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. When Candace winds up in jail, Madea takes the young woman under her protective wing.
Perry brings his own sensibility to every movie he makes and has enjoyed great success by following his own path. But he leaves you wanting more.
– Bill Goodykoontz,
Arizona Republic,
23 Feb 2009
fresh:
Adapting his own play, Perry has pared the plot way back while giving his law-breaking matriarch more room to run free.
– Elizabeth Weitzman,
New York Daily News,
23 Feb 2009
rotten:
Perry's playing-to-the-cheap-seats drag shenanigans hijack a morose street melodrama every 15 minutes and haul it into places even Flavor Flav fears to tread.
– Nathan Rabin,
AV Club,
23 Feb 2009
rotten:
The women's prison dramedy I wanted never really happens.
– Wesley Morris,
Boston Globe,
23 Feb 2009
fresh:
As ridiculous as his films frequently are, Perry, a shrewd yet benevolent showman, knows and loves his audience.