Madea Goes to Jail
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The Story
Tyler Perry’s latest film really tells two stories that only occasionally overlap. The first follows his most famous creation: Madea (played by Perry in drag and a fat suit) is a feisty, strong 6’ 5” older lady who always speaks her mind and always gets even. That lands her in trouble with the law again, and this time she’s headed for prison.
On the drama side, Assistant DAs Josh (Derek Luke) and Linda (Ion Overman) are engaged, but their relationship is tested with the appearance of Candace (Keshia Knight Pulliam of “The Cosby Show”), a woman arrested for prostitution who Josh once knew in college. He wants to help her; Linda wants him to have nothing to do with “those people.”
Content Issues
The PG-13 rated “Goes to Jail” includes some rough language and uses of God’s name for swearing. Madea’s brother Joe (also played by Perry as an old man) smokes a lot of marijuana. Candace and other rough-looking prostitutes are seen in revealing clothing and high on drugs. Candace wakes up apparently naked under a pimp after he’s choked her into unconsciousness (his body somewhat hides her nudity). She looks like she’s been beaten and probably raped, and we hear stories of similar experiences from her past.
Worldview Talking Points
Teens aren’t exactly the target audience for Tyler Perry’s growing film library. He makes movies that combine crass comedy, melodramatic stories of redemption, and loose biblical themes for mostly black audiences. But he is experiencing more and more crossover success, and “Madea Goes to Jail” had the biggest opening weekend of any of his films.
Perry’s movies are always packed with big worldview issues. His characters talk a lot about going to church and doing what the Bible says, but they don’t always connect the dots between what they’re quoting and what they end up doing.
In “Goes to Jail,” his focus is on forgiveness. A female street minister preaches to the women in the prison that when they refuse to forgive others, they only end up hurting themselves while the object of their anger goes free. One character is freed and radically changed by this teaching. Madea echoes the idea, but she is committed to a lifestyle of getting even at all costs.
These questions might help provoke some valuable conversation with your teen if he or she sees the film.
- Do you like Tyler Perry’s movies? Can you think of anyone in our lives who is kind of like Madea in some way?
- Were you surprised that Josh (Derek Luke) would not stop trying to help Candace, even when it threatened his relationship with Linda?
- Do you think guilt is a good reason to try to help someone? Is it a good reason to do anything? What would you say is the difference between good guilt and bad guilt?
- How far do you think you should go to try to help someone who may or may not want to be helped?
- Why do you think Candace ended up being a prostitute and a drug addict?
- Madea talked about forgiveness, but she also told Dr. Phil that she always gets even when people “get” her. Do you think it’s always wrong to get even? [See Romans 12:19.]
- Candace made a choice to forgive, and it seemed to change everything about her. Do you think that not forgiving people can make us suffer even more than the person we don’t forgive?
- God tells Christians to forgive each other. Why do you think that’s such a big deal to God? [See Ephesians 4:32.]
- The movie didn’t really say much about our need to be forgiven by God, but almost everyone in the film did wrong things. If you met someone like one of these characters, how would you briefly explain your understanding of how we can be forgiven by God for our sin?
Comments
mary lee johnson on Mar 05, 2009 said...
I like Tyler Perry and had seen the live presentation of Madea goes to Jail, that was filmed in a church. I think he is a talented director and writer and that God is using him. Some of his themes are repetitive, and similar, and even predictable. Yes, there is language, but nothing that you wouldn’t hear on T.V. I think he is attempting to mirror the world and also reflect the image of Christ to people in a redemptive manner. I praise God for Mr. Perry and his works and have prayed God would use them. He will.
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Sister Tee on Mar 03, 2009 said...
I love the discussion questions posed at the end of this review.
I am not so crazy about the reviewers comment that Mr. Perry’s movies are targeted mostly to black audiences. Why is that? Is it because the majority of the actors in the movies are African-American? If a movie has mostly Caucasian characters then we simply say it’s targeted for “American” audiences and further break that down by age/gender demographics.
Such comments lend themselves to furthering racial division.