A comedy about prison revenge that failed with critics but found a cult following
In short: Released in 2006, Let's Go to Prison follows a career criminal who frames his late judge's son for a crime to exact revenge. Despite a dismal critical reception and a modest box office run, the film eventually found a second life as a cult classic through repeated television broadcasts.
Directed by Bob Odenkirk, the film stars Dax Shepard as John Lyshitski, a repeat offender seeking vengeance against the late Judge Nelson Biederman III. After the judge passes away, John targets the judge's son, Nelson Biederman IV, played by Will Arnett. Through a series of manipulations, John ensures Nelson is arrested and sentenced to the same prison facility where he himself eventually lands. The plot centers on their uneasy, adversarial relationship within the prison walls, involving gang dynamics, a forced romantic alliance, and an eventual escape attempt.
The production was marked by significant creative friction. Odenkirk noted that studio interference altered the film's tone, a sentiment echoed by writers Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant. Specific changes included the removal of a drums-only score by Meg White and the addition of a happier ending. These modifications contributed to the film's poor reception upon its November 17, 2006, release, where it earned a 13% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 27 out of 100 score on Metacritic.
Commercially, the film struggled, opening in eleventh place and closing with a domestic gross of $4,630,045. Critics were largely unimpressed, with some suggesting the trailer contained the film's only laughs. However, the movie gained traction later, particularly after multiple airings on Comedy Central, leading to its status as a cult classic. Interestingly, the film was shot at the defunct Joliet Prison in Illinois, a site famously used in The Blues Brothers and the first season of Prison Break.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Let's Go to Prison
- Also: Wikidata — Let's Go to Prison · CC0
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