View source for Let's Go to Prison

{{short description|2006 film by Bob Odenkirk}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Let's Go to Prison
| image          = Lets Go to Prison.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Bob Odenkirk]]
| producer       = [[Marc Abraham]] <br />Matt Berenson <br />Paul Young
| writer         = [[Robert Ben Garant]] <br />[[Thomas Lennon]] <br />[[Michael Patrick Jann]]
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[You Are Going to Prison]]''|[[Jim Hogshire]]}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Dax Shepard]]
* [[Will Arnett]]
* [[Chi McBride]]
* [[David Koechner]]
* [[Dylan Baker]]
}}
| music          = Alan Elliott
| cinematography = Ramsey Nickell
| editing        = Eric L. Beason <br />Denis Thorlaksen
| studio         = [[The Carsey-Werner Company|Carsey-Werner]] <br />[[Strike Entertainment]]
| distributor    = [[Universal Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|2006|11|17}}
| country        = United States
| runtime        = 90 minutes
| language       = English
| budget         = $4 million<ref>{{cite web |url=http://movies.about.com/od/letsgotoprison/a/prisonwa111506_2.htm |title=Will Arnett Interview - Let's Go to Prison and Blades of Glory |website=Movies.about.com |access-date=2017-02-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170520/http://movies.about.com/od/letsgotoprison/a/prisonwa111506_2.htm |archive-date=2016-03-03 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| gross          = $4.6 million
}}

'''''Let's Go to Prison''''' is a 2006 American [[comedy film]] directed by [[Bob Odenkirk]] and starring [[Dax Shepard]], [[Will Arnett]], and [[Chi McBride]]. The film was loosely based on the non-fiction book, ''[[You Are Going to Prison]]'' by [[Jim Hogshire]]. 

The film was the product of creative interference on the part of the studio, according to Odenkirk. 

It was released in theaters on November 17, 2006.

==Plot==
After serving three prison sentences, repeat offender John Lyshitski plots revenge on Judge Nelson Biederman III, a tough judge who presided over each of his trials, passing him stiff sentences. John calls the courthouse to determine when he will next preside over a case, only to discover that he died three days before John's release.

John turns his attention to the late judge's obnoxious son, Nelson Biederman IV. At a dedication ceremony for Judge Biederman, he breaks into Nelson's car, emptying his emergency inhaler. After the ceremony, John stalks Nelson in his van; a hyperventilating Nelson frantically searches through a pharmacy's shelves for a new inhaler, with his erratic behavior making the owners think he is a [[Substance dependence|junkie]] and mistake him for a violent robber. The police arrive and arrest Nelson. John is ecstatic that Nelson has landed in the criminal justice system which he suffered in for so long at the hands of Nelson's father.

Charged with felony assault, Nelson demands that the Biederman Foundation get him acquitted. The board nearly complies, before deciding to purposely provide Nelson with a grossly incompetent defense team at the trial. The incompetent jury find Nelson guilty and he is sentenced to three to five years in state prison. John, not satisfied with Nelson merely going to prison, decides to join him there by purposely selling narcotics to undercover cops. At his trial before the same judge Nelson had, John pleads guilty and convinces her he be sentenced to three to five years in the same prison as Nelson.

John bribes a prison guard to become Nelson's cellmate, pretends to be his friend, and gives Nelson terrible advice on surviving in prison. Despite being an unhardened and inexperienced prisoner, Nelson gets himself out of the many situations that John's misinformation creates. He meets G-Lords leader Barry, an imposing, brawny gay man who coerces him into a relationship. Despite his intimidating appearance, Barry is a sensitive romantic, supplying potential romantic partners with his finest toilet-made [[Merlot]].

Nelson angers white supremacist gang leader Lynard by ratting him out on a prison shanking, who vows to kill him after being thrown in the hole. After Lynard is released, Nelson acquires a syringe containing deadly chemicals to commit suicide; before he can do so, Lynard attacks him in his cell. The syringe falls out of Nelson's pocket, Lynard assumes it is heroin and injects himself, accidentally killing himself, and Nelson earns the respect of and authority over the White Kingdom.

Nelson reaches his one-year parole hearing relatively unharmed, and as the new leader of the white supremacist gang for "killing" Lynard. Nelson, who initially submits to being Barry's partner out of fear, grows to care for him, willingly playing along with the "relationship" to keep him happy. Nelson also protects Barry from Lynard's former cronies, who are now loyal to him.

Frustrated with Nelson's newfound respect, John drugs Nelson and tattoos "white power" onto his forehead to sabatoge his parole hearing. Nelson's parole is denied and the board recommends he serves the full sentence. Enraged, Nelson confronts John, who confesses to framing Nelson, making it clear it was his father who made John the man he was, and they fight. Guards intervene and set up a death match between the two prisoners.

When the fight comes, John and Nelson inject each other with a [[coma]]-inducing drug. The guards and prisoners believe they are dead and bury them. Just before the death match, Nelson had legally adopted Barry, who has been paroled, so he retakes control of the Biederman Foundation. Barry uses the Biederman Foundation's funds to bribe the mortician to skip the autopsy and later digs up John and Nelson. John, Nelson and Barry begin a new chapter of life, starting a winery (the product is "toilet wine").

==Cast==
* [[Dax Shepard]] as John Lyshitski, a career felon who sought to assassinate the judge that put him away constantly, but chose to settle for his son
** Nick Phalen as John (8 years)
** A.J. Balance as John (18 years)
* [[Will Arnett]] as Nelson Biederman IV, the obnoxious son of the late Judge Biederman, thrown in prison after a misunderstanding, no thanks to John
* [[Chi McBride]] as Barry, leader of the G-Lords
* [[David Koechner]] as Shanahan, head guard of the prison
* [[Dylan Baker]] as Warden
* [[Michael Shannon]] as Lynard, the sadistic leader of White Kingdom
* Miguel Nino as Jesus
* Jay Whittaker as Icepick
* [[Amy Hill]] as Judge Eva Fwae Wun, the judge who sent both Nelson and John to prison
* [[David Darlow (actor)|David Darlow]] as Judge Biederman, the judge who constantly sent John to prison
* [[Bob Odenkirk]] as Duane, Nelson's lawyer who was running the Nelson Biederman foundation while Nelson was in prison
Other notable actors appearing include [[Jerry Minor]] as a Breen guard, [[Susan Messing]] as a stripper, [[Jim Zulevic]] as Sgt. Barker and [[Michael Hitchcock]], [[Tim Heidecker]] and [[Eric Wareheim]] as wine tasters.

==Production notes==
The defunct [[Joliet Prison]] in [[Joliet, Illinois]] used for the film is the same prison featured in the beginning of ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]'' (1980) and the first season of the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] show ''[[Prison Break]]'' (2005).

During the end credits, Chi McBride in character as Barry, sings a song called "Shower with U" (credited as "Barry's Love Theme" on the soundtrack) in which he repeatedly sings "I wanna take a shower with you".

The studio made significant alterations during the film's editing process that made Odenkirk unhappy with the final result (which also happened with the film ''[[Run Ronnie Run!]]'', which Odenkirk wrote). According to writers Tom Lennon and Robert Ben Garant's appearance on the Nerdist Podcast from August 23, 2011, changes included a happier ending, the removal of a sparse drums-only score recorded by [[Meg White]] of [[The White Stripes]], and other alterations that made a significant change to the overall tone of the film.<ref>Elliott, Alan (October 4, 2005). [http://alanelliott.blogspot.com/2005/10/part-2-meg-white.html "Part 2: Meg White"]. Alan Elliott's official blog. Retrieved October 19, 2014.</ref><ref name="Prison">"Worst Reviews" Staff (2006). [http://www.worstpreviews.com/review.php?id=395&section=preview "''Let's Go To Prison''"] WorstPreviews.com.  Retrieved October 19, 2014.</ref><ref>Hutchinson, Sean (October 10, 2014). [http://mentalfloss.com/article/59311/15-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-lets-go-prison "15 Things You Probably Didn't Know About 'Let's Go to Prison'"], MentalFloss.com. Retrieved October 19, 2014.</ref>

==Reception==
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|score=13|average=3.3|count=40|consensus=Let's Go to Prison is guilty on all counts of cliched setups, base humor, and failure to ellicit laughs.|ref=|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lets_go_to_prison/ |title=Let's Go To Prison (2012) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=2025-03-25 }}</ref> {{Metacritic film prose|27|13|access-date=22 April 2025}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/lets-go-to-prison |title=Let's Go to Prison Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=2020-02-22 }}</ref>

Dennis Harvey of [[Variety (magazine)|''Variety'']] wrote: "Unlike the vast majority of rude big screen comedies these days, ''Prison'' may actually improve with repeat viewings, since its best aspects are offhand enough to be missed the first time around."<ref>{{cite web |date=19 November 2006 |last=Harvey |first=Dennis |author-link1=Dennis Harvey |title=Let's Go to Prison |url=https://variety.com/review/VE1117932161 |website=Variety }}</ref>
Frank Scheck of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' did not find the film funny, and wrote: "The few laughs this purported comedy contains are fully displayed in its far more amusing trailer".<ref>{{cite web |date=20 November 2006 |title="Let's Go to Prison" a criminal endeavor |url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/review-film-prison-dc-idUKN1922594220061120 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |via=Reuters }}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

[[Box Office Mojo]] reports that the film opened in eleventh place with a gross of $2,220,050. It closed with a domestic gross of $4,630,045.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page%3Dweekend%26id%3Dletsgotoprison.htm |title=Let's Go to Prison (2006) - Weekend Box Office Results |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=2011-08-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023051841/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=letsgotoprison.htm |archive-date=2012-10-23 }}</ref>

==Home media==
The film was released on [[DVD]] on March 6, 2007 with deleted scenes and an alternate ending.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.movieweb.com/dvd/news/87/16687.php |title=Let's Go To Prison Comes to DVD March 6 |access-date=2007-01-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070105212717/http://www.movieweb.com/dvd/news/87/16687.php |archive-date=2007-01-05 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Portal|United States|Film
}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0454987}}

{{Bob Odenkirk}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Let's Go To Prison}}
[[Category:2006 comedy films]]
[[Category:2006 films]]
[[Category:American prison comedy films]]
[[Category:Films about race and ethnicity]]
[[Category:Films set in prison]]
[[Category:2000s prison films]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films based on non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Films produced by Marc Abraham]]
[[Category:Films directed by Bob Odenkirk]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s American films]]
[[Category:English-language crime films]]