Um Diário para Jordan: Memórias de Amor e Perda

This was a bit too melodramatic for my taste. Denzel's previous directorial productions were better. No doubt, Michael B. And Chante Adams delivered, but the flashback sequences were overdone and confusing at times. From the black perspective, the casting was odd. The lead character didn't have one real black friend? Just co-workers/friends? Also, wondered why the child/Jordan looked mixed when clearly, it's hard to imagine Michael B. And Chante producing a kid to look like he did. I noticed that the real life kid has a lighter complexion, but so did the real dad and mom. Guess they had to attach a big name to get it green lit.

A Journal for Jordan (2021) is a movie my wife and family saw in theatres on Christmas Day. The storyline follows a single mother raising a young man and trying to explain his past, her relationship with his father and why circumstances are the way they are. As the young man faces various struggles in life, she reads him segments of a journal his father left him before passing away on how and why he has to handle various circumstances in life.

This movie is directed by Denzel Washington (Antwone Fisher) and stars Michael B. Jordan (Creed), Chanté Adams (Bad Hair), Robert Wisdom (Face/Off), Tamara Tunie (Flight) and David Wilson Barnes (Capote).

The storyline for this is very well written and executed. The elements of the storyline and how they are presented while jumping around "present day" events are well done. The lessons learned by the characters and how that plays into the final conclusion is excellent. The cast delivers remarkable performances and the movie has many tear jerking moments and elements.

Overall this is a very well done picture with numerous important life lessons and elements. I would score this a strong 8/10 and strongly recommend it.

7/10 - all the time jumps did not benefit the film and some sharper editing of the scenes would have elevated the film, but I did cry three separate times during it so it definitely will get you in your feels.

A Journal for Jordan is a bit of an odd one. I actually did enjoy it, but for some reason can't bring myself to give it more than a 5.

The story at times was a little too jumpy, with some quite unnecessary segues which make the film easily 20 minutes too long.

I liked the chemistry between Chante Adams and Michael B Jordan, it was all acted very well. The actual romantic story between them was perfectly well done. Sometimes quite funny, sometimes frustrating, but always sweet. I think that's the problem maybe. It was all very sweet and safe and didn't particularly convey a burning passion and deep love.

Given the name of the film, I feel like there needed to be a greater emphasis on the mother son relationship and the journal itself. This was somewhat pushed to the side and reserved for the final 15 minutes, when it may have been more emotional to have this at the core of the movie. Without this the film mostly plays out like a conventional romcom which means it loses some of its originality.

There isn't really anything to dislike about this film, but equally nothing to love either. I wanted it to be more emotional than it was, so it gets a 5/10. Middle of the road.

Good job Denzel It was slow but kept my attention. It's not about the quality of the movie but the subject. It was a true story. It was someone's life, not just a movie. Too many men grow up without direction. This man knew how to be a Father.