When a career criminal's plan for revenge is thwarted by unlikely circumstances, he puts his intended victim's son in his place by putting him in prison...and then joining him.
Because the movie can't bring itself to take that leap into full-on absurdity, the characters and comic opportunities stay confined to their cells.
– Michael Ordona,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Nov 2006
rotten:
Arnett underplays to the point where he seems as shellshocked as his character, while Shepard seems to have forgotten that the film is supposed to be a comedy.
– Frank Scheck,
Hollywood Reporter,
20 Nov 2006
rotten:
It's hard to get laughs out of stuff that devolved into parody 10 or 20 years ago.
– Gregory Kirschling,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Nov 2006
rotten:
Prison makes its 84-minute running time feel like a five-year sentence with no chance for parole.
– Nathan Rabin,
AV Club,
27 Nov 2006
rotten:
Shepard's character periodically rattles off damning statistics about America's booming prison industry, but most of the gags are of the don't-drop-the-soap variety.