Madea Goes to Jail

"Something big is coming to the big house."

2009 1h 42m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

🥫

27%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

4.6

IMDB

★6.5TMDB · 216🥫27%Rotten Tomatoes●50Metacritic★4.6IMDB · 13,157

ComedyCrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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, also a childhood friend. When Candace winds up in jail, Madea takes the young woman under her protective wing.

“Something big is coming to the big house.”

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Cast

Tyler Perry
Madea / Joe / Brian
Derek Luke
Joshua Hardaway
Keshia Knight Pulliam
Candace "Candy" Washington
Ion Overman
Linda Davis
Sofía Vergara
T.T.
Vanessa Ferlito
Donna
Viola Davis
Ellen
David Mann
Mr. Brown

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tyler Perry
Writers: Tyler Perry
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.2× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Madea Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tyler Perry, shot by Alexander Gruszynski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Aaron Zigman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Maysie Hoy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tyler Perry and Derek Luke and Keshia Knight Pulliam carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Something big is coming to the big house.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tyler Perry directs. Alexander Gruszynski behind the camera. Aaron Zigman scores. Maysie Hoy cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 5.2× over at the box office.
2Released 17 years ago.
3Part of the "Madea Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Tyler Perry, shot by Alexander Gruszynski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Aaron Zigman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Maysie Hoy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Tyler Perry and Derek Luke and Keshia Knight Pulliam carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Something big is coming to the big house.".
9IMDB entry: tt1142800 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 17 themes, including "prostitute", "jealousy", "judge", "women's prison".

The technical file

Cinematography: Alexander Gruszynski
Original score: Aaron Zigman
Editing: Maysie Hoy
Production design: Ina Mayhew
Costume design: Keith G. Lewis
Runtime: 102 min · 1h 42m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $17,500,000
Box office: $90,508,336
Return: 517% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Madea Goes to Jail (2009)
Rotten Tomatoes: 27% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 50/100
IMDB rating: 4.6/10 · 13,157 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

1 win & 4 nominations

Part of

Madea Collection

Mabel "Madea" Simmons is a character created and portrayed by Tyler Perry. The character is a tough elderly black woman. Madea has appeared in several plays directed by, written by, and starring Tyler Perry, later appearing in films based on those plays.