Available at Amazon.com
Universal presents Let’s Go to Prison. Written by Thomas Lennon, Ben Garant and Michael Patrick Jann. 92 minutes. Not Rated. Originally R for language, sexual content, some violence and drug material.
Directed By:
Bob Odenkirk
Cast:
Dax Shepard ………. John Lyshitski
Will Arnett ………. Nelson Biederman IV
Chi McBride ………. Barry
David Koechner ………. Shanahan
Dylan Baker ………. Warden
The Film:
Let’s Go to Prison is a film with some great comic minds behind it. Directing we have Bob Odenkirk, better known as the guy on Mr. Show who isn’t David Cross. For writers we have Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon and Michael Patrick Jann, all three The State alumni and the prior two also members of the always hilarious Reno 911!. There’s even some great talent in front of the camera: Dax Shepard, who’s starting to make a name for himself with rolls in Idiocracy and Employee Of The Month, and Will Arnett, more recently know for his roll as Gob on the tragically canceled Arrested Development.
With all those great names one might expect great things. That’s where one would be wrong. Now that’s not to say the film is bad, far from it, it just doesn’t live up to the expectation some of these names have garnered for themselves.
Shepard stars as John Lyshitski, a guys who’s spent more of his life in prison than out. Upon his most recent release he decides to get revenge against the one man who caused him such annoyance, Judge Nelson Biederman, too bad the guy died three days before his release. Frustrated but still bent on revenge Lyshitski finds his son Biederman IV (Arnett) and sets his sights on him.
Through a series of humorous events Lyshitski unwittingly puts Biederman IV in a situation that lands him in prison. However Lyshitski’s thirst for revenge is not yet quenched so when a couple of bad undercover cops arrive at his door selling weed he buys it knowing it’ll get him closer to Biederman IV. Through his connections with the corrupt guard Shanahan (Koechner) and fellow inmate Barry (McBride) Kyshitski ensures that he bunks with Biederman IV and that his time in prison is a living hell.
Knowing where the director and writer are coming from it’s no stretch of the imagination to expect this to be a very stupid movie. That mind, this is a very funny, well-made stupid movie. Most of the jokes work and Koechner and McBride really elevate the film with the quality of their performances. All that actors are funny and the film even has an interesting ending. All-in-All, Let’s Go to Prison is a entertaining movie that will keep you laughing and entertained.
Barry puts the move on Biederman.
The DVD:
The Video:
The film is presented in widescreen 1.85:1. There is not really anything exciting going on here. The film is shot in a very simple way. The transfer however is fine. The picture quality is good.
The Audio:
The film is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. The sound is good. While there is some physical humor, a lot of the jokes are in the dialog and none of that is lost here.
Extras:
Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes: There are three scenes here, one being an alternate ending and all of these are pretty bad. The ending in the film is 10 times better.
Let’s Go To Prison Soundtrack Sessions: Director Bob Odenkirk takes us around the recording studio and introduces all the musicians involved in the score who are all studio musicians who go way back and have performed with many classic rock and r&b artists. This is actually a very interesting little feature, the best extra on the disc.
