A Jazzman's Blues

Set in a rural Georgia town during the 1940s, the story begins with a budding romance between seventeen-year-old Horace John Boyd (Joshua Boone), nicknamed Bayou, and sixteen-year-old Leanne Harper (Solea Pfeiffer). Despite this, there are terrors at every turn for the two African American lovers. For Bayou, the possibility of being lynched, tortured, beaten and killed is real and terrifying. Every day could be his last because of a widely held belief in the concept of a "superior race" that is somehow more intelligent and beautiful. For Leanne, however, those terrors are slightly different. Despite being part of the African American community, she has something that Bayou doesn't: the ability to pass as white. Ultimately, her decision to take advantage of this particular characteristic breaks everything apart.

The film's appeal stems from the fact that it is a character-driven narrative that brings the darkest aspects of human morality to light. I applaud Perry for never losing sight of that and for creating a film that touches upon many aspects of race and identity without being overwhelming.

I am always skeptical about TP movies but this one was far better than the other ones in my opinion. Even though there were a few cons why I did not give this movie a 10, It is still an enjoyable watch.

Here are the reasons why I did not give it a 10.

Cons: Movie ended with missing parts that could've sent the movie to another level. The father's hate, where does it come from? If Bayou is someone else's son who is he?

The grandfather, yes we get it, he is depraved rapist. Why didn't Bayou do anything about it? And why is Leanne's mother so detached and evil? Couldn't they show us some dialogues between her and Leanne that made her this way?

Why is Leanne so selfish? As if she did not know that they could kill Bayou.

Why is Bayou's brother like that? Did something happened to him that turned him into an addict?

Lastly Why is Bayou so dumb? You know your brother hates you, you go and trust him around you while you are enjoying stardom. Why go back to the place that you know pretty well that they will kill you. Why couldn't he send someone down there and bring his mom to Chicago to live with him?

What type of life is he proposing to Leanne and his white son (which the skin tone is completely confusing btw).

Who is the old woman at the beginning of the movie? What happened to Bayou's people at the aftermath?

Nice try from Tyler Perry tho.

This is the crème de la crème of Tyler Perry's movies. His best work thus far. Very, very, well written. Heart pounding and heart wrenching at the same time. Thought provoking. The movie delved into the African American and the American experience. Don't want to give away to much. Amirah Vann, my favorite villainess from other shows (How to Get Away With Murder and Queen Sugar) is amazing. What a voice. Never knew she could sing like that. All the other actors were superb as well. The ensemble was perfect. The scenery, music and choreography fantastic This is a must see. This is a movie that you can watch over again.

Tyler Perry makes a drama. It was ok and glad I watched thru to the end. I almost turned it off about 30 minutes in because I thought the movie was going in a different direction but then saw it wasn't. Story ended up good and original. Some of the themes were to be expected though. Even had unexpected twists. Acting was good. But I walked away feeling meh overall about it. The problem with was the pacing. Dragged too much. Felt myself getting up too many times. Lip syncing was bad during the songs. Needed tightened up and about 30 minutes taken off the film. Love the song in the credits. Added it to my chill playlist.

This movie made my heart beat faster, it's a different movie, very good performance by the actors, good characters, great music, amazing shooting.

This movie made me wonder about the politics of the twentieth century, and how awful racism was in the United States of America.

There are political, social and familial projections, the dispute between the big brother and the little brother, and what drugs do to the human spirit and how they corrupt it.

This movie is very sad despite the amount of cheerful songs there.. Very good and very bad.

The first half of the movie was cheerful, but the closer we got to the end, the sadder it became. The characters at the end were beautiful and black. I realized that love knows no end.

Each person chooses his own path and is responsible for what he chooses, and he must be strong in the face of risks, because the risks will be high when you choose your own path and go far.