Jason's Lyric

Jason's Lyric wasn't a great film theatrically, as it had small promotions. Judging by the title and cast, i didn't expect a good film. It was actually a great film with powerful performances. It tells the story of Two brothers (One good and One Bad) living with their mother in a rough area. Jason played by Allen Payne is sensible and taking care of his younger brother Joshu. Joshua played by Bokeem Woodbine is a little crazy and has a violent side to his personality. Its a half love story and half action movie thats worth the watch. Allen Payne delivers a good performance. Bokeem Woodbine is terrific, see him in Dead Presidents also. Jada Pinkett looks ultra sexy and plays the love life of Jason. There are some fabulous Sex scenes, Jada looks fantastic. Overall, Good realistic storyline and deserves a chance.

Jason's Lyric is clearly one of the best urban love stories ever put on film. The direction by Doug McHerny showed real talent as did his screenpaly. Allen Payne and Jada Pinkett both showed early lead acting roles in this good film. Finally I think Forrest Whitaker and Bokeem Woodbine both deserved Oscar nods for their work. I give it **** out of ****.

One endeavor in filmmaking that quite frequently doesn't turn out well is mixing genres. "Jason's Lyric" combines crime drama, love story, and ghetto film-and does it surprisingly beautifully. The acting is remarkable, the script is remarkable, and the emotion is remarkable. This movie could have turned out very pretentious and very cheesy. Apparently, the directors, writers, and producers completely acknowledged this, and refused to let that happen. The characters are very well developed and, while the movie doesn't justify Josh's actions, it does convey compassion for him. It also provides new insight on what it's really like to live in a ghetto. If you can find this movie (after all, I saw it on Showtime and haven't the video in any stores) totally see it!!!!

This film pretty much came out at a time when more and more films featuring blacks in positive images were coming out. This film came out around the same time as another film that Jada Pinkett was in, The Inkwell. However, this film tries to be three films at once. First its a story about the tragic events in the brother's past. The second story is almost an urban version of "Romeo and Juliet". The third plot revolves around how Jason's brother constantly gets into trouble leading to his tragic end. The love story would have been enough for me because it shows that African Americans can have very loving relationships and can be romantic. Unfortunately, in the end it turns into a typical bloody shootout, but it does have a twist ending and that helped to save it.

Interesting to have an all black cast black on black love scenes plus multiple literary quotations including one from John Donne. Acting by Allen Payne and Bokeem Woodbine particularly effective.