Madea Goes to Jail is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tyler Perry, which was based on his 2006 play, and starring Perry, Derek Luke, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Ion Overman, RonReaco Lee, Sofía Vergara, Vanessa Ferlito, and Viola Davis.
The film tells the story of Madea going to prison for her uncontrollable anger management problems as she befriends a young incarcerated prostitute whom an assistant district attorney has known since college.
Assistant district attorney Joshua Hardaway is set to prosecute prostitute and drug addict Candace "Candy" Washington-Collins.
At the DA's office, Josh's best friend Chuck discovers that Linda is falsifying Candace's file to get her sent to prison, a practice she engaged with other defendants too, including Madea.
Linda blackmails him to keep his mouth shut, threatening to expose the fact that Chuck cheated on the bar exam to get his law license.
She subsequently allowed her anger at him and the trauma from the attack to consume her, which led to her dropping out of school and becoming an addict and prostitute.
Josh exposes Linda's crimes to the media, triggering a protest movement to set free those she wrongfully convicted.
Linda is fired from her job, disbarred, and indicted on multiple charges including fraud, tampering, and providing false legal documents and faces arrest, trial and prison for her actions.
The consensus says, "Divided between sincere melodrama and populist comedy, Madea Goes to Jail fails to provide enough laughs – or screen time – for its titular heroine.
[4] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "A" on scale of A to F.[5] Sam Adams of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 2.5/4 stars and wrote that "if the movie is a mess, it's a purposeful mess, cannily, if not artfully, pushing all the right buttons to ensure Perry will be back for another round.
The Boston Globe reported that "(Madea's) character epitomizes Perry's ongoing commitment to dramatizing as many rungs on the ladder of the black experience as he can.