TYLER PERRY’S MADEA GOES TO JAIL
A redemptive Christian drama buried beneath uneven comedy and adult content.
Should You Watch It?
Tyler Perry's film has a worthwhile dramatic center. Joshua tries to help Candace, an old friend whose life has fallen apart, while Madea faces the consequences of her uncontrolled anger. The story eventually brings both women into jail, where counseling from a female preacher points toward redemption.
The drama is more compelling than the comedy, and Derek Luke and Keshia Knight Pulliam give strong performances. But the movie's positive Christian messages are diminished by plenty of foul language, adult sexual references, and jokes about marijuana. The broad humor is uneven, even though two Madea scenes with Dr. Phil are hilarious.
Because of the content, adults who choose to watch should do so at home, where they can exercise discernment. Families with children or young teens should choose something else.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESJoshua, an assistant district attorney in Atlanta, tries to help Candace, a drug addict picked up for prostitution. He feels responsible for her downfall after failing to protect her from a terrible experience years earlier.
Meanwhile, Madea struggles with the law and with her own anger. When Madea and Candace eventually find themselves together in jail, an unexpected relationship begins to form as both women receive counseling from a female preacher.
Is It Any Good?
Two stars means this is a mixed, below-average film whose strongest material is dramatic rather than comic. The comedy is uneven, and the story takes a while to connect Madea's plot with the more serious story. The jail setting also arrives only midway through the movie.
The dramatic portions are more interesting and compelling. Derek Luke gives a good performance as Joshua, and Keshia Knight Pulliam is especially effective as Candace. Two scenes of Madea arguing with Dr. Phil are genuinely hilarious, although the first slows the plot. Overall, the drama works better than the comedy.
The Worldview
The film presents a redemptive Christian worldview through its concern for troubled people, its emphasis on help and counseling, and its movement toward a Christian ending. A female preacher ministers to women in jail, and the story gives attention to guilt, responsibility, anger, and the possibility of change.
That message is substantially marred by antinomian pagan attitudes and behavior, resistance to the Gospel and Church before the ending, and adult material that works against the film's moral purpose. The result is a movie that reaches toward redemption without presenting its Christian message as consistently as it could.
The film's central longing is for people damaged by sin to find help and restoration. Scripture says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Strong Christian content with strong moral content, marred by antinomian pagan attitudes and behavior, with examples of an overt anti-Christian resistance to the Gospel and Church before the redemptive ending, plus light homosexual references when a female inmate in prison makes suggestive comments to another female inmate; 71 obscenities (mostly “h” words with some “d” words and some “a-blank-blanks”) and five light profanities, plus an obscene gesture; light comic violence such as machine gun fire heard as woman apparently scares away unwelcome guests and woman fights with police officers, and a strong scene of implied rape after a woman is hit by a pimp; implied rape, prostitutes shown on street at night seeking clients, implied prostitution, and some sexual comments; upper male nudity and some female cleavage; alcohol use; smoking, woman is a drug addict who gets help and an elderly man defends the use of marijuana, claiming that God made the plant so it must be okay to smoke it; and, lying, prosecutor frames criminals, uncontrollable anger, arguing, and rebellion against authority.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Joshua feels responsible for what happened to Candace years earlier. How should we respond when we recognize that we failed to protect or help someone?
Galatians 6:2 · James 4:17Madea cannot control her anger. What does Scripture say anger can produce, and what would faithful self-control look like?
Proverbs 14:29 · Ephesians 4:26–27The story points toward redemption for people with painful pasts. What is the difference between merely feeling regret and turning toward genuine change?
2 Corinthians 7:10 · Acts 3:19The film includes a Christian minister serving women in jail. How can Christians offer truth and compassion together to people who are suffering or have done wrong?
Galatians 6:1–2 · Ephesians 4:15The Final Word
This film's dramatic heart and redemptive direction are real, but its uneven comedy and abundant adult content weaken the message. Watch it only at home if you are a discerning adult; it is not a family choice. WAIT FOR HOME — ADULTS ONLY. For a cleaner movie night, see.
