A Jazzman's Blues

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.

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.

Tyler Perry makes a drama. It was ok and glad I watched thru to the end. I almost turned it off about 30 minutes in because I thought the movie was going in a different direction but then saw it wasn't. Story ended up good and original. Some of the themes were to be expected though. Even had unexpected twists. Acting was good. But I walked away feeling meh overall about it. The problem with was the pacing. Dragged too much. Felt myself getting up too many times. Lip syncing was bad during the songs. Needed tightened up and about 30 minutes taken off the film. Love the song in the credits. Added it to my chill playlist.

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.

I am always skeptical about TP movies but this one was far better than the other ones in my opinion. Even though there were a few cons why I did not give this movie a 10, It is still an enjoyable watch.

Here are the reasons why I did not give it a 10.

Cons: Movie ended with missing parts that could've sent the movie to another level. The father's hate, where does it come from? If Bayou is someone else's son who is he?

The grandfather, yes we get it, he is depraved rapist. Why didn't Bayou do anything about it? And why is Leanne's mother so detached and evil? Couldn't they show us some dialogues between her and Leanne that made her this way?

Why is Leanne so selfish? As if she did not know that they could kill Bayou.

Why is Bayou's brother like that? Did something happened to him that turned him into an addict?

Lastly Why is Bayou so dumb? You know your brother hates you, you go and trust him around you while you are enjoying stardom. Why go back to the place that you know pretty well that they will kill you. Why couldn't he send someone down there and bring his mom to Chicago to live with him?

What type of life is he proposing to Leanne and his white son (which the skin tone is completely confusing btw).

Who is the old woman at the beginning of the movie? What happened to Bayou's people at the aftermath?

Nice try from Tyler Perry tho.