BEFORE: As I've said before, I'm not a huge fan of Spike Lee, but I can't resist the urge to schedule two movies about jazz trumpeters back-to-back. This film came into my collection after last year's chain starring Denzel Washington (last seen in "Crimson Tide"), but that's fine since those were mainly action movies. Linking from "The Cotton Club", Laurence Fishburne was in "School Daze" with Spike Lee (last seen in "Crooklyn"), who acts in and directs tonight's film - I think I've used that link before.
THE PLOT: Jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam makes questionable decisions in his professional and romantic life.
AFTER: Hmm, same problem as "The Cotton Club" with regards to dialogue - characters over-explaining things, or saying the same thing two or three times in a row. It makes it seem like the script was only half-finished, or that the film is talking down to the audience, repeating lines to make sure we understand them. Sample dialogue: "Why do you come by at 1 o'clock, you know I practice at 1! Why can't you come by at 2 pm, which is one hour later?" Yeah, thanks for the excess info, I'd forgotten how to tell time.
In "The Cotton Club", Diane Lane's character was juggling two men, and tonight Denzel's character is juggling two women. Logic dictates that there must be musicians and singers somewhere who are well-adjusted and monogamous, but I guess Hollywood doesn't find their stories as interesting.
I don't have much sympathy for a character that dates two women - but "dates" is maybe too strong a word. He sleeps with two women - what did he think would happen when they find out about each other? He deserves what happens next. But if he's so self-absorbed an preoccupied with his music, how does he have time for one woman, let alone two?
I also don't have any sympathy for a character who says the word "irregardless", as if it's a real word. (It's not.)
Last night's film also had a racial element, and that's of course present in any Spike Lee film as well - 50 years later, and black men are still playing in clubs that are owned by white (Jewish) men - so it seems that little has changed. The jazz quartet here is stuck in a contract that doesn't pay them enough, and they're unable to re-negotiate. Typical Spike Lee film - decrying racism while relying heavily on racial stereotypes, very hypocritical. How is it OK to fall back on outdated Shylock-like depictions of Jewish people?
Also starring Wesley Snipes (last seen in "Rising Sun"), Giancarlo Esposito (last seen in "Maximum Overdrive"), Joie Lee (last seen in "Crooklyn"), Cynda Williams, John Turturro (last seen in "The Color of Money"), Nicolas Turturro, Bill Nunn, Robin Harris, with cameos from Samuel L. Jackson (last seen in "Jumper") and Charles Murphy.
RATING: 4 out of 10 baseball games
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