Mo' Better Blues (1990)

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

The first must-see film of the year.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Having just watched Do the Right Thing, I'm now reviewing Spike Lee's follow-up Mo' Better Blues which I also watched on YouTube. Spike plays Giant, manager to Bleek Gilliam (Denzel Washington) whose jazz band is the hottest in the club. One of those band members is Shadow Henderson (Wesley Snipes) who sometimes gets in conflict with Bleek over creative and other matters. One of those other matters is singer Clarke Bentancourt (Cynda Williams) who wants Bleek to hire her but he won't though that doesn't mean he won't share his bed. She's not the only one as another lady named Indigo Downes (Joie Lee, Spike's sister) also sleeps with him. That causes another conflict. I'll stop there and just say that while I liked the drama, it does seem to be a bit rushed toward the end. Still, it was enjoyable enough and the score by Spike and Joie's father Bill (who cameos near the end) was excellent. Also enjoyable was hearing Brandford Marsalis (dubbing Snipes' saxophone) and Terence Blanchard (Wahington's trumpet) during the musical interludes and Ms. Williams' singing was also fine. Now I've read and heard some debate about the portrayal of Jewish club owners Moe and Josh Flatbush (John and Nicholas Turturro) as stereotypical but I didn't notice or maybe I just wasn't aware so I wasn't distracted in any way. So on that note, Mo' Better Blues gets a recommendation from me. P.S. I thought it quite enjoyably bizarre to hear Samuel L. Jackson as his DJ Daddy Love character from Do The Right Thing and then seeing him as the bully character Madlock.

Spike Lee's latest 'joint' is a jazz variation of 'She's Gotta Have It', with the genders reversed: maladjusted trumpeter Bleek Gilliam (Denzel Washington) juggles two lovers while indulging an almost neurotic addiction to his music. His compulsive behavior is, presumably, a consequence of strict childhood practice habits, but if all work and no play have made Bleek a dull boy, the same can't be said of the film itself: Lee's self-conscious homage to music and fatherhood suffers from a dizzy overabundance of distracting, Scorsese-influenced 'style'. The film has been criticized for its stereotypical supporting roles, but the primary characters are likewise only skin deep. Except for some early childhood Freudian motivation, Bleek remains more or less a cipher, and his contrived, fantasy redemption (after a series of false endings, each one more lame than the last) seems tacked on only to provide a neat, symmetrical resolution.

One of the best film's Spike Lee has ever created. Denzel Washington plays Bleek Gilliam, a selfish musician who only listens to his music. He cheats on his women and wants the spotlight only to himself. On his road to redemption he encounters betrayal, lies, and greed before he finds happiness. A happiness that comes at a heavy price. Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes give superb performances in their roles. The supporting cast members also give terrific performances in this film. The supporting cast members include Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson, Bill Nunn and Spike Lee. Spike Lee gives these characters enough personality to keep this movie entertaining. Each member adds enough color commentary to the film making this a joyous event from beginning to end. Add this movie to your video collection if you haven't already.

As with several of Spike Lee's earlier films I just do not get them as they are not part of the lifestyle I lead. But that is not to say they are not stunningly beautiful and full of charm. This film says a lot about trumpet music and jazz, it's just not my cup of tea, I would much rather watch Lee's more racial driven films. This film marks the first of four collaborations that Spike Lee and Denzele Washington have conferred on together and it is their least effective, but every one has got to start somewhere. If they had not done this together than the camaraderie that is felt on the better films Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man, could never had been achieved. This film is basically just the building block to bridge the gap until Spike and his troupe are better prepared to take on better ideas to be put into film.This film has a great supporting cast as do most of Lee's films. It's got Sam L. Jackson, Joie Lee, John Turrtoro, Bill Nunn, and Robin Harris among others. These people are all great actors and always leave an impression on a film even when the film is not that good. This film could have been made better if it had not relied completely on Denzel's character to drive the story, if it had been opened up and given the other actors time to prevail their characters than the film would have been helped by what they could have brought to the table. As the film is it just stays stagnate and not much happens. If you want to hear some good music watch, i would suggest a CD though, stay away if you want a solid story.