've seen, first this movie has barely any parts of Madea in it, most of the movie is about this girl who was on the streets and her guy friend from her childhood helping her, and when there were parts with Madea in it it was only a few minutes and the parts with Madea were actually funny but with the other girl it wasn't so funny. Also the plot is stupid, it has nothing to do with Madea. 🫩 See more thiago s @Thiagostone Nov 6 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more br00talbananas @RT16752372 02/26/2024 Love everything Aunt Mabel is in! 🫶 See more Read all reviews
Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail

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Movie Info

Synopsis After a high-speed car chase, Madea winds up behind bars because her quick temper gets the best of her. Meanwhile, Assistant District Attorney Josh Hardaway lands a case that's too personal to handle: that of a young prostitute and former drug addict named Candace. When Candace winds up in jail, Madea takes the young woman under her protective wing.
Director
Tyler Perry
Producer
Reuben Cannon
Screenwriter
Tyler Perry
Distributor
Lionsgate Films
Production Co
Tyler Perry Company
Rating
PG-13 (Sexual Situations|Mature Thematic Material|Drug Content|Some Violence)
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 20, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 19, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$90.5M
Runtime
1h 43m