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.

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 is not known for high-quality material, but this movie pleasantly surprised. It was pretty solid until the end.

I was engrossed in the story even if it wasn't necessarily original. The acting was good, the music was pleasant, and the story was compelling enough to keep you engaged while being uncomfortable awaiting the inevitable tragedy to come in the end.

And while you knew a tragedy was coming, you still hoped there was some kind of resolution. There was none. It was just a buildup to a tragedy. So underwhelming. I was surprised at how lacking the ending was. Then I remembered it's a Tyler Perry project, his art is still a work in progress I think it's fair to say.

I have never found Tyler Perry's movies to be very entertaining so I went into this not expecting much. Safe to say it exceeded my expectations.

Yes this film is cliche, a little awkward, slowly paced, and entirely too long. But it was still a good movie. He captures the emotion very well and the cinematography is good. I hope he feels comfortable enough in his life to take more risks and branch out with more films.

Tyler Perry doing a passion project melodrama is something I never would have expected but here we are. I think I may have to add his releases to my future calendars to watch out for.

I've always adored Tyler Perry, even though his Medea can sometimes get on my nerves, but this film is phenomenal! I loved the bluesy music; the story is so heartbreaking at times, and the authenticity of the era is outstanding! This took him years to come to fruition, but it was well worth it. A love story to remember for years. Powerful stuff that this couple had to endure because of Jim Crow South and the horrible racism. Still too familiar.

Also the struggle with his only brother's jealousy ~ heart-breaking on so many levels. Joshua Boone will become a major star after this movie makes its rounds.