My Take on "Madea Goes to Jail"

I'm all about supporting Black film, but I had a hard time with Madea Goes to Jail. I saw the latest Tyler Perry effort weeks ago, but I couldn't write a review because I didn't like it enough to give it any ink.

Here's the brief synopsis of the film. After a high-speed freeway chase puts Madea in front of the judge, her reprieve is short-lived as anger management issues get the best of her and land her in jail. While her brother, Joe, couldn't be happier at Madea's misfortune, her daughter and baby daddy -- The Browns, played by David and Tamela Mann -- rally behind her and lend their support.

Meanwhile, Derek Luke plays Assistant District Attorney Joshua Hardaway. His career is on track and he's engaged to another ADA. However, his world is turned upside down when he has to turn down a case involving a young prostitute and former drug addict. Candace, played by Keisha Knight Pulliam, turns out to be a childhood friend and he can't handle it because of their shared past. After she ends up in jail, too, Madea takes her under her wing and protects her.

Don't get me wrong -- the Madea parts were funny. In fact, if Tyler had just fleshed out that storyline, I think it would've been a better film. Unfortunately, the 'serious' storyline was a bit too contrived and not properly developed, in my opinion.

Character development is key if the audience is to understand their motivation. There's a different kind of writing needed for the screen as opposed to the stage. On stage, you only have the space you're working with. In film, you can use flashbacks, imagery, whatever to get your point across. Remember Malcolm X? If you read the book, you know that Spike Lee had a lot of material to work with in order to get folks to understand why Malcolm did what he did. He used flashbacks. Same thing in Ray.

While I'm a fan of Perry's work, this isn't the first time he's left us hanging with the characters. In The Family That Preys Together, why does Sanaa Lathan's character hate her husband so much? You see the wedding, you see the white boy push up, and then four years later, she absolutely hates him. Why is that? Did he cheat? We know he's not as successful as she is, but I needed a bit more than that to get into it.

I wasn't pleased with some of the performances, either. Rudy Huxtable as a hooker? Uh, that's gonna have to be a no. Not to say that Knight-Pulliam shouldn't branch out into other roles. However, she needs to wait until she's had a few more acting classes before she tackles such meaty fare. As for Luke, even though I liked him, it was hard to believe him as an attorney -- especially with his thick-tongued diction. It worked fine in Antwone Fisher, but it needed to be smoothed out more to be convincing as a lawyer.

I'm torn about this. On one hand, Madea Goes to Jail is funny. No matter what you think of a man in drag, Tyler Perry's Madea is hilarious, and her antics don't disappoint. However, it's the serious storyline that gives me pause because it's just not good. Basically, I'm tired of us having to deal with mediocrity just so we can keep Black movies in play. I want our filmmakers to consider the intelligence of the audience and stop playing to the lowest common denominator. I know Tyler Perry has great ideas. Now I just need him to make great movies.