Love Beats Rhymes

Brilliantly directed and acting was very well-done. Jill Scott and especially Azealia Banks were outstanding in their performances. Hope to see more of Ms. Banks in future films! Her talent and charisma really shines through. The only major downside of the movie was probably the romance which happened very suddenly and spontaneously, as there was not enough development between the two characters and it seemed a tad unconvincing. Aside from the romance and a semi-predictable plotline, the movie makes for an enjoyable quick watch and is definitely worth checking out.

So.. any film that starts with a rap battle is an instant turn-off for me. But this is neither a story of how life is tough in the streets, or how women are strong. Like step up movies, there is quite a formulaic plot, but unlike those films, the acting is great.. natural and simple. The lead is a good actress. The poetry and rap is good, and really gives body to the film. There is a real love of the content shown by the writers and director. I thought it was touching and made me realise myself that I was missing poetry and needed to keep expression and feeling in my life. Some famous faces in there, and erm, it just seemed to fit together well in a very satisfying way. I wanted to give it an 8, but it just doesn't have the intrigue that could be created with a better storyline. If you like art and have feelings of some type, watch the film.

So I adore the storyline! Old school rap is what I grew up on and poetry meets rhymes is always a good look! I adore the supporting cast! I mean what's better then a cute British brother! Well the lead actress! Huge disappointment! If they had picked a young Kerry Washington or someone of equal talent this movie could of went somewhere great! But nope unfortunately they fail with the most important role!

A nice flick about a young upcoming female rapper finding out that words have meaning and power. This is a love story about the art of spoken words. The cast did a great job. Azelia Banks was good to a degree for her first starring role but Jill Scott knocked it out the park. I didn't know RZA was this good at directing a love story, it flowed seamlessly. Btw RZA should have cast Jeremie Harris to play him in Wu-Tang An American Saga, they looka like.

Let me start by saying that going in, I was expecting something different. Perhaps because I was just going off the title and hadn't seen any previews for it. As it turns out, I feel that was a good thing because I see this as a Romance/Drama. Listing this under Musical is way off in my opinion. Music and Poetry are the driving element that push the movie along and give it a purpose to watch. That being said this is not a musical and nobody is going out to buy the Soundtrack.

The story was well written and the pace of the movie didn't drag. The acting fell between decent and very good. I watched it twice a will probably watch it again (but not anytime soon). I would recommend it to others but wouldn't label it as a high priority or a must watch. For me I would say it's a 6 to 7 but others may see it somewhere between 5 and 6.

Some things I liked: 1. Craig muMs Grant - guest appearance, dropping some poetry. 2. Jill Scott - She was a force to be reckoned with the last 00:38:23 - her poem was a beast mode. 3. Last 00:38:23 - the last third of the movie was perfect pace, acting, music.

Some things that lowered my rating. First 01:06:37 1. Bass - just too much and served no purpose (and I breathe HipHop, but damn) 2. Music - there was music playing all the time in the background. 3. Jill Scott - I love everything about this lady but her acting "SUCKED" for the first 01:06:37 (and yes, I triple checked the time. 4. No Cut Scenes - 2 or 3 minutes of cuts scenes of her and her father listening to old HipHop would have better served the movie. Injecting it into the dialogue made it feel disconnected. 5. NUYORICAN Poetry - They hijacked the movement and presented everything but a NYRican. I've seen them perform and personally know the passion and work they put into their craft, it would have been nice to see them being represented in their own forum.