Mo' Better Blues
Mo' Better Blues
R | 03 August 1990 (USA)
Mo' Better Blues Trailers

Talented but self-centered trumpeter Bleek Gilliam is obsessed with his music and indecisiveness about his girlfriends Indigo and Clarke. But when he is forced to come to the aid of his manager and childhood friend, Bleek finds his world more fragile than he ever imagined.

Reviews
Laikals The greatest movie ever made..!
Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined
Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible
Bergorks If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.
tavm Having just watched Do the Right Thing, I'm now reviewing Spike Lee's follow-up Mo' Better Blues which I also watched on YouTube. Spike plays Giant, manager to Bleek Gilliam (Denzel Washington) whose jazz band is the hottest in the club. One of those band members is Shadow Henderson (Wesley Snipes) who sometimes gets in conflict with Bleek over creative and other matters. One of those other matters is singer Clarke Bentancourt (Cynda Williams) who wants Bleek to hire her but he won't though that doesn't mean he won't share his bed. She's not the only one as another lady named Indigo Downes (Joie Lee, Spike's sister) also sleeps with him. That causes another conflict. I'll stop there and just say that while I liked the drama, it does seem to be a bit rushed toward the end. Still, it was enjoyable enough and the score by Spike and Joie's father Bill (who cameos near the end) was excellent. Also enjoyable was hearing Brandford Marsalis (dubbing Snipes' saxophone) and Terence Blanchard (Wahington's trumpet) during the musical interludes and Ms. Williams' singing was also fine. Now I've read and heard some debate about the portrayal of Jewish club owners Moe and Josh Flatbush (John and Nicholas Turturro) as stereotypical but I didn't notice or maybe I just wasn't aware so I wasn't distracted in any way. So on that note, Mo' Better Blues gets a recommendation from me. P.S. I thought it quite enjoyably bizarre to hear Samuel L. Jackson as his DJ Daddy Love character from Do The Right Thing and then seeing him as the bully character Madlock.
Glendon Gross I was surprised how much I responded to this movie. I have worked as a jazz trumpet player, and I thought Spike Lee's presentation of the darker side of jazz was brilliant. I myself have had to address many of the problems faced by Denzel Washington's character in this movie, and I think it should be required viewing for aspiring jazz musicians. Why? Not because of the entertainment value, but because of the Truth value (with a capital "T".) Jazz Musicians are artists at the heart, and any good jazz musician has to deal with the necessary tension between the somewhat egotistical act of creating one's art, and the cold realities and consequences of sharing it with an audience. Denzel Washington did a good job of portraying the conflict between his character's narcissism and his relationships. Admittedly selfish, his character is eventually transformed in a powerful and realistic way. Reminiscent of William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, Spike Lee has contributed to the popular lore and also to human understanding with this work. (And he also is a good actor!) To me the unique camera angles and choice of sets served to amplify the message of this movie, which transcends race. While I would have preferred a different ending, and I hated to watch the violence, I am forced to acknowledge the realism in the way this movie ends in a positive way. I believe I am a better person for having watched this movie.
lesyle I really enjoyed this film. Everyone has a Bleek in his life: someone whose love of his life is all he knows, wants to know, etc. However, we always lose the love of our life for various reasons. Then, what do you do when the love of your life is suddenly taken from you? That is this film's theme. Bleek's only love was jazz music. Bleek's music was the only thing that mattered to him. Music overrode everything: an incompetent manager (who was his best friend), his lovers, and the contentment of his bandmates (the money issue which is related to having an incompetent manager). When Bleek lost the love of his life (watch the film to learn why), he was forced to make some hard choices about his life and face some unpleasant truths (something we've all had to do).I enjoyed the score and the jazz pieces included in this film (after all, Bleek played the trumpet). I really liked the cinematography in this film because the film showed the beauty of New York City - the brownstones, the Manhattan skyline (a brief glimpse), the Brooklyn Bridge, etc.
anton-6 I saw this a couple of years ago and I don´t remember so much from it.But then I saw it again last month with my girlfriend I thought that it was too long.It could have been much better.The first half hour is great but the film is over 2 hours and you get bored and almost forget the story in the end.That´s a problem with some of Spike Lee´s films that they are too long but this film has great music and very good acting.I recommend "Jungle fever" for entertaining and "Do the right thing" as a masterpiece.2/5
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