Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»2106. Let’s Go To Prison (2006)

    2106. Let’s Go To Prison (2006)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on April 4, 2018 2006, 6 - 7.9, 80-89 mins, Apr 18, Comedy, Movies Of 2018, Review, United States
    6.6 A little odd
    • Acting 6.9
    • Directing 6.5
    • Story 6.4
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Dax Shepard, Will Arnett, Chi McBride

    Director: Bob Odenkirk

    Running Time: 84 mins


    Let’s Go To Prison is an American film about a criminal who seeks revenge on the judge that has committed him to prison so many times during his life. However, upon learning of the judge’s death, he switches attention to his son, in order to get some sort of satisfaction.

    I didn’t expect all that much from this film, what with its premise, cast  and all suggesting it’d be little more than a generic comedy. In truth, that’s pretty much what Let’s Go To Prison is, and although it’s not quite an awful film, it still isn’t a properly hilarious or ever particularly interesting watch, worsened by somewhat inconsistent and even often mean-spirited story that makes for a more frustrating watch than should have been the case.

    Before we get into that, let’s talk about the comedy, which is (for the most part) not all that bad. Although I can’t say that it’s the most intelligent or witty film ever made, it does often have enough good slapstick and silliness to entertain you throughout, with the most comical elements of the conflict between the two leads proving a good laugh at their silliest.

    What’s more is that the two central performances from Dax Shepard and Will Arnett are pretty entertaining too. Their on-and-off relationship makes for some good laughs throughout, while they each give individually entertaining performance, from the bizarre predicament of Shepard’s character who’s filled with rage at his sentencing yet lives in prison like a second home, to the insane development of Arnett’s character from whiney and spoilt heir to a fortune to something completely different.

    The problem with the film, however, despite its decent comedy and performances, is that it’s still not all that nice or simply enjoyable a film to watch, something that’s largely to its oddly mean-spirited premise. While it makes sense, seeing a convict sniff an opportunity to take revenge on the man and the system that condemned him to a life of crime before he ever really got going, but the way it’s carried out, with Shepard’s character going after Arnett pretty ruthlessly and in such a short and abrupt space of time. Compound that with the fact that when things change up a bit in the third act, it still all seems a little nasty and disheartening, and the film’s deep attempts to quickly rectify that feel rather forced and ungenuine, something that made the film a rather unpleasant watch for me.

    Also, the story feels very inconsistent due to a couple of jarring shifts in tone and character developments. I’ve already mentioned the mean-spirited story, and that also clashes quite heavily with the light-hearted comedic vibe of the film, making the nastier stuff feel even nastier, and the comedy feel all the more out of place. Also, while it has some good, silly moments, the way that the conflict between the two lead characters develops over the course of the whole film is really rather inconsistent and frustrating.

    There’s a difference between subverting audience expectations and just being all over the place, because although this story does go to place that you wouldn’t expect at first, the way in which the tone and trajectory of the story switches so abruptly is very frustrating to see and takes your interest away, as anything that you’ve been following since the beginning is pretty much upended by whatever bizarre twist comes next, never rewarding you for your interest and attention.

    Overall, I wasn’t all that impressed by Let’s Go To Prison. Despite featuring some good, easy laughs from time to time as well as two enjoyable lead performances, it’s a generally less-than-stellar comedy that, with a both inconsistent and often even somewhat mean-spirited central story, proves a rather frustrating watch throughout, and that’s why I’m giving it a 6.6.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.0
    Review
    September 15, 20150

    1090. Straight Outta Compton (2015)

    8.0
    Review
    July 1, 20160

    1400. L.A. Confidential (1997)

    9.4
    Review
    February 15, 20130

    53. The Boat That Rocked (2009)

    8.5
    Review
    December 17, 20150

    1185. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)

    8.1
    Review
    December 15, 20170

    1984. Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.