Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail: Review By B. Alan Orange

I could tell you I don’t like the taste of rice, and a billion Chinese people would say I’m wrong. I could scream all day about the horrible texture of hummus, and a whole Island of Greek inhabitants would call my bluff. So, too, it is with Tyler Perry’s Madea franchise. I might not derive any so-called joy out of watching this six-foot tall man in drag mispronounce “Hallelujer!” But the rather larger woman in the picnic table frock sitting next to me is laughing louder than the jet roar of a 757. Yoazers! What is she seeing that I’m not? In my eyes, this Madea shtick is on par with Mamma’s Family. Only the jokes seem a little bit more corny and outdated. I know Tyler Perry is a beloved figurehead, but if Madea Goes to Jail proves anything, it’s that the man should slow down. He seems to be running out of steam, and we certainly don’t need this faux-inspirational pabulum shoved down our throats every other month.

When Perry released his first film, king critic Roger Ebert caught hell for giving it thumbs down. Though the man is married to a very beautiful woman of color, a lot of folks screamed, “Racism!” Trusting in Roger, I knew he was right. The Darren Grant directed Diary of a Mad Black Woman was pretty incoherent from a thematic standpoint. The same stood true for Perry’s self-directed follow-up Madea’s Family Reunion. Perry is first and foremost a writer. His lofty screenplays are on par with the comedic dramas pumped out by Kevin Smith on a regular basis. When Tyler got his toes wet in the world of cinema, he knew f*ck all about putting together a feature film. And that had absolutely nothing to do with race. That’s just an easy card to pull in defense of this watered down religious rhetoric. It’s nothing short of amazing that Perry’s films have managed to touch such a cultural nerve. His success stems from sheer personality. A great huge portion of America genuinely likes the man. And what he has to say. Some of it is hokum. Some of it is truly from the heart. He is extremely charming, and just edgy enough to make a difference. The truth of the matter is: Tyler Perry packs a pretty mean one-liner when he wants to. But his comedies are sh*t.

Perry is one of the few faith-based filmmakers that can get away with his branded sort of shenanigans. No one seems to be on a Tyler Perry witch-hunt. Weigh his recent ode to matrimony Why Did I Get married? Against Kirk Cameron’s Fireproof, and you will see that Cameron’s film was the one mocked and attacked for its convictions. Why? Fireproof is actually the better film on all accounts. And it’s coming from a similar religious outreach. If any other man were behind a Tyler Perry film, it would get ripped to shreds. Don’t change a thing about it. Not one word. And people would stop to stare in wonderment. They would say, “Wow, this is garbage!” Then we’d all go on about our day. I’m not afraid to say it. I think Tyler Perry gets a free pass, simply because of his unwavering attitude. He is doing something positive in the community. Which is great. I’m all for that. Hallelujer! But seriously, folks. His films are incoherent and supercilious, and suited for free TBN. Not the Cineplex.

Those first couple of Tyler Perry movies were downright awful. Dreck usually reserved for the straight-to-video shelf. Their only saving grace was in their keen writing. Which had to be strong, as these drag lady tales have buoyed a dozen or so successful stage plays. Perry knows his way around a good story. That’s not in question. It’s his uneasy way of bringing it to the screen that usually gets in the way. The process in which these films are shot, edited, and run through to the end is cardboard on every level. The narrative structuring is incoherent, and the comedy is being pushed up from the bottom like a yogurt stick. Then there are the multiple characters Tyler Perry insists on inhabiting. Each one is stick thin and grating. And obviously Tyler Perry in a costume. It’s like watching your unfunny cousin at Christmas dinner quickly go through his new magic trunk. “Oh, look, Bobby has that fake nose on again. Whoop-doo!” Madea is the worst one of the bunch. She isn’t believable. She looks like a young man in drag. Her skin is smooth and unblemished. And her voice is unnatural. There’s a lot of craft thrown behind the multiple characters that Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers bring to the screen. Perry seems to be segueing into that brand of humor, but it just doesn’t work for me. When playing it straight, like in Why Did I Get Married?, he is a pretty great actor. Even his performance in The Family that Preys was good. Maybe because it felt like it was coming from a real place. I fail to see the reasoning behind this forced and unfunny parody here. Why, after so many years, does he insists on continually dragging this unfunny old lady out of that musty old box in the attic?

Oh, that’s right. Because there’s a huge audience that truly loves it. And that audience is not me! Or you! Or any of your friends! Well, okay, you kind of like them. And so do you. And, hey, I thought the Browns stage play was funny, waking up drunk on a dirty floor after a tough night of binge drinking. So, Perry’s works do serve some sort of purpose. I guess. 2007’s Why Did I get Married? Showed an amazing bit of class and improvement on Perry’s part as a director. I enjoyed the film. It offered a stinging essay on relationships; served in an off, provocative light. More than anything, it seemed to bring Perry’s technical skills up to par. I remember thinking, “If he continues down this path, he will make an unheralded classic in the next couple of years.” This was before all those heaped upon obligations landed squarely on his back. During production, he could focus solely on that particular film and what it meant. He was able to perfect his craftsmanship. But then he took on two TV shows and a whole bunch of community service work. His true vision as an artist got swallowed in a quagmire of quick hits. I truly understand his point of view and work ethic. You have to strike while the iron is hot. And making money is important. Perry’s next film, The Family That Preys, was a diversionary tactic, and a little hard to swallow. It deviated enough from his usual pathos, though wavered on being ridiculous. There were far too many perfunctory chores swirling around the man, and Tyler wound up making a middling drama. The fact that two reels were shown out of sequence at my screening, and no one noticed, speaks to the inefficiencies of Perry as a director. His films look as though they were made in a shoebox.

Madea Goes to Jail is just another step in the wrong direction. Instead of improving upon his skills as an artist, Perry seems to be taking the easy way home. This thing feels rushed and cheap, and filmed off-the-cuff. I’d certainly call it false advertising. Except, that giant black man in a dress does eventually find himself in jail. Though, not for being an offensive tranny. At first glance, this latest Madea film looks like a broad comedy in the same social vein as The Love Guru or a Klump Sequel. With maybe a little Norbit thrown in for good measure. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Tyler Perry fans already know this. It is you, the unsuspecting and uninitiated, that may wonder into this behemoth time waster out of curiosity, who will be shocked to find a film about something completely non-focused on a surly senior citizen’s trip to the pokey. In all actuality, this particular movie should have been called Ruby Huxtable is a Drug Addled Whor*.

The film is split into two uneven halves. One follows the plight of Madea as she disrupts the lives of those around her. The other part focuses on the trials and tribulations of a young prosecutor as he tries to save a long lost acquaintance from a life of drugs and street prostitution. Neither story has anything to do with the other. Except that Derek Luke, who plays attorney Joshua Hardaway, is overseeing both cases. That is, until he seemingly passes them both off to his beautiful and loving fiancee Linda. One portion of this story is made from deep and brutally honest drama. The other is nothing more than over the top shenanigans. And neither piece fits together very well. For most of the two hour running time, it feels as though we are flipping between channels. Good huge chunks of exposition are devoted to Josh, Linda, and hooker Candace Washington. While we turn to Madea only in times of utter boredom. Eventually, these two worlds collide at the end. And when that happens, every ounce of realism is sucked completely out of the project.

I’m not really sure what the deal is. The fact that Perry couldn’t decide on a tone is proof enough that he doesn’t really know what he is doing when it comes to constructing a captivating piece of cinema. Madea’s antics are often over the top. She leads a squadron of police cars on a high-speed chase. And then she gets a slap on the wrist. No big deal, and Tyler must have completely forgotten about Russell Weller’s plow down a crowded Santa Monica street. Senior citizens causing havoc behind the wheel isn’t really all that funny. Though it could be tolerated here, Madea’s antics are quickly cross-referenced with Washington’s seriously real plight to get off the streets and off the crack rock. It’s a jarring jumble and misstep. It trips up the cohesive structural line all the way through. One minute, Madea is running people off the road and barreling headfirst through an anger management session with the real Dr. Phil. The next moment, Candace Washington has the drug shakes, and Josh’s relationship is on the ropes because of it.

During one particularly teary-eyed scene, we finally learn why Josh is risking his career and his upcoming marriage for this sweet street waif. He breaks down in the arms of a care worker, and blames the girl’s problems on himself. Back in college, he allowed her to get raped. It’s an emotional scene packed with a wallop. Both Derek Luke and Keshia Night Pulliam are proficient and captivating. But they are done a disservice, as their most intimate scenes together are always bookend by some goofy old lady joke. Tales of innocence lost and wrecked lives born anew are parked upon and greeted by sitcom worthy guffaws. As soon as Luke delivers his award worthy speech with enough conviction to almost make you believe you are watching a worthwhile film, Madea pulls into the Kmart and starts flipping cars over with a tractor. A little jarring? Yeah, to say the least.

I haven’t seen the stage version of Madea Goes to Jail, but I am assured by the great creator himself, Tyler Perry, that the Josh and Candy through line, which makes up most of the plot, was not part of the original story. Why, then, has he docked it here, to his towering drag queen? Sure, it shows shades of Pretty Women, but he could have lifted this particular plot device above its intended nature and made an effecting drama. Their movie doesn’t need the trappings of Madea. It could have certainly worked on its own. If Perry wasn’t so busy doing a billion other things, he could have crafted something above the norm. The hooker story should have been able to work on its own. I guess he is just padding the runtime of his super thin Madea skit. But then that begs the question: Why couldn’t a whole film be devoted just to Madea being in jail? It seems like there’d be enough material to support that sort of comedy. But then again, maybe not. Has the Perry well run dry?

The third act culminates in a weird, ungodly mix of the two films. Madea doesn’t see the inside of a jail for at least ninety minutes. She is eventually tossed behind bars around the same time as Candace. Together, they form a strange bond in the laundry room. Any intentional drama that earned our respect is suddenly bucked out of reach. And we are left with a cartoon version of a crack whor* fairytale. In the outside world, Josh discovers that his fiancee has sent Ms. Washington up the creek for sixteen years. Why? Because she is jealous. He ends up leaving this catty woman at the alter after one of Perry’s trademark verbal bitch slaps. It’s kind of harsh, and feels forced. It certainly leaves a bad taste in our mouth.

Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail is all kinds of bad. It’s seldom good. Derek Luke and Keshia Knight Pulliam deserve a Whoop-doo! For swimming through this mess and trying to stay afloat. Everything else gets a big ol’ Boo! So sorry, Perryfairies.

(All of B. Alan Orange’s reviews are based on the Boo! or Whoop-doo! evaluation system.)