A Jazzman's Blues

I have never given Tyler Perry overflowing accolades for any of his cinematic undertakings but I proclaim open heartily this noteworthy feature will stand endlessly in his repertoire. The writing(Which I always felt was rushed in Tyler's assortment of movies), was exceptional! The Casting (Joshua Boone who is a reincarnation of Sam Cooke from voice to appearance with phenomenal acting skills and I can't go without applauding Amirah Vann who's a believable chameleon on every theatrical level from conducting a boardroom to a bluesy matriarch. Too many cast members to thank for giving their all to each character. And last the aesthetically pleasing cinematography that put the viewers right there with every voice.

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 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.

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.

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.