Mo' Better Blues

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Mo' Better Blues

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Mo' Better Blues

Spike Lee, Denzel Washington, Giancarlo Esposito, Wesley Snipes, Robin Harris

With Mo' Better Blues, the story of a young trumpeter's rise to jazz-world stardom, Spike Lee set out to counter Clint Eastwood's cliché-ridden biopic of Charlie Parker in Bird. But the final product,...( read more  read more... ) a slick, glossy drama (with hip-hop jazz provided by Gangstarr no less), is just as superficial as the numerous Alger-esque stories of music stardom to which movie audiences are accustomed. Denzel Washington gives a typically charismatic performance as the trumpeter in question, as does Wesley Snipes as his sax-playing rival. And as with most Spike Lee films, there are numerous solid performers in small roles such as Bill Nunn, Latin-music star Rubén Blades, and comedian Robin Harris. One character, however, attracted unwanted attention: John Turturro's role as an unscrupulous music-industry exec. Critics called the Turturro character, who is at once money hungry, swarthy, and perpetually shrouded in darkness, a classic anti-Semitic caricature. But the charge seems almost irrelevant in Spike Lee's cartoonish, overstylized world of impossibly hunky jazzmen, curvaceous hangers-on, and incessant bebop. --Ethan Brown

Id: 10903151

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Mo' Better Blues Recent Reviews
  • sanjurosamurai
    June 3, 2007
    sanjurosamurai
    what an incredible movie. i dont care for spike lee's themes of racial distinction in most of his films, and some of it that was present in this film were annoying, but this film was too brilliant not to love. it has quickly become one of my favorite movies of all time. i trie...( read more)d to identify wether this was a film about love or music, and then i realized its not about either, its a memoir of a musician. i think i like this film more than most for musical reasons and not film reasons, because im such a HUGE jazz fan, but the movie was well made and well acted. the diologue and ending were not typical rehearsed hollywood, they were genuine. many scenes were pointless and didnt further the plot at all, and in this film it was a good thing. it made the characters more real. denzel was incredible as usual, but the entire cast with the exception of indigo was chosen perfectly. the music scenes were really great and because i know jazz, i know that the things that happen to denzels character in this film happen to jazz musicians all the time. i may not always care for spike lee, but he did a wonderful job on this film.
  • threefolddado
    June 1, 2007
    threefolddado
    For Anyone who loves Jazz.
  • sagapart12
    November 4, 2009
    sagapart12
    A bit of a disappointment for my second Spike Lee Joint. It just didn't cut it. As much as I got into the story I didn't feel a sense of satisfaction at all with it.
  • kurosawian
    July 19, 2009
    kurosawian
    Lee's tribute to jazz is somehow a very enjoyable story with great music and flashy performances. It may seem a little bit on the nose regarding the relationships but the jazz fan in me enjoys the passion Spike has for the subject matter.
  • sippy40
    June 11, 2009
    sippy40
    this movie just didnt make sense
  • divinecontroller
    June 5, 2009
    divinecontroller
    Another Classic about 2 of my favorite pasttimes. Love & Music. This was definitely a great film that illustrates the prices of stardom and the priorities of L.O.V.E. "What the world needs now...is not another Love song."
  • PackmanMtl
    May 23, 2009
    PackmanMtl
    For music, for acting... just loved the story.
  • eaglefaithministries
    October 8, 2008
    eaglefaithministries
    What a great performance Spike Lee Brings out the best in Denzel Washington, and the supporting cast is great.
  • joydark82
    August 31, 2008
    joydark82
    Uno dei film di Spike Lee che mi ha impressionato meno. La musica jazz l'aspetto più interessante.
  • sagitaries30
    August 23, 2008
    sagitaries30
    great movie denzel and wesley r both very rarely seen in movies together
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